BioConsortia

What BioConsortia does

BioConsortia is an agricultural biotechnology company founded in 2014 and headquartered in Davis, California, with a secondary R&D center in Auckland, New Zealand. The company develops microbial biological products—nitrogen-fixing biofertilizers, biocontrol agents (bionematicides and biofungicides), and biostimulants—for row crop and specialty crop agriculture. Its proprietary platform integrates three core technologies: Advanced Microbial Selection (AMS), a patented directed-selection process that uses plants as selectors to enrich beneficial microbiomes; RHIZOVIZ, a microbe-plant visualization technology; and GenePro, a gene-editing and genomics platform. The platform is built around Gram-positive, spore-forming microbes that deliver 2+ year shelf life, 18+ month seed stability, and compatibility with standard crop protection products and fertilizer granule coatings—properties that address the historical commercialization gaps of gram-negative biological products.

BioConsortia's product portfolio centers on Always-N, a nitrogen-fixing seed treatment showing a 65% win rate over five years and Brazil ROI of $85–$129 per acre; BioControl products including the BEC-60 biofungicide (with 21–24% yield improvement in soy/corn from nematode control); and ZAFFRE biostimulants delivering up to 4% row-crop yield impact and 300% improved emergence under heat/drought stress. Field validation is extensive, with 6,000+ independent researcher trials, 10+ seasons of Always-N testing, and 480+ partner trials in 2025, while products are approved for distribution in 20 U.S. states. The company has approximately 40–50 staff, including 15 PhDs, and spends roughly $10M annually on R&D.

The company operates as an R&D partner rather than a direct seller, taking products through registration and then licensing or supplying them to strategic commercial partners. Revenue streams consist of upfront payments, research funding, and royalties. Named commercial partners include The Mosaic Company (exclusive Americas row-crop rights to nitrogen-fixing technology), Nichino America (BEC-60 biofungicide in U.S./Canada), H&T (New Zealand nitrogen-fixing seed treatment), and Envu. Pricing ranges from approximately $6 per acre for inoculants to $20 per acre for nitrogen-fixing products under multi-year contracts, with biological seed treatment typically delivered via seed application, in-furrow, or fertilizer granule coating. BioConsortia has raised more than $100M in cumulative equity and debt funding, primarily from Otter Capital and Khosla Ventures.

Name

BioConsortia

Legal name

BioConsortia, Inc.

Website

https://bioconsortia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BioConsortia is an agricultural biotechnology company developing microbial nitrogen-fixation, biocontrol, and biostimulant products for row crop and specialty crop growers. It commercializes exclusively through strategic partners including The Mosaic Company, Nichino America, H&T, and Envu.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Biologicals

NAICS

Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (32532), Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (3253), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

akta.pro primary industry

Biostimulants & Plant Health Biologicals (Microbial/Non-microbial) (AFABAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biofertilizers & Microbial Inoculants (IMAEAEAG), Organic & Biological Input Retail (Biostimulants, Biopesticides, OMRI) (AFABAJAK)

Keywords

• Microbial biologicals
• Nitrogen fixation products
• Agricultural biofungicides
• Crop biostimulants
• Microbial seed treatments

Headquarters

HQ city

Davis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Product Development and Licensing: R&D company that develops products and takes them as far as registration, then works behind the scenes with partners who bring products to market. Receives upfront payments, research funding, and royalties from partners.
2. Biofungicide Supply Agreement (Nichino America): Supply agreement for BEC-60 biofungicide in U.S. and Canada with Nichino America, pending EPA approval. Product launch anticipated 2024-2025.
3. Mosaic Partnership Revenue: Mosaic has exclusive rights to nitrogen-fixing technology for core row crops in the Americas (initially corn, wheat, cotton, sugarcane). BioConsortia receives upfront payment, research funding, and royalties. Mosaic will have exclusive rights with distribution agreement for row crops in the Americas.
4. H&T New Zealand Partnership: Partnership with H&T to launch nitrogen-fixing microbial seed treatment in New Zealand, reducing synthetic nitrogen use.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

BioConsortia develops and commercializes microbial biological products for agriculture, including nitrogen-fixing biofertilizers, biofungicides, bionematicides, and biostimulants, built on a proprietary R&D platform centered on Gram-positive, spore-forming microbes. The company operates as an R&D partner, taking products through registration and then commercializing them through strategic partners (Mosaic, Nichino America, H&T) who handle sales and distribution to growers worldwide.

Product overview

BioConsortia offers a portfolio of field-validated microbial biological products for agriculture built on a proprietary discovery and engineering platform. The core product line includes: Always-N, a nitrogen-fixing seed treatment biofertilizer; BioControl products (bionematicides and biofungicides) for crop protection; and ZAFFRE biostimulants for stress resilience and yield enhancement. These products are delivered primarily through seed treatment, in-furrow, and foliar application methods. The technology platform consists of AMS (Advanced Microbial Selection) for microbial discovery, RHIZOVIZ for visualization, and GENEPRO for genetic optimization. All products leverage Gram-positive, spore-forming microbes that provide superior shelf life, seed stability, and manufacturing compatibility. The company operates as an R&D partner, developing products through registration and then commercializing through strategic partners like Mosaic, Nichino America, H&T, and Envu.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Always-N A nitrogen-fixing biofertilizer that colonizes plant roots and converts atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia for plant uptake. Designed for non-legume row crops (corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, sugarcane). Shows 65% win rate over 5 years against full nitrogen treatments and 82% win rate in nitrogen-responsive environments.
• BioControl Products (Bionematicides and Biofungicides) Biological control products targeting soilborne pests and diseases. Bionematicides show 21-24% yield improvement in soy and corn and 5-8 bu/acre corn yield increase. Biofungicides include BEC-60, a broad-spectrum product targeting diseases in apples, berries, grapes, stone fruits, and vegetables.
• BEC-60 Biofungicide A novel broad-spectrum microbial biofungicide for control of diseases in apples, berries, grapes, stone fruits, and vegetables. Marketed by Nichino America in U.S. and Canada under supply agreement.
• ZAFFRE Biostimulant A biostimulant that enhances root development, nutrient uptake, and stress resilience to improve crop consistency and performance. Shows up to 4% yield impact in row crops like corn, wheat, and soy, with 300% improved emergence under heat/drought stress.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% win rate over 5 years for Always-N, improving yields over full N treatments. 82% win rate in nitrogen-responsive environments.
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• EnvuminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2025Partnership to develop biological solutions. Envu is a company focused on environmental and agricultural solutions. Details of the partnership scope were not fully specified in available sources.
• H&TcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 5 December 2024Partnership to launch nitrogen-fixing microbial seed treatment in New Zealand to reduce synthetic nitrogen use. Partnership announced December 2024 with follow-on announcement February 2025 regarding expanded collaboration to reduce synthetic nitrogen use using microbial seed treatment.
• Nichino AmericacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 June 2023Supply agreement for BEC-60 biofungicide marketing and sales in the U.S. and Canada. BEC-60 is a broad-spectrum microbial biofungicide targeting diseases in apples, berries, grapes, stone fruits, and vegetables. Nichino is conducting extensive testing to evaluate BEC-60 on additional pathogens and crops. Product launch anticipated 2024-2025 pending EPA approval.
• The Mosaic CompanyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2020R&D and commercial agreement to develop and launch nitrogen-fixing microbial products for corn, wheat, and other major non-legume row crops. Mosaic has exclusive rights for core row crops in the Americas (initially corn, wheat, cotton, sugarcane). BioConsortia receives upfront payment, research funding, and royalties. Collaboration expanded to Asia markets in 2022. Field testing of 300+ trials across range of crops in 2023. Mosaic has also extended agreement and is exploring expansion with biological products.

Scale indicators24 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Pivot Bio: Pivot Bio is the leading microbial nitrogen-fixing company for row crops (corn, wheat, sorghum, etc.), using engineered and naturally occurring microbes to displace synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. It is BioConsortia's most direct competitor in the N-fixation row-crop segment, targeting the same end-customers and competing for similar Mosaic/Channel-type partnerships.
• Indigo Ag: Indigo Ag develops microbial seed treatments and digital agronomy tools for row crops, with broad acre programs in corn, soy, wheat, and cotton. It is comparable to BioConsortia as a microbial biologicals developer selling through partner/distributor channels, with overlapping product categories (N-fixation, biostimulants, biocontrol).
• Sound Agriculture: Sound Agriculture develops nitrogen-fixing and phosphorus-mobilizing microbial products for row and specialty crops. It is directly comparable to BioConsortia in its product offering (microbial N-fixation as alternative to synthetic nitrogen) and target customers (large commodity crop growers).

Peers

• AgBiome: AgBiome discovers and develops microbial crop protection products (biocontrol/biofungicides/bionematicides) using a proprietary microbial genomics platform, comparable to BioConsortia's biocontrol pipeline and field-trial-driven development model.

Emerging players

• Joyn Bio (Bayer–Ginkgo Bioworks): Joyn Bio was a joint venture between Bayer and Ginkgo Bioworks engineering nitrogen-fixing microbes for row crops, making it a direct technology peer to BioConsortia's GenePro/AMS platform. It is comparable as an engineered-microbial N-fixation developer but with much larger parent backing (Bayer) than BioConsortia.

Broad incumbents

• Novonesis (formerly Novozymes): Novonesis is the largest pure-play industrial enzymes and microbial biologicals company globally, with a broad agricultural biologicals portfolio across biocontrol, biostimulants, and biofertility. It competes with BioConsortia across multiple product categories but at much larger scale and broader distribution reach.
• Corteva Agriscience: Corteva is a major seed and crop protection company that has built a biologicals portfolio (including via acquisitions like Symborg and Stoller) covering biostimulants, biocontrol, and nitrogen-fixation. It is a broad incumbent competing with BioConsortia across categories with much greater distribution and capital resources.
• BASF Agricultural Solutions: BASF's agricultural division offers crop protection chemicals, seeds, and an expanding biologicals portfolio (biocontrol, biostimulants). It is comparable as a broad incumbent entering the same biologicals space as BioConsortia, though with a much broader chemistry-led portfolio and global distribution.
• Syngenta Group: Syngenta is a global ag-input leader with a growing biologicals business and prior investments in nitrogen-fixation startups (e.g., Synthace, inoculant programs). It is comparable as a broad incumbent with deep channel access that could either partner with or compete with BioConsortia's pipeline products.

Others

• Ginkgo Bioworks: Ginkgo Bioworks is a synthetic biology platform company that has invested in agricultural biologicals (via Joyn Bio JV with Bayer, and acquisitions). It is comparable to BioConsortia's GenePro genetic engineering platform as an enabling/synthetic biology infrastructure player in the ag biologicals space, rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bioconsortia-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BioConsortia