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CRISPR Therapeutics AG
CRISPR Therapeutics was founded in 2013 by Emmanuelle Charpentier, Rodger Novak, and Shaun Foy, building on Charpentier's co-discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9...
CRISPR Therapeutics AG
CRISPR Therapeutics was founded in 2013 by Emmanuelle Charpentier, Rodger Novak, and Shaun Foy, building on Charpentier's co-discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 system. The company went public on the Nasdaq in 2016 (CRSP) and is incorporated in Switzerland, with its operational headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The firm's strategy centers on both ex vivo and in vivo gene-editing approaches. Ex vivo programs include Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel), developed in collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which received FDA approval in 2023 for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia. In vivo programs target liver diseases, with preclinical work on hemoglobinopathies and metabolic disorders. The pipeline spans hematology, oncology, immunology, and regenerative medicine. As of the latest annual report, CRISPR Therapeutics employed roughly 667 people across sites in Cambridge, MA; London; and Zug, Switzerland. The company maintains a philanthropic arm, the CRISPR Therapeutics Foundation, which focuses on global health access for gene-therapy treatments. In December 2023, the FDA approved Casgevy as the first CRISPR-based therapy in the U.S. (per FDA, December 2023). A structural differentiator is the firm's collaboration model with Vertex, which provides up front and milestone payments while CRISPR Therapeutics retains co-commercialization rights in some regions. Unlike many biotechs that license out core technology, CRISPR Therapeutics maintains downstream manufacturing and clinical expertise, positioning itself as both a platform company and a commercial-stage entity.
General information
Firm type
Public Biotech Company
Year founded
2013
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Switzerland
City
Zug
Corporate office
Zug, Switzerland
Additional offices
Cambridge, MA, United States · London, United Kingdom · Boston, MA, United States
Principals
Samarth Kulkarni
Chief Executive Officer
Emmanuelle Charpentier
Co-founder
Shaun Foy
Chief Financial Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who leads investment decisions at CRISPR Therapeutics?
Daily operations and strategic direction are led by CEO Samarth Kulkarni, a former venture partner at Versant Ventures who joined as president in 2018 and was appointed CEO in 2021. The board includes co-founder Emmanuelle Charpentier and representatives from Vertex Pharmaceuticals and other institutional shareholders.
How does CRISPR Therapeutics source its deal flow?
The company primarily develops its own pipeline through internal R&D, with the Vertex collaboration being its most significant external partnership. Additional academic collaborations with Stanford, Harvard, and Charité Berlin support early-stage discovery, though the firm does not operate a venture-capital arm for external investments.
Is CRISPR Therapeutics structured as a family office?
No. CRISPR Therapeutics is a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: CRSP) with a market capitalization and traditional biotech structure — board of directors, CEO, R&D pipeline, commercial operations. It does not operate as a family office, though its founders and executives may maintain personal family offices separately.
Does CRISPR Therapeutics participate in fund commitments or direct investments?
CRISPR Therapeutics does not publicly report any fund commitments or direct investment activity outside its own R&D programs and licensing agreements. Its capital strategy focuses on funding its pipeline through public equity offerings, collaboration payments, and debt financing.
What investment stages does CRISPR Therapeutics typically target?
As an operating biotech, the firm focuses on preclinical through Phase 3 clinical trials and commercial-stage launches. Its earliest activities are internal R&D, not external venture funding. The company has advanced at least one program from preclinical to FDA approval.
Which sectors does CRISPR Therapeutics explicitly avoid?
The company does not publicly disclose avoidance sectors, but its public filings and pipeline disclosures consistently exclude gene-editing applications in agriculture, animal health, or industrial biotechnology, focusing solely on human therapeutics.
How is CRISPR Therapeutics related to Vertex Pharmaceuticals?
CRISPR Therapeutics entered a strategic collaboration with Vertex in 2015 to develop gene-editing therapies for hemoglobinopathies. Vertex provided up-front payments and milestone contributions, and the collaboration produced Casgevy. Vertex retains ex-US commercialization rights for Casgevy, while CRISPR Therapeutics co-commercializes in the US and shares profits. In 2023, Vertex exercised an option to expand the collaboration into additional targets.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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