YDLabs

What YDLabs does

YDLabs is a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) headquartered in the Ziporit Industrial Zone, Nof HaGalil, Israel, providing fermentation scale-up and downstream processing services to AgBiologicals companies. Founded in April 2022 and operational since October 2022, the company operates bioreactors at 80L, 300L, and 1,000L scales today, with 7,500L and 15,000L capacity scheduled for Q4 2026. Its service offering is structured as four integrated modules: Process Development (technology transfer and protocol optimization), Process Optimization (efficiency and cost reduction), Upstream Scale-Up (fermentation scale-up to industrial demo scale), and Downstream Processing (cell separation, chromatography, membrane filtration, drying). The company explicitly states its scope as bridging the lab-to-field-trial gap for biopesticides, biofertilizers, and biostimulants programs, with secondary activity in FoodTech, textile bioprocesses, and pharma-adjacent applications.

YDLabs generates revenue on a project-based, fee-for-service basis, with pricing tailored to fermentor volumes, process duration, and materials; the company does not take equity, shared IP, or royalties from clients. GTM is consultative direct sales led by Chief Commercial Officer Dr. Roee Vidavski, supported by content marketing, industry meetups, and the Scale-Up Challenge program (up to 100,000 ILS in service credit for early-stage startups). Customer engagement typically flows from a Scale-Up Assessment via Calendly through NDA, scoping, and weekly technical reviews. The company added a U.S. sales and piloting presence in Durham, North Carolina in February 2026 and has disclosed execution of 30+ projects worldwide since inception.

YDLabs was selected by the Israel Innovation Authority in June 2023 to build a $14M fermentation facility, with co-investment from Gadot Group, anchoring the capital base for the planned 15,000L expansion. The technical team is led by CEO Ariel Blumovich (ex-Samsung, Teva, Sanofi, Enzymotec), CTO Dr. Moti Rebhun (30+ years fermentation; founder of Israel's Fermentation Society), COO Yoni Manor, and Head of Downstream Michael Spevak (35+ years biopharma manufacturing). AI/ML capabilities exist only as partnerships with bio-process technology companies rather than as in-house differentiation.

Name

YDLabs

Legal name

YDLabs

Website

https://yd-labs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

YDLabs is an Israeli CDMO providing fermentation scale-up (80L to planned 15,000L) and downstream processing services to AgBiologicals companies developing biopesticides, biofertilizers, and biostimulants, with a hybrid US-Israel service model launched in 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fermentation CDMO Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biologics (mAbs/Recombinant Proteins) CDMO (HLAGABAC)

Keywords

• Fermentation CDMO services
• Agbiologicals biomanufacturing
• Biopesticide scale-up
• Downstream processing services
• Precision fermentation contract manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Caesarea

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. CDMO Fee-for-Service: YDLabs operates as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) providing fermentation services on a fee-per-service basis. They do NOT take equity, shared IP, or royalties. Services include process development, process optimization, upstream scale-up, and downstream processing. Pricing is flexible and tailored to each project, considering fermentor volumes, process duration, and relevant materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

YDLabs is a fermentation Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) providing end-to-end services from process development through industrial scale-up (80L to 15,000L fermenter capacity) for AgBiologicals companies developing biopesticides, biofertilizers, and biostimulants. Services include Process Development, Process Optimization, Upstream Scale-Up, and Downstream Processing (recovery, purification, and stabilization), helping clients bridge the critical gap between lab-scale R&D and field trials. The company operates on a fee-for-service basis without taking equity, shared IP, or royalties.

Product overview

YDLabs operates as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) offering an integrated suite of fermentation scale-up services for AgBiologicals companies. The core offering consists of Process Development (technology transfer, protocol optimization, and validation), Process Optimization (efficiency improvement and cost reduction), Upstream Scale-Up (fermentation scale-up from 80L to 15,000L), and Downstream Processing (product recovery, purification, and stabilization). The company specializes in biopesticides, biofertilizers, and biostimulants programs, providing end-to-end demo-scale biomanufacturing services designed for greenhouse and field trial preparation. Their Scale-Up Challenge program supports early-stage startups with fermentation services awards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Process Development Technology transfer, development, and optimization of fermentation protocols to enhance productivity, efficiency, and scalability while reducing production costs. Targeted at AgBiologicals companies needing to establish or transfer fermentation bioprocesses prior to scale-up.
• Process Optimization Improves process efficiency by simplifying procedures, reducing purification steps, enhancing robustness, and optimizing ingredient costs and resource consumption. Targeted at clients with established processes that need yield, throughput, or cost improvements.
• Upstream Scale-Up Fermentation scale-up services from laboratory to industrial scale using 80L, 300L, 1,000L fermenters, with 7,500L and 15,000L capacity expected in Q4 2026, coupled with adjacent centrifuges, filtration systems, homogenizers, dryers, and other DSP equipment. Targeted at AgBiologicals companies needing to bridge from lab-scale R&D to pilot- and demo-scale field-trial material production.
• Downstream Processing (DSP) Recovery, purification, and stabilization of fermentation products including cell separation, chromatography, membrane technologies (reverse osmosis, nanofiltration), disc-stack centrifugation, homogenization, freeze-drying, and spray-drying. Targeted at AgBiologicals and FoodTech companies needing to convert fermentation output into field-trial-ready, regulatory-grade material.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6.6x yield increase in E. coli bio-pesticide project with 77% media cost reduction and 30% process time reduction
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 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, supporting and minor.

• Bioengineering AGcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2024Agreement for 7500 and 15000L fermentors. Bioengineering AG is supplying large-scale fermentation equipment to support YDLabs' expansion to demo-scale manufacturing capacity.
• Innovation IsraelsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsrael's innovation agency supporting the bioconvergence ecosystem. YDLabs operates within this broader support network for Israeli biotech companies.
• AI/Bio-process Technology CompaniessupportingTechnology or IntegrationYDLabs partners with bio-process technology companies specializing in fermentation optimization using AI/ML-derived capabilities. This enhances their service offerings and keeps them at the forefront of technological advancements.
• North Carolina Biotechnology CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerYDLabs' US office is located at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in Durham, NC, facilitating connections with the local AgBiologics ecosystem.
• RemilkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Eran Noah, Patent Attorney and Director of IP at Remilk, spoke at YDLabs' 2nd Meetup Sessions on Intellectual Property & Investment Relations in Foodtech.
• Cardumen CapitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Sejal Ravji, AgriFood Tech Partner at Cardumen Capital, spoke at YDLabs' 2nd Meetup Sessions on Investment Relations.
• BiosafeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPauliina Halimaa PhD, CEO of Biosafe, spoke at YDLabs' 1st Meetup Sessions on Food Regulation in Israeli and EU landscape.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Eurofins Scientific: Eurofins is a global contract laboratory services group that provides industrial fermentation support, microbial testing, and product characterization services to agritech and biopharma clients. It is a much larger incumbent whose service breadth overlaps YDLabs' DSP/testing arms even though it does not specialize in AgBio scale-up.
• Novonesis: Novonesis (formerly Novozymes/Chr. Hansen) is a global fermentation powerhouse producing enzymes, bioprotectants, and biocontrol products for agriculture. While primarily a product company, it operates large-scale microbial fermentation similar to YDLabs' scale-up ambitions and serves many of the same AgBio end customers.
• Lonza Group: Lonza is one of the world's largest CDMOs with microbial fermentation capabilities for recombinant proteins. It serves much larger pharma/biotech clients but competes for the same underlying microbial CDMO demand pool and offers comparable USP + DSP service modules.
• Bühler Group: Bühler supplies fermentation and bioprocess equipment to the agritech and foodtech industries and increasingly offers process scale-up and CDMO services. It is a relevant comparable due to its overlapping client base in industrial-scale microbial bioprocessing for sustainable food and agriculture.
• Lallemand Plant Care: Lallemand produces microbial inoculants, biostimulants, and biocontrol products for agriculture through large-scale fermentation. It operates upstream fermentation capacity for AgBio end products, making it a partial incumbent-comparable for AgBio-focused fermentation infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Evolugate: Evolugate is a contract microbial biomanufacturing and fermentation service provider focused on strain development through commercial production. It offers a similar small-scale-to-pilot USP service to early-stage agritech and industrial biotech clients, making it one of the closest direct peers to YDLabs.
• Cytovance Biologics: Cytovance is a microbial CDMO offering process development, scale-up, and GMP manufacturing for recombinant proteins. It directly competes with YDLabs for recombinant protein expression work using E. coli, P. pastoris, and similar hosts, and serves an adjacent startup-to-commercial client base.

Regional players

• BioAgri: BioAgri is a Brazilian contract biopesticide and biological control manufacturer providing fermentation and formulation services to AgBio companies. It is comparable to YDLabs in its AgBio-specific fermentation focus but operates primarily in South American markets.

Emerging players

• Ginkgo Bioworks: Ginkgo Bioworks operates a synthetic biology platform with substantial fermentation and bioprocess scale-up capabilities for agricultural and industrial customers. While its primary focus is cell engineering rather than CDMO, its AgBio end-market and fermentation infrastructure make it a partially comparable peer.

Others

• Bio Huma Netics: Bio Huma Netics develops biofertilizers and biostimulants derived from fermentation and serves agricultural customers with similar end-products to many YDLabs clients. It is a downstream user of fermentation rather than a CDMO, but is comparable as a complementary player in the AgBio value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ydlabs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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 YDLabs