Blood Centers of America
Blood Centers of America is a member-owned cooperative founded in 1986 that aggregates purchasing and supply chain services for 60+ independent U.S. blood centers, channeling roughly 50% of the national blood supply and supporting cell, gene, and tissue therapy services through its BCA Advanced Therapies Network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersWest Warwick, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Blood Centers of America does
Blood Centers of America (BCA) is a member-owned cooperative founded in 1986 and headquartered in West Warwick, Rhode Island. It operates as the largest blood supply cooperative in the United States, aggregating approximately $1B in annual supplier contract spend across more than 500 supplier agreements on behalf of 60+ independent community blood centers. Through group purchasing, supply chain solutions, and shared operational dashboards (including the BCA GOLD donor program), BCA channels roughly 50% of the U.S. blood supply and provides standardized access to apheresis, donor management, cell processing, cryopreservation, and logistics services for blood products, cells, and tissues.
The cooperative extends its portfolio beyond commodity blood products into the BCA Advanced Therapies Network, which supports cell, gene, and tissue starting material, processing, testing, manufacturing, quality control, storage, and supply across hundreds of U.S. facilities. Core product offerings include whole blood and red blood cells, platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitate, COVID-19 convalescent plasma, cells and tissues for regenerative medicine, and research- and clinical-grade materials for therapeutic, diagnostic, and cell therapy companies. Strategic collaborations with biopharma (e.g., Galapagos for decentralized CAR-T manufacturing, Cerus for INTERCEPT pathogen reduction) and with the American Association of Tissue Banks demonstrate expansion into adjacent high-value verticals.
BCA is a non-profit cooperative rather than a venture-backed enterprise; it earns revenue primarily through administrative fees, contract rebates, and value-added services on the purchasing volume it coordinates, rather than through product markups. Its customers are the member blood centers (who also own the cooperative) and, through them, hospitals, healthcare systems, and biopharmaceutical developers. The business model aligns incentives across owners and members, but limits external capital and conventional growth investment.
Blood Centers of America firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blood Centers of America
- Legal name
- Blood Centers of America
- Website
- https://bca.coop
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Blood Centers of America is a member-owned cooperative founded in 1986 that aggregates purchasing and supply chain services for 60+ independent U.S. blood centers, channeling roughly 50% of the national blood supply and supporting cell, gene, and tissue therapy services through its BCA Advanced Therapies Network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blood Centers of America industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Blood Supply Cooperative
- NAICS
- Blood and Organ Banks (621991), Medical, Dental, and Hospital Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423450)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047), Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Transfusion Medicine & Immunohematology (Blood Bank) (HLAFAMAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Plasma-Derived & Blood Products Distributors (HLAIAJAJ)
Keywords
Where Blood Centers of America is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West Warwick
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Blood Centers of America business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Group Purchasing Services: BCA generates value through aggregated purchasing power for member blood centers, negotiating supplier contracts that deliver cost savings and revenue via contract rebates and incentives
- Supply Chain Solutions: Provides supply chain management and risk mitigation services to member establishments through negotiated supplier contracts
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Blood Centers of America product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blood Centers of America (BCA) is a member-owned cooperative of 60+ independent community blood centers that supplies whole blood, red blood cells, platelets, plasma, cryoprecipitate, COVID-19 convalescent plasma, cells, and tissues to hospitals and healthcare systems across the U.S. BCA negotiates more than 500 supplier agreements leveraging approximately $1 billion in annual contract spend to deliver group purchasing and supply chain solutions to its members, and operates the BCA Advanced Therapies Network to support cell, gene, and tissue-based therapy developers with starting material, processing, testing, manufacturing, quality control, storage, and supply across hundreds of facilities.
Product overview
Blood Centers of America is a member-owned cooperative and the largest blood supply network in the U.S., offering a comprehensive portfolio of blood products and services. The core offerings include Whole Blood & Red Blood Cells, Platelets, Plasma & Cryo, Cells (including Cell Therapy), Tissues (including Regenerative Medicine), and COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma. The BCA Advanced Therapies Network supports advanced therapy development with cell, gene, and tissue services. BCA also provides Supply Chain Solutions through group purchasing agreements, the BCA GOLD donor program, and supplies blood products for commercial and research applications. Products are distributed to member blood centers and partner healthcare facilities across the U.S.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BCA Advanced Therapies Network: Network representing tens of thousands of donors and hundreds of facilities supporting advanced therapies with cell, gene, and tissue services
- BCA GOLD
- BCA Foundation
Products and services
- Whole Blood & Red Blood Cells Collection and supply of whole blood and red blood cell products for transfusions, serving hospitals and patients. Red blood cells are the primary oxygen-carrying component of blood.
- Platelets Platelet products supplied for treating traumatic injuries, cancer patients, and surgical patients; platelets have a five-day shelf life.
- Plasma & Cryo Plasma and cryoprecipitate products supplied for various therapeutic applications.
- COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP) Convalescent plasma collected from recovered COVID-19 patients and supplied for therapeutic use.
- Cells / Cell Therapy Cell collection services including apheresis for cell therapy workflows, supplying starting material and processed cells to support advanced therapy development and patient treatment.
- Tissues / Regenerative Medicine Human tissue products supplied to support regenerative medicine applications.
- BCA Advanced Therapies Network National network representing tens of thousands of donors, thousands of technical experts, and hundreds of facilities supporting cell, gene, and tissue starting material, processing, testing, manufacturing, quality control, storage, and supply for advanced therapies.
- Supply Chain Solutions Aggregated purchasing power and supply chain management services for member blood centers, leveraging approximately $1 billion in annual supplier contract spend across more than 500 negotiated supplier agreements to deliver cost savings, contract rebates, and supply chain risk mitigation.
- Blood for Commercial or Research Applications Human blood products, cells, and tissues supplied to therapeutic, diagnostic, and cell therapy industries for research or clinical grade materials, including inventoried or custom collections.
Quantifiable outcome
- Covers approximately 50% of U.S. blood supply through group purchasing agreements
Companies that use Blood Centers of America
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Blood Centers of America technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Blood Centers of America partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- EKF DiagnosticscoreThree-year group purchasing agreement providing EKF access to more than 60 independent community blood centers. EKF will supply its DiaSpect Tm hand-held haemoglobin analyser, consumable cuvettes, and EKF Link IT system for quality control and data management.
- Blood and Cell Advocacy Roster (BCAR)minorBCA participates in BCAR alongside America's Blood Centers and AABB to address patient access challenges in cell and gene therapy space through industry collaboration.
- Cerus CorporationcoreGroup purchasing agreement expanding access to INTERCEPT pathogen reduction technology across BCA's network of 60+ blood centers. The agreement includes collaborative training and resource sharing to facilitate widespread adoption of the INTERCEPT Blood System, covering approximately 50% of the U.S. blood supply.
- IllumantminorStrategic cybersecurity partnership to enhance security protections for blood centers across the U.S. The collaboration includes risk assessments, penetration testing, and security program development to protect healthcare data and ensure operational resilience.
- GalapagoscoreStrategic collaboration to accelerate Galapagos' decentralized CAR-T manufacturing network in the U.S. BCA's national network of blood centers provides decentralized manufacturing services for Galapagos' CAR-T product candidates, close to cancer treatment centers, enabling rapid deployment of the platform.
- Bluejay DiagnosticsminorCollaborative agreement to develop commercial relationships serving unmet needs utilizing the Symphony Platform in blood and hospital markets.
- AbbottminorPartnership to launch first-of-its-kind mixed reality experience for use during blood donation. Abbott technology allows donors to visit a digital world while remaining aware of surroundings for a safe, relaxing donation experience aimed at improving donor experience and encouraging repeat donations.
- American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB)coreStrategic partnership making BCA the preferred Group Purchasing Program for AATB's 125 accredited institutional and affiliate members. Combines purchasing power of blood and tissue banks, reducing costs and enhancing supply chain efficiencies. BCA leverages $1B annual supplier contract spend to deliver cost savings via contract rebates and incentives.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Blood Centers of America competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Terumo BCT: Global supplier of blood component collection and processing equipment. Comparable as a key BCA supplier enabling apheresis, cell processing, and cryopreservation infrastructure for the network.
- Cerus Corporation: Supplier partner under a 2025 group purchasing agreement with BCA covering ~50% of U.S. blood supply. Comparably relevant as a key technology supplier to BCA's network for pathogen reduction.
Broad incumbents
- Vitalant: One of the largest U.S. non-profit blood collectors with nationwide operations. Comparable mission, donor network, and hospital supply function, though Vitalant is an operator while BCA is a GPO.
- American Red Cross Blood Services: The largest single U.S. blood collector, supplying roughly 40% of the national blood supply. Comparable operating model (non-profit collection, processing, and distribution) and overlapping customer base (hospitals).
- Grifols: Global leader in plasma-derived therapies with a major U.S. plasma collection network. Comparable in plasma products, blood banking diagnostics, and supply chain scale relevant to BCA's network.
- Octapharma: Global manufacturer of plasma-derived therapies with U.S. plasma collection operations. Comparable involvement in plasma/blood products supply chain and adjacent to BCA's plasma and cryo product category.
Direct peers
- Carter BloodCare: Large regional blood center serving North, Central, and East Texas; BCA member that has earned AABB accreditation for advanced molecular RBC testing. Directly comparable as a BCA-affiliated independent blood center.
- America's Blood Centers: National trade association for independent community blood centers, overlapping with BCA's core member base. Both organizations represent and advocate for the U.S. independent blood center segment.
- New York Blood Center: Large BCA member blood center that joined the BCA network in 2017. Comparable blood collection, processing, and research operations; serves as a flagship independent member of BCA's cooperative.
- AABB: Global standards-setting and accrediting body for transfusion medicine and cellular therapies. AABB accreditation underpins BCA's member centers and is co-listed alongside BCA in industry collaboration (e.g., BCAR).
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Blood Centers of America social profiles
Digital presenceBlood Centers of America compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Blood Centers of America financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blood Centers of America leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Blood Centers of America subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Blood Centers of America funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blood Centers of America 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 Blood Centers of America
What does Blood Centers of America do?
Blood Centers of America (BCA) is a member-owned cooperative of 60+ independent community blood centers that supplies whole blood, red blood cells, platelets, plasma, cryoprecipitate, COVID-19 convalescent plasma, cells, and tissues to hospitals and healthcare systems across the U.S. BCA negotiates more than 500 supplier agreements leveraging approximately $1 billion in annual contract spend to deliver group purchasing and supply chain solutions to its members, and operates the BCA Advanced Therapies Network to support cell, gene, and tissue-based therapy developers with starting material, processing, testing, manufacturing, quality control, storage, and supply across hundreds of facilities.
Is Blood Centers of America a public or private company?
Blood Centers of America is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Blood Centers of America founded?
Blood Centers of America was founded in 1986. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Blood Centers of America based?
Blood Centers of America is headquartered in West Warwick, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blood Centers of America make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Group Purchasing Services are the primary driver. The others are supply Chain Solutions.
Who are Blood Centers of America's main competitors?
Others on record are Terumo BCT and Cerus Corporation. Broad incumbents are Vitalant, American Red Cross Blood Services, Grifols and Octapharma. Direct peers are Carter BloodCare, America's Blood Centers, New York Blood Center and AABB.
Does Blood Centers of America have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blood Centers of America.
What industry is Blood Centers of America in?
Blood Centers of America's product category is Blood Supply Cooperative. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFAMAG, Transfusion Medicine & Immunohematology (Blood Bank), with a secondary code of HLAIAJAJ, Plasma-Derived & Blood Products Distributors. Its NAICS code is 621991 and its SIC code is 5047.