About Agronetica
Revolutionizing the US$310 billion chocolate industry with CRISPR 2.0 technology. We are the one company positioned to meaningfully help save chocolate from extinction
Who We Are
Agronetica stands as a global pioneer in successful cacao gene editing, combining breakthrough CRISPR 2.0 technology with deep crop science to rescue chocolate while transforming sustainability, ethics and farmer livelihoods.
Our Mission
Preventing the extinction of chocolate through revolutionary gene-edited cacao that consumers embrace. We’re delivering climate-resilient, disease-resistant, high-yield varieties in the upcoming years – not the 15-20 years of traditional breeding that the industry doesn’t have.
Technology Supremacy: Why Only We Succeed
Our CRISPR 2.0 platform conquers cacao’s unique challenges
Genetic
complexity
mastered
Accelerated
development
Multi-trait
stacking
We decode
and edit where
others fail
A few years vs.
15–20 years traditional
timeline
Complex
combinations
impossible
until now
The Result
Solutions delivered during peak crisis,
not after extinction.
The Crisis We’re Solving
Supply collapse30% production drop threatening global chocolate
Price explosion
500% price increase destroying industry economics
Failing
regions
40% of growing regions failing
Child
labor
1.5 million children in hazardous labor
Heavy
metal
Heavy metals blocking billions in exports
Partnership with BetterSeeds
Operating within one of the world’s top 15 genome-editing companies provides access to 140+ patents and world-class infrastructure.
Technical advantage
we are not just first – We have a multi-year head start. Any new entrant starting today would still be years behind when it matters most.
Our Principles
Crisis-
driven
Speed-
focused
Farmer-
first
Sustainability-
mandated
Every trait must deliver measurable crisis relief and clear
economic rescue across the collapsing supply chain.
Executive Leadership
Dr. Helmut Schramm
Chairman
A veteran in the Ag industry as the former President of Agricultural Affairs at Bayer CropScience, CEO of Bayer CS Germany LLC, formerly head of Bayers’ Fungicide division and President of the Agricultural Industry Association (IVA).
Ido Margalit
CEO & Co-founder
Has over 20 years of management experience in the life science industry. He co-founded Infigo Diagnostics Ltd. and held executive positions at TransAlgae Ltd. and Syngenta Group, a global leader in the ag-tech sector with over $30 billion in revenue. Mr. Margalit is an agronomist and holds an M.Sc. in Management of Technology from the Polytechnic School of Engineering of New York University.
Rami Dar
Director
Formerly the CEO of Hazera Seeds for 17 years, the biggest seed company in Israel, and also part of the Limagrain Group, the biggest vegetable seed company in the world. In addition, Rami served as Chairman of the Board of Novolog for more than five years, a TASE-125 index-traded company, and as a board member of a NASDAQ-traded company and a private company.
Ilanit Madari
CFO & HR
A seasoned Financial Officer with experience in the global tech industry. Mrs. Madari held C-level positions at both Headsense Medical Ltd. and the Targetech Innovation center, where she led the financial growth of dozens of startups. Mrs. Madari holds a B.A. in Economics and Management from Ruppin College and an MBA from Ramat Gan College.
Leadership Team
World-class experts translating breakthrough science
into market reality Scientific Advisors
Dr. Amit Gal-On
Plant Virus Expert
Former Senior Leader at the Plant Protection Institute, Volcani Leading authority on plant viruses
Prof. Virginijus Šikšnys
CRISPR Advisor
Prof. Virginijus Šikšnys is a CRISPR pioneer and world-renowned gene editing scientist, whose CRISPR research predates foundational CRISPR patents of Doudna and Charpentier, and who has won several internationally acclaimed awards for his work such as the prestigious Kavli Prize.
Dr. Avi Perl
Tissue culture Advisor
Former Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and senior researcher at the Volcani Center for Agricultural Research (ARO). Specializes in plant cell culture technologies, recalcitrant plant regeneration and novel transformation protocols. Led national agricultural strategy development, research prioritization, and the implementation of large-scale projects from concept to execution
Prof. Haim Rabinowitch
Genetics Visionary Advisor
Formerly the Dean of Faculty of Agriculture and Rector at the Hebrew University, is a world-renowned expert in plant physiology and an opinion leader in plant breeding. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the American ASHA and NFPA Award, The Kaye Prize, and the Rothschild Prize.
Dr. Shira Corem
VP R&D
With extensive research experience in Genome Editing and Molecular Biology, Dr. Corem is head of the genetic research array at BetterSeeds. Before that, Dr. Corem was a senior researcher at the Volcani Institute, where she focused on epigenetic breeding and the application and utilization of CRISPR gene-editing technology. Dr. Corem holds an M. Sc in Environmental Biomontoring, Cum Laude from the University of Genoa and a Ph.D. in Plant Science from Tel Aviv University.
Dr. Tal Sherman
CTO & Co-founder
An expert in molecular biology and plant physiology, with extensive experience in R&D and plant breeding management. He was the director of the trait and abiotic stress-based projects at Syngenta Group, leading the implementation of new digital phenotyping technologies. Dr. Sherman holds a B.Sc. in Agriculture from the Hebrew University and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Plant Science from Tel Aviv University.