Species 360
Species360 is a non-profit operating ZIMS, a cloud-based zoological information management system serving 1,400+ zoos, aquariums, universities, and wildlife organizations across 102 countries with animal care, medical, studbook, and population management tools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBloomington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Species 360 does
Species360 is a non-profit organization headquartered in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area that operates ZIMS (Zoological Information Management System), a cloud-based platform used by zoos, aquariums, and wildlife organizations worldwide to record and manage animal care, welfare, veterinary, and population data. Its product architecture is organized around a core platform with modular add-ons: ZIMS for Husbandry, ZIMS for Aquatics, ZIMS for Medical, ZIMS for Studbooks, ZIMS for Care and Welfare, and ZIMS for Education (LearnZIMS), supported by mobile data entry with QR codes, single sign-on, and integration with the Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative (SCTI) tools Vortex, PMx, MetaModelManager, Outbreak, and Spatial for population viability analysis and breeding program coordination. The system houses the world's largest aggregated dataset on animals in human care — over 10 million animals, 22,000+ species, 1,730+ studbooks, and 50+ years of records contributed by 1,400+ member institutions across 102 countries.
Species360's business model is membership-based: zoos, aquariums, universities, and conservation organizations pay recurring annual membership fees to access ZIMS and contribute data to the global resource, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Supplementary recurring revenue comes from Species360 Insights subscriptions (aggregated data access for research), LearnZIMS subscriptions for teaching institutions, and the ZIMS Academy for Students, alongside a newly introduced US$100 non-refundable Research Request application fee for non-members. The organization is financially supported by Conservation Impact Partners and corporate sponsors including Brookfield Zoo Chicago, San Diego Wildlife Alliance, Mandai Nature, and Mazuri (Land O'Lakes). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging the Conservation Science Alliance, annual research symposia, training webinars, and formal endorsement by international and regional zoo associations (WAZA, AZA, EAZA, BIAZA, JAZA) and IUCN, with direct membership as the primary distribution channel and no resellers or intermediaries.
The organization is led by CEO Jim Guenter and governed by a Board of Trustees that expanded by five members in 2025, and it employs 11–50 people. Notable 2024 hires include the first Director of Institutional Partnerships (Alex Walsh) and a new Director of Finance and Administration (Cheri Horvath), reflecting a deliberate build-out of fundraising and operational capacity. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no venture or private equity backing, and no acquisitions or divestitures; strategic activity centers on product development, partnership deepening, and member expansion rather than capital-driven growth.
Species 360 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Species 360
- Legal name
- Species360
- Website
- https://species360.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Species360 is a non-profit operating ZIMS, a cloud-based zoological information management system serving 1,400+ zoos, aquariums, universities, and wildlife organizations across 102 countries with animal care, medical, studbook, and population management tools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Species 360 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Zoological Information Management Software
- SIC
- Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Veterinary Practice Management Systems (PIMS) (HLAMAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wildlife Health & Conservation Disease Management (HLAMAJAM), Animal Disease Surveillance & Reporting Systems (HLAMAJAB), Livestock Precision Monitoring Software (Herd/Flock Analytics, Health Alerts) (AFAAAFAM)
Keywords
Where Species 360 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bloomington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Species 360 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Species360 operates as a non-profit organization with membership fees from zoos, aquariums, and wildlife organizations that use ZIMS. Members contribute data and pay for access to the platform and its services.
- Species360 Insights Subscription: Subscription-based access to aggregated global wildlife data for organizations and individuals seeking direct and continuous access to veterinary and demographic data.
- LearnZIMS Subscriptions: Educational licensing for universities and educational facilities, with free courses available for registered ZIMS users.
- Research Request Fees: Non-refundable application fee of US$100 for non-members accessing ZIMS data through the Research Request process. Members and subscribers receive this service at no extra charge.
- Donations and Conservation Impact Partnerships: Support from Conservation Impact Partners, corporate sponsors, and individual donors who contribute to Species360's mission. Major supporters include Brookfield Zoo, San Diego Wildlife Alliance, Mandai Nature, and Mazuri.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Research Request Application Fee |
| Subscription | Annual | Species360 Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | LearnZIMS for Teaching Institutions |
| Subscription | Annual | Species360 Insights Subscription |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Species 360 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Species360 develops and operates the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), a cloud-based platform that enables zoos, aquariums, and wildlife organizations to record, share, and analyze animal care, husbandry, medical, welfare, and population management data. It complements the core platform with subscription-based Species360 Insights for aggregated research data access and the Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative (SCTI) for population viability modeling (Vortex, PMx).
Product overview
Species360 is a non-profit organization that operates a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on its Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), the world's leading zoological recording keeping system. ZIMS is a unified core platform with integrated modules including ZIMS for Husbandry, ZIMS for Aquatics, ZIMS for Medical, ZIMS for Studbooks, ZIMS for Care and Welfare, and ZIMS for Education (LearnZIMS). Supporting the platform are complementary programs: the Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative (SCTI), which provides population modeling tools (Vortex, PMx, MetaModelManager, Outbreak, Spatial); Species360 Insights, a subscription data access service; the Conservation Science Alliance (CSA) for collaborative research; and Hortis for botanical data. The platform also includes ZIMS Single Sign-on for unified authentication. Together, these products serve over 1,400 member zoos, aquariums, and wildlife organizations in more than 100 countries, supporting animal care, population management, veterinary records, welfare monitoring, and conservation research.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ZIMS (Zoological Information Management System): The world's leading zoological recording keeping system used to manage daily animal care, welfare, health, and population management data. Includes modules for Husbandry, Medical, Studbooks, Care and Welfare, Education, and Aquatics.
- Hortis
- LearnZIMS
- ZIMS Academy for Students
- Species360 Insights
Products and services
- ZIMS (Zoological Information Management System) The world's leading zoological record-keeping system managing daily husbandry, welfare, health, and population management data for zoos, aquariums, and wildlife organizations. Central platform with integrated modules for husbandry, medical, studbooks, aquatics, care and welfare, and education.
- ZIMS for Husbandry ZIMS module focused on daily animal husbandry, enclosure management, and life support systems. Supports husbandry log templates, enclosure notes, feeding logs, weight tracking, and environmental measurements.
- ZIMS for Aquatics Specialized ZIMS module for managing aquatic enclosures and collections, supporting water quality management, life support systems, and marine/aquatic animal welfare data.
- ZIMS for Medical
Quantifiable outcome
- 10.19% increase in adult life expectancy linked to sterilization/contraception in mammals studied across 117 species
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Species 360
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Species 360 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature12 records
Species 360 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, conservation impact partner and conservation partner.
- IUCNcoreFormal partnership between Species360 and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Species360 data supports IUCN Red List assessments and conservation planning efforts globally.
- World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA)coreWAZA officially recommends ZIMS for managing international studbooks and explicitly names it in the WAZA 2027 Population Management Goal. WAZA's International Studbook Framework was developed in collaboration with Species360.
- Brookfield Zoo ChicagomajorPlayed a pivotal role in founding and developing the Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative (SCTI). Brookfield Zoo serves as long-time host of SCTI and major supporter of conservation technology development.
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology InstitutemajorPlayed a pivotal role in founding and developing SCTI. Contributed expertise in population biology and species conservation planning.
- IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG)coreFacilitated Ex Situ Feasibility Assessment and Planning workshops for species recovery programs. CPSG's long history with Vortex (40+ years) makes them a steady advocate for population modeling tools.
- Mazuriconservation impact partnerLong-standing Conservation Impact Partner. Mazuri (Land O'Lakes division) provides specialized animal nutrition and has been committed to exotic animal nutrition since 1989. Their support helps empower 1,300+ member institutions.
- Turtle Survival Allianceconservation partnerMazuri has partnered with the Turtle Survival Alliance to help develop specialized life-stage diets supporting breeding and reintroduction programs for threatened species.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceconservation partnerGuides Poweshiek skipperling recovery planning and field releases. Mazuri has helped develop specialized diets in partnership with this agency.
- WAZA Committee for Population Management (CPM)coreOversees International Studbooks in collaboration with Species360. Taskforce developed the new International Studbook Framework over more than a year.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Species 360 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Customer concentration
Species 360 social profiles
Digital presenceSpecies 360 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Species 360 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Species 360 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Species 360 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Species 360
What does Species 360 do?
Species360 develops and operates the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), a cloud-based platform that enables zoos, aquariums, and wildlife organizations to record, share, and analyze animal care, husbandry, medical, welfare, and population management data. It complements the core platform with subscription-based Species360 Insights for aggregated research data access and the Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative (SCTI) for population viability modeling (Vortex, PMx).
Is Species 360 a public or private company?
Species 360 is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Species 360 founded?
Species 360 was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Species 360 based?
Species 360 is headquartered in Bloomington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Species 360 make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are species360 Insights Subscription, learnZIMS Subscriptions, research Request Fees and donations and Conservation Impact Partnerships.
Does Species 360 have an API?
No public API is recorded for Species 360.
What industry is Species 360 in?
Species 360's product category is Zoological Information Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAMAMAA, Veterinary Practice Management Systems (PIMS), with a secondary code of HLAMAJAM, Wildlife Health & Conservation Disease Management. Its SIC code is 8071.