Pivot Bio sells engineered microorganisms that are applied with planting as a liquid and produce nitrogen in soil, potentially replacing or reducing solid fertilizer applications. Its current product, Proven 40, can supply up to 40 pounds of nitrogen per acre and is sold for corn, wheat and rice. The microbes die off after harvest and the company iterates on enzymatic pathways and activation thresholds to improve performance in future versions. Pivot Bio says it can address about a quarter of a $200 billion total market and tripled its revenue in 2021 while currently selling only to farmers in the northern hemisphere. The business touts recurring revenue potential because farmers reapply the product each season. Management plans to use new capital to deepen and broaden the platform and to grow relationships with farmers. Pivot Bio is a Berkeley, Calif.-based developer of microbial nitrogen technology that increases crop yields. The company leverages the crop microbiome and is led by CEO and co‑founder Karsten Temme, Ph.D. Its inaugural product, Pivot Bio PROVEN™, for corn delivers more nitrogen into the crop than synthetic nitrogen, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and energy use tied to the $65 billion synthetic nitrogen fertilizer market. Pivot Bio raised $100M in a Series C and has raised $186M in capital to date. The company intends to use the funds to scale its microbial nitrogen technology and expand internationally. Investors include venture and corporate backers such as Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Temasek, DCVC, Prelude Ventures, Bunge Ventures and Continental Grain Company. Pivot Bio identifies specific microbes in a crop’s roots that have the innate ability to produce nitrogen and uses a proprietary non-transgenic technology to reawaken that capability. Its flagship product, Pivot Bio PROVENTM, is applied in furrow at planting, adheres to the root, and delivers nitrogen in a timely and efficient manner. PROVENTM is the first nitrogen-producing microbial product available for U.S. corn farmers and is already approved for use in states that represent about half of the U.S. corn-producing market, with additional state approvals in process for 2018 and 2019. The company plans to strengthen its commercial launch in the U.S., continue R&D on a second-generation seed treatment, and introduce products in markets such as Brazil, Argentina and Canada. Pivot Bio is led by CEO and co-founder Karsten Temme, Ph.D., and is based in San Francisco, California. Its current financing includes a recently closed $70M Series B to support these efforts. Pivot Bio is a Californian startup operating in stealth that uses microbe-powered technology to develop agricultural products. CrunchBase describes the company as focused on increasing nutrient delivery, providing pest protection, and boosting crop quality. The firm leverages engineering principles and data science to map plant microbiome dynamics and evolve beneficial traits. According to an SEC filing cited in the article, Pivot Bio completed a $16 million Series A round. The article does not name investors or disclose a valuation. The company remains in stealth and the article notes more information will be available when it officially launches.

Total raised

$616M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series D

Latest activity

Jul 2021