BioMADE

What BioMADE does

BioMADE (Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Development Ecosystem) is a non-profit Manufacturing Innovation Institute established in October 2020 and launched in April 2021 under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Defense. The organization operates the only U.S. national network of pilot- to demonstration-scale bioindustrial manufacturing facilities, with three sites totaling over $250 million in capital deployment: a 122,000 sq ft demonstration-scale facility in Maple Grove, Minnesota (two 25,000-liter fermenters), a ~25,000 sq ft pilot facility in Hayward, California (up to 4,000-liter tanks, acquired from Lygos), and a 15,000 sq ft pilot facility under construction near Ames, Iowa (up to 10,000-liter fermenters, partnered with Iowa State University). BioMADE's stated mission is to secure domestic supply chains for bio-based chemicals, materials, and defense-relevant products by closing the infrastructure gap between laboratory research and commercial production, addressing the risk that U.S. biotech innovators currently must scale overseas and expose intellectual property.

Core offerings include the Pilot Plant Network itself, the members-only Digital Backbone bioprocess data management platform (beta-launched May 2026), a Member Portal for collaboration and project teaming, and education/workforce development programs including Metabolic Engineering and Microbial Fermentation workshops priced from $625 to $3,500 per participant. Technology development spans the Continuous Taylor Vortex Fermentor-Extractor-Separator architecture developed at Iowa State, the CREATE multiplexed CRISPR genome editing technology, Genomic Language Models for protein production with Triplebar and UC Berkeley, In-Fermenter Cell Datastreams with ML-driven optimization, and ML-guided bioreactor process control projects.

Revenue mechanics rely primarily on federal government grants — an initial $87 million DoD award in October 2020, a $450 million budget increase in March 2023, and subsequent facility-specific allocations — supplemented by state economic development cost-share (Minnesota DEED, Iowa EDA), membership fees across 325+ organizations in 40 states, NSF co-funding for select projects, and workshop/training fees. Go-to-market is sales-led and membership-based, targeting biotech companies (Geno, Ginkgo Bioworks, Lygos), agricultural communities, federal defense stakeholders, and academic researchers, with distribution through webinars, industry conferences (Bio Innovations North America, SIMB, SynBioBeta), and direct project co-investment. The organization is governed independently under California law with no parent company, operating under DoD oversight for strategic alignment with national security objectives.

Name

BioMADE

Legal name

BioMADE (Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Development Ecosystem)

Website

https://biomade.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BioMADE is a non-profit, DoD-sponsored Manufacturing Innovation Institute that operates the only U.S. national network of pilot- to demonstration-scale bioindustrial manufacturing facilities, serving biotech companies, defense stakeholders, and academic researchers across 325+ member organizations in 40 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bioindustrial Manufacturing Infrastructure

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Bioprocess Facility, Cleanroom & Utility Systems (HVAC, WFI, CIP/SIP, containment) (HLAAAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Upstream Bioprocessing Systems & Equipment (cell culture/fermentation, bioreactors, feeds/media) (HLAAAJAA), Bioprocess Development & Scale-Up/Scale-Down Platforms (DoE, high-throughput, modeling) (HLAAAJAF), Biofuel Plant EPC, O&M & Process Technology Providers (EUAAAHAK), Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturing Facility Construction (IMAFADAI)

Keywords

• Bioindustrial manufacturing
• Pilot plant network
• Biomanufacturing infrastructure
• Industrial fermentation facilities
• Biotechnology innovation institute

Headquarters

HQ city

Emeryville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Funding: BioMADE is primarily funded through the U.S. Department of Defense as a Manufacturing Innovation Institute. The institute receives substantial federal investment to support bioindustrial manufacturing infrastructure development, research projects, and workforce development programs.
2. Membership Fees: BioMADE operates as a membership-based organization with over 300 members across 40 states. Members include companies, universities, community colleges, and nonprofits that pay to join and gain access to project funding opportunities, collaboration resources, and the Pilot Plant Network.
3. Workshop and Training Fees: BioMADE offers educational workshops on metabolic engineering and microbial fermentation for fees ranging from $625 to $3,500 per participant, with member discounts available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BioMADE operates a national network of pilot- to demonstration-scale bioindustrial manufacturing facilities (the Pilot Plant Network) and offers its members project co-investment, workforce development training, and the Digital Backbone bioprocess data management platform. The institute focuses on advancing industrial biotechnology manufacturing capacity within the United States, supported by U.S. Department of Defense sponsorship and 325+ member organizations across 40 states.

Product overview

BioMADE is a Department of Defense-sponsored Manufacturing Innovation Institute that operates as a membership-based organization (not a traditional product company). Its core offerings include the Pilot Plant Network (a national system of pilot- to demonstration-scale bioindustrial manufacturing facilities), the Digital Backbone (a members-only bioprocess data management platform in beta), and the Member Portal (a collaboration and resource platform). The organization also provides Education & Workforce Development programs including Metabolic Engineering and Microbial Fermentation workshops, and facilitates Project Funding & Collaboration for its 300+ member organizations across 40 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pilot Plant Network
• Digital Backbone
• Member Portal
• Metabolic Engineering Workshop
• Microbial Fermentation Workshop
• Education and Workforce Development Program
• Project Co-Investment and Collaboration Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million jobs by 2030 in U.S. bioindustrial economy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

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

• Bio Innovations North AmericamajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 April 2026BioMADE serves as Headline Partner for Bio Innovations North America 2026, the premier industrial biomanufacturing event in Omaha, Nebraska. The event brings together over 500 attendees and facilitates 800+ commercial meetings.
• Iowa State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2025Iowa State University partnered with BioMADE for the $40M biomanufacturing facility near Ames, Iowa. The facility will feature 5,000 and 10,000-liter industrial fermenters, dry and wet lab space, and downstream processing capabilities. ISU contributed $10M in cost-share and the facility will support development of agricultural bioproducts, chemicals, food products, and more.
• LygoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2025BioMADE partnered with Lygos to transition its pilot-scale biomanufacturing infrastructure in Hayward, California into a nationally available multi-user facility. BioMADE will independently operate the nearly 25,000 sq ft facility while Lygos remains a key customer and focuses on commercialization of its sustainable solutions.
• Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2025Partnership with Minnesota DEED for the $132M demonstration-scale facility in Maple Grove. The 122,000 sq ft facility features two 25,000-liter industrial fermenters and advanced downstream processing capabilities for chemicals and materials production.
• Manufacturing USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBioMADE is a proud member of Manufacturing USA, a national network created to secure U.S. global leadership in advanced manufacturing through large-scale public-private collaboration on technology, supply chain, and education workforce development.
• GenomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeno participates in BioMADE projects including the Genomic Language Models project for predicting optimal genomes and metabolic engineering workshops as an instructor organization.
• University of California, DavismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUC Davis is a key research partner involved in multiple BioMADE projects including the Cell Cultured Chocolate project ($2.77M grant) and the SPRINT workforce training program.
• Massachusetts Institute of TechnologymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT leads the 'How To Grow (Almost) Anything' national network project for enabling and scaling education and workforce development in biomanufacturing.
• California CulturedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood tech startup partnered with UC Davis on a $2.77M BioMADE and NSF-funded project to reduce production costs of cell-based chocolate.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• iBio: Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) offering biopharmaceutical production services. Comparable as a competing biomanufacturing infrastructure provider addressing similar scale-up and capacity gaps in the U.S. market.
• Lygos: Specialty chemicals company using fermentation to produce bio-based organic acids, whose Hayward pilot facility was acquired and operated by BioMADE. Directly comparable as both a facility partner and a peer specialty biochemical producer leveraging BioMADE's infrastructure.
• Culture Biosciences: Cloud-based fermentation services company providing bioreactor capacity and bioprocess development for biotech customers. Directly comparable as a commercial alternative to BioMADE's pilot-scale infrastructure for companies scaling bio-based processes in the U.S.
• Ginkgo Bioworks: Commercial biofoundry platform offering cell engineering and fermentation services at scale. Directly comparable as both an upstream bioprocessing service provider and a BioMADE member/instructor, competing for the same U.S. bioindustrial scale-up demand that BioMADE's Pilot Plant Network addresses.
• Resilience: Biomanufacturing company building end-to-end production capacity for biologics and advanced therapies. Comparable as a competing domestic biomanufacturing infrastructure provider addressing similar U.S. supply chain resilience and scale-up gaps that BioMADE targets.

Regional players

• ARM (The Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre): UK-based Catapult innovation center operating a similar public-private membership model with pilot-scale manufacturing infrastructure. Comparable as a peer institute model for advanced manufacturing, but operating in the UK rather than the U.S. and focused on remanufacturing.
• BioInnovation Institute: Denmark-based non-profit bio-accelerator and venture builder supporting industrial biotechnology and pharma startups. Comparable as a public-backed non-profit ecosystem builder, but operating in Europe rather than the U.S.

Broad incumbents

• NIIMBL (National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals): A sister Manufacturing Innovation Institute focused on biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Comparable as a fellow DoD/Commerce-sponsored institute with a similar public-private membership model and pilot-scale infrastructure mission, but specialized in biopharma rather than industrial bioproducts.
• BioFabUSA: Manufacturing USA institute focused on tissue engineering and biofabrication. Comparable as a sister Manufacturing Innovation Institute with a similar DoD-anchored, membership-based operating model in biomanufacturing-adjacent domains.

Emerging players

• Inscripta (now part of Ginkgo): Developer of CRISPR-enabled genome engineering tools (including the CREATE technology associated with BioMADE projects). Comparable as a BioMADE-affiliated technology provider enabling the strain engineering workflows at the core of BioMADE's metabolic engineering mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biomade
• Xx.com/TheBioMADE
• Instagraminstagram.com/biomade

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments8 records

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

Frequently asked questions about BioMADE