South Dakota Biotech

What South Dakota Biotech does

South Dakota Biotech Association, operating under the brand SD BIO, is a non-profit industry association formed in 2006 and headquartered at 110 S. Phillips Avenue, Suite 304, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The organization serves as the official state affiliate of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), operating in a single state within the United States. It does not develop proprietary technology products; instead, it functions as a convening body for the state's bioscience ecosystem, connecting bioscience businesses, universities, service providers, and state economic development entities across the historically siloed medical, agricultural, and biochemical industries.

The association's service platform spans five primary capability areas: (1) membership and group purchasing, delivering exclusive discounts through partnerships such as BIO Business Solutions, Fischer Scientific, and freight savings programs, with cumulative member savings exceeding $43 million since 2017 and an average of $6.2 million in annual member savings; (2) funding facilitation, including STEM Grants, the Fast Launch program, and SD SBIR/STTR Support, complemented by management of SD EPSCoR — an NSF-funded research capacity-building initiative that has brought over $55 million in research funding into South Dakota over the last five years; (3) advocacy and policy, including operation of a legislative bill tracker; (4) education and workforce development, anchored by the Dakota BioWorx biomanufacturing training academy at the POET Bioproducts Center in SDSU Research Park, Brookings; and (5) events and content, including an annual summit, podcasts, a newsletter, and a member job board.

Revenue mechanics are anchored in recurring membership dues paid by member organizations (a subscription-based model), with member benefits structured on an annual billing cadence. Named member constituencies span enterprise bioscience and healthcare organizations (POET, SAB Biotherapeutics, Sanford Research, Avera, Inanovate), higher education institutions (SDSU, USD, South Dakota Mines, Augustana, Northern State University), and state economic development and service provider members. The executive team consists of Executive Director Joni Ekstrum and Director of Science and Operation Kara McCormick, PhD, supported by a Board of Directors chaired by Mark Stowers; total staffing is in the 1–10 employee range, consistent with a lean non-profit association.

Name

South Dakota Biotech

Legal name

South Dakota Biotech Association

Website

https://sdbio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

South Dakota Biotech Association (SD BIO) is a non-profit, Sioux Falls-based state affiliate of BIO that convenes bioscience businesses, universities, healthcare systems, and service providers across South Dakota, delivering member savings, funding facilitation, advocacy, and workforce training programs such as Dakota BioWorx.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: South Dakota Biotech operates as a membership-based non-profit organization. Membership includes businesses, universities, service providers, and state-wide economic development entities. Members receive benefits including Fischer scientific savings, bio business solutions, and freight savings programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

South Dakota Biotech is a non-profit membership-based industry association and the state affiliate of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). It serves bioscience businesses, universities, service providers, and state economic development entities in South Dakota through membership benefits (group purchasing discounts via BIO Business Solutions, Fischer scientific savings, freight savings), funding facilitation (STEM Grants, Fast Launch, SD SBIR/STTR Support), advocacy and legislative tracking, education programs, workforce development, internships, and an annual Summit.

Product overview

South Dakota Biotech Association is a non-profit state affiliate of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). The organization does not offer a traditional product portfolio but instead provides a platform of services including membership programs, funding opportunities (STEM Grants, Fast Launch, SD SBIR/STTR Support), advocacy, bioscience impact resources, economic development support, technology transfer assistance, education programs, career resources (bio jobs and internships), and events/summit programming. The organization facilitates connections among businesses, universities, service providers, and economic development entities across South Dakota's bioscience industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SD Biotech Membership
• BIO Business Solutions Group Purchasing Program
• SD Biotech Funding Facilitation Services
• SD Biotech Advocacy and Bill Tracker
• SD Biotech Annual Summit
• SD Biotech Bio Jobs Board and Internship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $43 million in total member savings since 2017
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Dakota Biotech is the official state affiliate of BIO, the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers, and related organizations. This affiliation provides members access to national bioscience resources, advocacy at the federal level, and connection to the broader biotechnology industry.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NY Bio: New York state's life sciences trade association providing advocacy, member services, and industry development programs. Comparable as a peer state association with similar advocacy and member engagement focus.
• BioUtah: Utah's bioscience industry trade association supporting member companies through advocacy, networking, and industry promotion. Directly comparable in scope and mission to South Dakota Biotech.
• California Life Sciences (CLS): California state-level biotech and life sciences trade association providing advocacy, member services, and industry development. Comparable as a larger-scale state affiliate operating the same membership-based association model.
• Georgia Bio: Georgia's statewide bioscience industry association offering membership, advocacy, and educational programming. Directly comparable in mission and operating model to South Dakota Biotech at a similar mid-sized scale.
• BioKansas: Kansas-based bioscience industry association focused on growing the state's bioeconomy through member services, advocacy, and workforce development. Operationally similar in being a smaller, agriculturally-adjacent state biotech association.
• MichBio: Michigan's statewide biosciences industry association providing advocacy, member services, and industry promotion. Comparable as a peer state association with similar bioscience economic development mission.
• Indiana Health Industry Forum: Indiana-based industry association for health and life sciences companies providing advocacy, networking, and member programming. Comparable as a state-level life sciences association with similar member-driven model.
• MassBio: Massachusetts state-level biotech industry association offering membership programs, advocacy, networking, and group purchasing benefits. Operates as a near-perfect functional equivalent in a larger biotech ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO): BIO is the national parent trade association of which South Dakota Biotech is a state affiliate. It is directly comparable as the broader umbrella organization operating in the same biotech advocacy and member services space at the national level.
• North Carolina Biotechnology Center: State-funded nonprofit supporting biotechnology industry growth in North Carolina through funding, workforce development, and infrastructure support. Comparable in mission but operates with significantly larger resources and direct funding mechanisms.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sodakbiotech
• Facebookfacebook.com/SoDakBiotech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-dakota-biotech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 South Dakota Biotech