What Groundwork BioAg does

Groundwork BioAg is an Israeli bioagriculture company that develops, manufactures, and commercializes highly concentrated mycorrhizal (arbuscular endomycorrhizal fungi, or AMF) inoculants for mainstream agriculture and durable soil-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Mazor, Israel, the company's core technology is built on proprietary mycorrhizal strains developed over 30+ years of R&D at Israel's Volcani Institute (ARO), derived from harsh desert conditions and produced via a scalable, cost-effective fermentation process. The product portfolio, marketed under the Rootella brand, spans nine SKUs — including wettable powders (Rootella X, BR ULTRA), liquid formulations (Rootella L), fine powders (Rootella F, Forte), flakes (Rootella P, G), and grow packs (Rootella T) — designed for diverse application methods (seed treatment, in-furrow, dusting, growing media, planting hole) across row crops, specialty crops, and Brazilian regional formulations. Quantified agronomic benefits include 5-15% higher yields, up to 40-50% reduction in phosphorus fertilizer requirements, 10-100x root zone extension, and 1.5-3.5 tCO2e sequestered per acre annually.

The company operates a dual business model. The primary revenue stream is direct and channel-based sales of Rootella inoculants through a multi-region field sales force (US, Brazil, India, China), authorized dealer networks in North America, exclusive distributor NovaTero BioAg in Brazil, and the ADAMA partnership in China — collectively reaching 23 commercial markets. The second, strategically central revenue stream is the Rootella Carbon program: a verified soil-CDR business in which growers enroll a minimum of 250 acres under a 4-year commitment, the company conducts soil sampling and verification (under Verra VM0042 v2.0, Project #4885), generates carbon credits, and shares up to 70% of net proceeds with the grower pool while retaining the balance. The program scaled from ~9,000 enrolled acres in 2023 to 700,000+ acres by 2025-2026, with the first 19,568 Verified Carbon Units projected for issuance in Q2 2026. The carbon program is supported by a proprietary end-to-end software platform for MRV and credit administration, and is positioned by the company as the only sub-$100 high-durability CDR credit on the market.

Groundwork BioAg has raised approximately $30 million in venture funding across multiple rounds through 2022, with strategic LPs including BASF Venture Capital, HSBC Asset Management (HSBC Climate Growth Partners), Climate Innovation Capital, Ibex Investors, Middleland Capital, and MoreVC. Leadership transitioned in August 2025 when co-founder Yossi Kofman moved to Chairman and Alon Werber was named CEO; a new Chief Carbon Commercial Officer role was created in January 2026 to commercialize the carbon program. The company is recognized by Fast Company as the #3 World's Most Innovative Food & Ag Company.

Name

Groundwork BioAg

Legal name

Groundwork BioAg

Website

https://groundworkbioag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Groundwork BioAg develops and commercializes highly concentrated mycorrhizal (AMF) inoculants under the Rootella brand and a verified soil-based carbon dioxide removal program, serving row crop farmers, specialty growers, and corporate CDR buyers across 23 global markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Biologicals / Biofertilizers

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing (325314)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Seed Inoculants & Biological Seed Enhancers (Rhizobia, Mycorrhizae, PGPR) (AFABAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biofertilizers & Microbial Inoculants (IMAEAEAG), Biological Seed Treatments & Inoculants (within Biologicals) (AFABAEAL), Soil Health Activators & Biostimulants (Humates, Amino Acids, Seaweed Extracts) (AFABAKAJ), Microbial/Enzymatic Soil Conditioners (Decomposer & Soil Health Consortia) (AFABADAK)

Keywords

• Mycorrhizal inoculants
• Agricultural biologicals
• Biofertilizer products
• Soil carbon sequestration
• Carbon credit programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ra'anana

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Rootella Mycorrhizal Inoculant Sales: Sale of mycorrhizal inoculant products (Rootella product line) including wettable powder, liquid, fine powder, flakes, and grow packs for various crop applications. Products sold through direct sales, dealers, and distributors globally.
2. Rootella Carbon Program - Carbon Credit Revenue: Groundwork BioAg sells carbon credits generated through the Rootella Carbon program. Growers receive up to 70% of net proceeds through revenue-sharing model. Company retains portion for program development, soil sampling, analysis, and verification costs.
3. Rootella Carbon Program - Multiyear Offtakes: Forward contracts for carbon credit delivery available to buyers. Projected credit issuance includes Q2/2026 (19,568 VCUs issued), Q1/2027 (245,000 tCO2e under verification), and Q4/2027 (500,000 tCO2e projected).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Groundwork BioAg develops, manufactures, and commercializes highly concentrated mycorrhizal (AMF) inoculants under the Rootella® brand for mainstream agriculture, with formulations for seed treatment, in-furrow, dusting, growing media, and planting-hole applications across row crops, specialty crops, and Brazil-specific markets. The company also operates the Rootella Carbon® Program — a soil-based carbon dioxide removal program that issues Verra VM0042 v2.0-verified carbon credits, with growers receiving up to 70% of net proceeds, plus an end-to-end proprietary software platform for field-to-credit tracking.

Product overview

Groundwork BioAg offers the Rootella® family of highly-concentrated mycorrhizal inoculant products for mainstream agriculture. The product portfolio includes multiple formulations (Rootella® X, L, Forte, F, P, G, T, BR ULTRA, BR) designed for various application methods including seed treatment, in-furrow application, dusting, growing media mixing, and transplantation. These products are built on robust mycorrhizal fungi strains that form symbiotic relationships with plant roots, extending root zones by up to 100x and providing benefits including enhanced nutrient uptake, phosphorus efficiency, stress resistance, and carbon sequestration. The Rootella Carbon® Program extends the product ecosystem by enabling farmers to earn carbon credits through applying Rootella products, with farmers receiving up to 70% of net proceeds. The company also offers the Mycorrhizal Carbon™ technology platform for durable soil carbon sequestration and the Mycorrhizal BioPlatform for comprehensive soil health optimization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rootella: Product line of highly concentrated mycorrhizal inoculants that build beneficial fungal networks, extending plant root systems for greater reach and resilience. Designed for potency, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use.
• Rootella Carbon
• Mycorrhizal Carbon

Products and services

• Rootella® X Wettable powder mycorrhizal inoculant containing at least 133,600 viable propagules of Glomus intraradices per gram and 33,400 viable propagules of Glomus mosseae per gram, designed for liquid applications and seed treatment on row crops, tubers, bulbs, vegetables, fruits, sugar cane, beans, lentils, peanuts, and rice.
• Rootella® L Concentrated liquid seed-treatment mycorrhizal inoculant containing at least 133,600 viable propagules of Glomus intraradices per ml and 33,400 viable propagules of Glomus mosseae per ml, designed for easy integration into seed treatment practices.
• Rootella® Forte Concentrated sticky fine powder mycorrhizal inoculant with at least 33,280 viable propagules of Rhizophagus intraradices per gram and 8,320 viable propagules of Funneliformis mosseae per gram; enables treatment of twice the acres compared to other formulations using the same amount of product.
• Rootella® F Sticky fine powder mycorrhizal inoculant with at least 20,800 viable propagules of Glomus intraradices per gram, designed for seed coating, manual seed mixing, planter box treatment, and dusting applications.
• Rootella® P Mycorrhizal inoculant flakes for mixing in growing media, suitable for vegetables, bananas, and rice; also ideal for broadcasting application on new and established lawns and landscapes.
• Rootella® G Mycorrhizal inoculant flakes ideal for mixing in growing media in nurseries, delivering at least 2,500 viable propagules of Glomus intraradices per gram.
• Rootella® T Mycorrhizal inoculant with a unique 'tea bag' delivery system for easy preparation in planting holes, delivering 2,000 propagules of Glomus intraradices, 250 propagules of Glomus mosseae, and 250 propagules of Glomus clarus per gram.
• Rootella® BR ULTRA High-concentration wettable powder mycorrhizal inoculant available only in Brazil, containing at least 167,000 viable propagules of Rhizophagus intraradices per gram; designed for Brazilian row crops including corn, soybean, and wheat.
• Rootella® BR Fine powder mycorrhizal inoculant available only in Brazil, containing at least 20,800 viable propagules of Rhizophagus intraradices per gram; intended for mixing with seeds in planter box or in-furrow application.
• Rootella Carbon® Program Premium carbon credit program that enables farmers to earn carbon credits by applying Rootella mycorrhizal inoculants to their fields; farmers receive up to 70% of net proceeds from carbon credit sales under a 4-year commitment requiring a minimum 250-acre (100 ha) farm size. Verified under Verra's VM0042 v2.0 methodology (Project #4885).
• Mycorrhizal Carbon™ Technology Platform Nature-based carbon sequestration technology sold to corporate CDR buyers that uses mycorrhizal fungi as the main pathway for carbon into the soil, forming Mineral-Associated Organic Carbon (MAOC) durable for centuries to millennia; up to 60% of plant-derived soil organic carbon is attributed to mycorrhizae.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-15% higher crop yields
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Anew ClimatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration announced September 2025 to commercialize 500,000 tons of durable soil carbon removal credits. Triples agricultural soil carbon sequestration rates and sets new standard for offset markets.
• Beck's HybridsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for first commercial insetting deployment of durable carbon removal. Gives farmers access to Rootella inoculants within Rootella Carbon insetting program.
• ADAMAmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership announced January 2025 to offer Rootella inoculants in China, one of world's largest agricultural markets.
• SCS Global ServicescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThird-party Verra-certified validation and verification body (VVB) that completed validation and verification of Rootella Carbon program credits.
• NovaTero BioAgmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Rootella BR and Rootella BR ULTRA products in Brazil through rootellabr.com.br.
• Sustainable Travel InternationalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership announced January 2025 to offer carbon dioxide removal credits for tourism industry.
• DPH BiologicalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory Board member Mick Messman is CEO of DPH Biologicals.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Symborg: Symborg develops and commercializes mycorrhizal and other microbial inoculants for agriculture, including products like MycoUp used in row crops and specialty crops. Acquired by Corteva in 2022, Symborg is the closest direct competitor to Groundwork BioAg in mycorrhizal-based biological inputs.
• Lallemand Plant Care: Lallemand Plant Care produces mycorrhizal inoculant products (e.g., LALRISE) for row crops, specialty crops, and greenhouse applications, with global distribution. It is one of the most established commercial mycorrhizal inoculant competitors, comparable to Groundwork BioAg's Rootella product line in product category and customer base.
• Indigo Ag: Indigo Ag sells microbial seed treatments (Indigo) and previously operated a large agricultural carbon credit program (Indigo Carbon, now part of Indigo Ag's sustainability business). Comparable to Groundwork BioAg across both product category (biological seed treatments) and carbon credit program structure.
• Premier Tech: Premier Tech produces PRO-MIX and mycorrhizal inoculant products for horticulture, nursery, and specialty crop applications. It is a comparable competitor in the mycorrhizal inoculant category, particularly in specialty crops, growing media, and ornamental segments overlapping with Rootella G, P, and T product lines.

Broad incumbents

• Novonesis (Novozymes / Chr. Hansen): Novonesis, formed from the 2024 merger of Novozymes and Chr. Hansen, is the largest microbial and enzyme solutions provider globally with broad agricultural biologicals portfolios. While not focused exclusively on mycorrhizae, its scale, R&D budget, and distribution make it a key incumbent competing for the same biological-inputs wallet share as Groundwork BioAg.
• Valent BioSciences: Valent BioSciences, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical, is a global leader in biorational and microbial crop inputs, including mycorrhizal inoculants and biocontrol products. Comparable as a broad incumbent in agricultural biologicals competing with Groundwork BioAg across multiple product categories.
• Bayer Carbon Initiative: Bayer's Carbon Initiative (originally via the Granular Insights / Climate Corp platform) enrolled farmers in carbon credit programs in the US and Brazil. Comparable to Groundwork BioAg's Rootella Carbon as a broad-incumbent soil-based agricultural carbon credit program targeting row-crop farmers.

Emerging players

• Pivot Bio: Pivot Bio develops microbial nitrogen-fixing crop inputs (e.g., ProveN, ProveN 40) targeting row-crop fertilizer replacement, addressing a parallel problem to Groundwork BioAg's phosphorus-efficiency claims. Both are venture-backed bioagriculture companies serving North American row-crop farmers with microbial seed treatments.
• Sound Agriculture: Sound Agriculture develops SOURCE, a microbial product that activates nitrogen-fixing and phosphorus-solubilizing microbes in the soil, serving row-crop farmers seeking fertilizer efficiency. It is comparable to Groundwork BioAg as a venture-backed biological inputs company addressing nutrient-use efficiency in row crops.
• AgBiome: AgBiome develops microbial crop protection and plant health products (e.g., Howler, Theia), with a large proprietary microbial collection. Comparable to Groundwork BioAg as a venture-backed agricultural biologicals company developing microbial solutions for row and specialty crops.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GroundworkBioAg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTmjog_vNV8AeH8xKigzEDA
• Facebookfacebook.com/groundworkbioag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groundwork-bioagriculture
• Instagraminstagram.com/groundworkbioag

Compliance23 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors13 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 Groundwork BioAg