Khona Scientific

What Khona Scientific does

Khona Scientific is a biotechnology company that focuses on a proprietary method of biosynthesis production. The company was founded in 2021 and is headquartered in Lone Tree, Colorado, United States.

Name

Khona Scientific

Legal name

Khona Scientific, Inc.

Website

https://khonascientific.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Khona Scientific is a biotechnology company that focuses on a proprietary method of biosynthesis production.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Synthetic Biology Ingredients / Pharmaceutical KSMs & APIs

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing (325411)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Synthetic Biology & Genetic Circuit Design Platforms (pathway engineering, chassis development) (HLAAAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bio-based Pharmaceuticals, Nutraceuticals & Specialty Bioactives (EUAAAIAK)

Keywords

• Biosynthetic compounds
• Cannabinoid isolates
• Pharmaceutical key starting materials
• Synthetic biology platform
• Bioidentical natural products

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. B2B Ingredient Supply: Khona Scientific operates as a B2B supplier of bio-identical natural product compounds, selling cannabinoid isolates, steroid hormones, and pharmaceutical key starting materials (KSMs) to formulators of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. The company also provides process design services and production solutions to the synthetic biology industry at large.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Khona Scientific utilizes its patented BiDS™ (Biosynthesis Design System) synthetic biology platform to produce bio-identical natural product compounds — including cannabinoid isolates, steroid hormones, and pharmaceutical key starting materials (KSMs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) — from simple sugar feedstocks using engineered microbial cells. The company supplies these bio-identical ingredients to nutraceutical and pharmaceutical formulators and also offers process design services to the synthetic biology industry at large.

Product overview

Khona Scientific Inc. is a synthetic biology company offering the patented BiDS™ platform as its core technology, which enables the biosynthetic production of complex natural product compounds. The company provides three main offerings: (1) the BiDS™ Platform for optimizing multi-step biosynthesis via cellular 'assembly lines', (2) Cannabinoid Isolates as bio-identical compounds for nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals, and (3) KSMs and APIs Production for pharmaceutical key starting materials and active ingredients including vinca alkaloids and steroid hormones. Additionally, the company offers Process Design Services to the broader synthetic biology industry. The modular design of the BiDS™ technology enables rapid adaptation to new compounds and flexible production output across multiple compound classes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cannabinoid Isolates Bio-identical cannabinoid isolates (99%+ purity, 100% THC-free) produced via biosynthesis using the BiDS™ platform for use as ready-for-use ingredients in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical formulations. Production output is flexible across 20 unique non-psychoactive cannabinoids, with capacity to add 14 additional compounds (CBGV, CBGVa, CBCV, CBCVa, CBDV, CBDVa, THCV, THCVa, CBNa, CBV, CBT, CBTV, CBLV) as consumer awareness and market demand develop.
• Pharmaceutical KSMs and APIs Production Biosynthetic production of pharmaceutical key starting materials (KSMs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for pharmaceutical applications. Initial focus on vinca alkaloids (for oncology) and steroid hormones (progesterone, estradiol, estrone, estriol) for integration into hormone replacement therapy formulations. Produced to cGMP standards using BiDS™ platform technology.
• BiDS™ Platform Technology (Biosynthesis Design System) Patented synthetic biology platform that organizes multi-component biological pathways into microscopic "assembly lines" within microbial cells (yeast), enabling efficient production of complex organic compounds from simple sugar feedstocks. Handles 20+ biological steps compared to legacy methods limited to approximately 5 steps. Achieves 85-90% conversion efficiency with 99%+ purity in final isolates. Includes modular architecture enabling dynamic switching between target compounds.
• Process Design Services Process design services and production solutions provided to the synthetic biology industry at large, helping partners optimize complex compound production via biosynthesis and address scaling challenges, R&D costs, and commercialization timelines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85-90% conversion efficiency in fermentation process
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• EVEXIAScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 July 2026Khona Scientific and EVEXIAS executed a Letter of Intent to explore next-generation steroid hormone supply chain. Khona will deploy its BiDS™ technology to produce bioidentical steroid hormones (progesterone, estradiol, estrone, estriol) for integration into EVEXIAS' hormone therapy formulations. The collaboration aims to establish supply chain resiliency through redundancy and provide EVEXIAS with more sourcing options beyond traditional India/China supply chains.
• Bright PathmoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2026Bright Path, an advanced pharmaceutical development and manufacturing company, publicly recognized Khona Scientific's investment in expanding U.S.-based KSM manufacturing as a significant step toward strengthening the nation's pharmaceutical industrial base. Bright Path views Khona as a valuable partner in building end-to-end domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem spanning KSMs, APIs, and finished drug products.
• BioMaP Consortium (BARDA-supported)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Khona Scientific was accepted into the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Preparedness (BioMaP) Consortium, a BARDA-supported public-private partnership focused on strengthening U.S. biopharmaceutical manufacturing preparedness. The consortium aims to expand domestic biomanufacturing supply chain, increase manufacturing capacity, and advance technologies that improve responses during public health emergencies. Khona contributes its next-gen biomanufacturing platform to address supply shortages of key starting materials for life-saving pharmaceuticals.
• Benuvia Operations, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2026Khona Scientific and Benuvia signed a Letter of Intent to collaborate on evaluation and development of biosynthetic pathways for commercial production of select controlled-substance APIs. The collaboration combines Benuvia's expertise in regulated pharmaceutical development, GMP manufacturing, and controlled-substance compliance with Khona's patented biosynthesis technology and precision fermentation capabilities. The goal is to support a more resilient and diversified pharmaceutical supply chain.
• Madrone Process Development, LLCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 7 January 2026Madrone Process Development assisted both Khona and Benuvia in aligning technical objectives, regulatory considerations, and development pathways for the biosynthetic API collaboration. Madrone helped establish a structured approach for evaluating biosynthetic starting materials within regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing environments.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Ginkgo Bioworks: Public synthetic biology platform company engineering microbial cells for production of pharmaceuticals, flavors, fragrances, and other complex compounds. Directly comparable to Khona as a cell-engineering platform targeting similar pharmaceutical API/KSM end markets.
• Antheia: Synthetic biology company producing bio-based pharmaceutical ingredients including opioids and other alkaloid APIs via fermentation. Highly comparable to Khona's BiDS™ approach of using yeast-based biosynthesis to produce complex controlled-substance and pharmaceutical compounds.
• Demetrix: Biotech company focused on biosynthesis of rare cannabinoids via engineered yeast fermentation. Closest direct competitor to Khona's cannabinoid isolate product line and modular multi-cannabinoid production approach.
• Amyris: Synthetic biology company historically using yeast fermentation to produce cannabinoids, specialty ingredients, and pharmaceutical compounds. Comparable technology foundation and target markets despite its well-documented commercial challenges which serve as a cautionary benchmark for the category.

Broad incumbents

• Codexis: Public enzyme engineering company developing biocatalysts for pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. Comparable as a larger, established player serving pharma manufacturers with biological production solutions, but operating via enzyme engineering rather than full pathway assembly-line biosynthesis.
• Zymergen: Synthetic biology platform company using automation and machine learning to engineer microbial strains for industrial bioprocesses. Comparable as a broad synthetic biology platform player serving pharmaceutical and specialty chemical markets, though with a more automation-centric rather than pathway-architecture approach.
• Cron Group: Established Canadian cannabis and cannabinoid company with fermentation and biosynthesis subsidiaries pursuing cannabinoid ingredient production. Comparable end-market exposure to Khona's cannabinoid isolate products, though with a much larger operational footprint and broader consumer-facing portfolio.

Regional players

• Cibus: Synthetic biology company developing bio-based products using precision gene editing for food and agricultural applications. Adjacent in synthetic biology category with comparable underlying platform technology, though targeting crop and food ingredients rather than pharmaceutical APIs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/khonascientific
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/khonascientific
• Instagraminstagram.com/khonascientific

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 Khona Scientific