Avalo
Avalo is an AI-powered plant biotech company using interpretable machine learning and whole-genome analysis to develop climate-resilient crop varieties, primarily serving US cotton farmers, Australian sugarcane growers (with CCEP), and sustainability-focused fashion brands and consumer goods manufacturers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersDurham, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Avalo does
Avalo is an AI-powered plant biotech company headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, founded in 2020. It operates a Rapid Evolution Platform™ built around a proprietary Interpretable Machine Learning (IML) approach branded Whole Genome AI™, which the company describes as a first-of-its-kind method that analyzes entire genomic complexity rather than individual gene markers. The platform uses naturally high-diversity breeding inputs (broader gene pools, wild varieties, natural pollination) and predictive in-silico selection to develop climate-resilient crop varieties in years rather than the decades typical of conventional breeding. Avalo has built eight proprietary AI models and reports demonstrated outcomes including a reduction of broccoli growth cycles from 120 days to 37 days and a stated goal of halving conventional sugarcane development timelines.
The company's product portfolio centers on four crop programs: Low-Input Cotton (US, focused on Texas), Sugarcane (Australia, in partnership with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners), Fast-to-Market Broccoli, and Heat-Resilient Tomato. Cotton operates as a closed-loop commercial model in which Avalo supplies seeds and year-round agronomic support to enrolled farmers (minimum 80 acres) and buys back the harvest, while a separate Low-Impact Cotton line is sold to sustainability-focused fashion brands and mills with third-party verified carbon tracking for Scope 3 claims. Sugarcane is structured as a co-development partnership with CCEP, the world's largest sugarcane buyer, with commercial launch planned for 2027+.
Avalo monetizes through a mix of crop licensing and seed sales, partner development agreements with large consumer goods companies, and sustainable fiber supply arrangements. Its customer base spans cotton farmers in the US, sugarcane growers in Northern Australia, consumer goods corporations (CCEP), and fashion brands and mills (via CreateMe Technologies and Laguna Fabrics as part of the Seed to System vertical integration initiative). The company has raised approximately $14.9M cumulatively across five funding rounds, including an $11M Series A in March 2025, and employs 11-50 people. Recent strategic additions include former USDA Secretary Mike Johanns as strategic advisor and former Starbucks CSO / Levi Strauss VP Michael Kobori to the board.
Avalo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Avalo
- Legal name
- Avalo Inc.
- Website
- https://avalo.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Avalo is an AI-powered plant biotech company using interpretable machine learning and whole-genome analysis to develop climate-resilient crop varieties, primarily serving US cotton farmers, Australian sugarcane growers (with CCEP), and sustainability-focused fashion brands and consumer goods manufacturers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Avalo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Biotechnology / Crop Variety Development
- NAICS
- Food Crops Grown Under Cover (11141), Dry Pea and Bean Farming (111130), Oilseed and Grain Combination Farming (111191)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Breeding & Bioinformatics Software (Breeding informatics, decision tools) (AFABALAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Biotechnology & Gene-Edited Trait Development (AFAGAIAG), Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional) (AFAGAIAF)
Keywords
Where Avalo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Avalo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Crop Licensing and Product Sales: Avalo develops and licenses improved crop varieties to partners and sells seeds directly to farmers. Farmers join programs with year-round support and Avalo buys back their cotton harvest, creating a closed-loop revenue model.
- Partner Development Agreements: Strategic partnerships with large corporations like Coca-Cola Europacific Partners for co-development of climate-resilient crop varieties, with CCEP investing in regional crop improvement programs.
- Sustainable Fiber Supply: Low-Carbon American Cotton and Low-Impact Cotton sold to fashion brands and mills that prioritize sustainability and ESG goals, with third-party verified carbon tracking.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Avalo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Avalo develops and licenses improved crop varieties using an AI-driven breeding platform (the Rapid Evolution Platform) that combines Interpretable Machine Learning with Whole Genome AI to predict performance from DNA. The company sells seeds of climate-resilient crops — including low-input cotton for U.S. growers, drought-tolerant sugarcane for Australia, a 37-day-cycle broccoli, and heat-resilient tomato — and licenses varieties to consumer goods and apparel partners through co-development agreements. Revenue is generated via direct seed sales, variety licensing/royalties, and closed-loop harvest buyback programs for sustainable fiber.
Product overview
Avalo is an AI-powered agricultural technology company offering a unified platform (Rapid Evolution Platform™) that develops climate-resilient crop varieties through interpretable machine learning. The product portfolio includes four core crop products: Cotton (US) and Sugarcane (AU) as primary commercial offerings, plus Broccoli and Tomato as emerging products. The platform processes genomic data to identify genetic opportunities in-silico, enabling faster selection across more genetic samples. The company serves two main segments: farmers (who benefit from lower-input, higher-yield crops) and brands/manufacturers (who receive verified sustainable raw materials). Future innovations in development include fibers with higher spinning efficiency, naturally colored cottons, and recycling-suited fibers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cotton (US) Low-input, high-quality cotton seed varieties developed for U.S. (Texas) growers using Avalo's AI-assisted breeding. Designed to reduce input and water requirements while maintaining fiber quality; available through a grower program with a minimum 80-acre enrollment and an optional closed-loop harvest buyback that supplies downstream apparel partners.
- Sugarcane (AU) Climate-resilient sugarcane varieties developed for Australian growers in collaboration with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP). Built to maintain yields under drought and climate stress, with traits selected to support CCEP's lower-carbon ingredient supply targets for the Australian beverage market.
- Fast-to-Market Broccoli A broccoli variety with a 37-day growing cycle, drastically compressed from conventional broccoli timelines. Built for fast, predictable harvest windows that fit modern supply-chain and rotational needs for produce growers and food companies.
- Heat Resilient Tomato A heat-resilient tomato variety designed to maintain productivity and quality under elevated temperatures and climate variability. Targeted at growers and food companies needing stable tomato supply despite warming growing conditions.
- Low-Impact Cotton Premium-fiber cotton with a verified low-carbon footprint, sold to fashion brands and textile mills prioritizing sustainability. Delivered through a closed-loop sustainable fiber supply program with harvest buyback from enrolled growers and an on-platform fiber marketplace that connects brands and mills directly to Avalo's fiber supply.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduced broccoli growth cycles from 120 days to 37 days
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Avalo
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Avalo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature4 records
Avalo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.
- CreateMe TechnologiesflagshipStrategic partnership through 'Seed to System' initiative connecting AI-assisted cotton innovation with robotic garment assembly. CreateMe's MeRA and Pixel automated assembly platforms will complete the supply chain from farm to finished garment. Pilot program starting with Avalo's cotton innovation in Texas, moving to textile processing, and finishing with CreateMe's Newark facility. Planned Climate Week activation and capsule launch.
- Laguna FabricsflagshipPartnership in 'Seed to System' initiative providing knitting and dyeing operations in California as part of localized, transparent, and sustainable supply chain. Collaborates with Avalo and CreateMe to create a more sustainable apparel manufacturing ecosystem.
- Mike JohannsminorFormer U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President George W. Bush joins as strategic advisor to help scale Avalo's crop development platform and strengthen relationships across the agricultural value chain. Brings experience from board positions at Corteva, John Deere, and OSI Group.
- FarmRaisecoreFarmRaise provides infrastructure for field-level data capture and streamlined grower workflows to scale Avalo's cotton innovation program across the United States. FarmRaise's platform connects over 20,000 farmers. The collaboration integrates Avalo's AI-powered analytics and decision-support tools into FarmRaise's existing platform for cotton farmers, helping with data-driven decisions on irrigation, pest control, and crop yields. First AI-powered applications expected Q3 2026.
- Michael KoboriminorFormer Chief Sustainability Officer at Starbucks and former VP of Sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co joins Avalo's board. Brings expertise in sustainable supply chains and serves on board of agricultural commodity trader Bunge Global SA. Will help Avalo commercialize its Low-Carbon American cotton line launching in 2026.
- National Biodiversity Authority (India)minorAvalo Inc. contributed to Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) realisations under India's biodiversity framework, contributing alongside other seed and agricultural companies for commercial use of biological resources.
- Coca-Cola Europacific PartnerscoreFlagship partnership to develop climate-resilient sugarcane varieties in Australia. CCEP is the world's biggest sugarcane buyer investing in this critical region to address farmer challenges and demonstrate how sugarcane cultivation can be improved globally. Partnership includes developing Low-Input Sugarcane with commercial launch planned with CCEP in 2027+. Avalo also partners with CCEP on sugarcane initiatives to reduce carbon footprint of crops.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Avalo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Inari Agriculture: AI-driven seed company using predictive design and multiplex gene editing to develop crops. Most direct competitor to Avalo, operating in the same AI-for-plant-breeding category with similar upstream value proposition to seed companies and farmers, though Inari uses gene editing rather than Avalo's non-GMO approach.
- Pairwise: Plant genetics company using CRISPR-based gene editing to develop improved crops. Comparable as an AI/tech-enabled breeding platform serving consumer and ag customers, but uses gene editing rather than Avalo's non-GMO natural approach; serves similar CPG and produce value chains.
Emerging players
- Benson Hill: AI-driven crop improvement company combining genomics and proprietary data platforms (CropOS) to develop improved soybeans and other crops. Comparable in combining machine learning with plant breeding and selling into the food/ingredient supply chain; both companies pursue sustainability-positioned premium ingredients.
- Sound Agriculture: Agtech company combining AI/ML with crop science to develop input efficiency traits (nitrogen, water). Comparable as a sustainability-positioned, AI-enabled crop improvement company, though focused on microbial and on-demand solutions rather than seed genetics directly.
- Pivot Bio: Microbial nitrogen-fixing company with AI-enabled strain discovery. Comparable as an AI-driven agtech targeting input reduction and sustainability outcomes for farmers; adjacent in value proposition (reducing inputs) but differentiated in approach (microbes vs. seed genetics).
- Trace Genomics: AI/ML soil analytics company serving agricultural input and seed decisions. Comparable as a data-and-AI infrastructure layer in agriculture serving farmers and ag partners; adjacent rather than directly competing with Avalo's breeding focus.
- GreenLight Biosciences: RNA-based crop protection and trait company using biological platforms to improve agricultural outcomes. Comparable as a biotech-forward, sustainability-positioned ag company developing novel crop technologies; adjacent category (RNA vs. breeding) but similar end-market positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Corteva Agriscience: One of the largest global seed and crop protection companies with deep investments in digital agriculture, trait discovery, and germplasm. Represents the incumbent competitive set Avalo must displace; has board overlap (Mike Johanns sits on Corteva's board) which signals strategic relevance.
- Bayer Crop Science (Climate FieldView): Global seed and crop protection leader with Climate FieldView digital farming platform. Represents the dominant incumbent in seed genetics and digital agriculture; comparable as the integrated seed-plus-software incumbent that Avalo is positioning against.
- Syngenta Group: One of the world's largest agriscience companies with global seed, crop protection, and digital agriculture portfolios. Represents the incumbent competitive set in seed and trait development that Avalo's AI platform aims to compete with on speed and sustainability.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Avalo social profiles
Digital presenceAvalo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Avalo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Avalo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors13 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Avalo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Avalo
What does Avalo do?
Avalo develops and licenses improved crop varieties using an AI-driven breeding platform (the Rapid Evolution Platform) that combines Interpretable Machine Learning with Whole Genome AI to predict performance from DNA. The company sells seeds of climate-resilient crops — including low-input cotton for U.S. growers, drought-tolerant sugarcane for Australia, a 37-day-cycle broccoli, and heat-resilient tomato — and licenses varieties to consumer goods and apparel partners through co-development agreements. Revenue is generated via direct seed sales, variety licensing/royalties, and closed-loop harvest buyback programs for sustainable fiber.
Is Avalo a public or private company?
Avalo is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Avalo founded?
Avalo was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Avalo based?
Avalo is headquartered in Durham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Avalo make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Crop Licensing and Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are partner Development Agreements and sustainable Fiber Supply.
Who are Avalo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Inari Agriculture and Pairwise. Emerging players are Benson Hill, Sound Agriculture, Pivot Bio, Trace Genomics and GreenLight Biosciences. Broad incumbents are Corteva Agriscience, Bayer Crop Science (Climate FieldView) and Syngenta Group.
Does Avalo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Avalo.
What industry is Avalo in?
Avalo's product category is Agricultural Biotechnology / Crop Variety Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFABALAL, Digital Breeding & Bioinformatics Software (Breeding informatics, decision tools), with a secondary code of AFAGAIAG, Biotechnology & Gene-Edited Trait Development. Its NAICS code is 11141 and its SIC code is 700.