Blood Centers of America

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.

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

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

• Blood supply cooperative
• Group purchasing services
• Cell therapy manufacturing
• Regenerative medicine products
• Advanced therapies network

Headquarters

HQ city

West Warwick

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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
2. 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

Core 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

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EKF DiagnosticscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 March 2026Three-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)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 January 2026BCA 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 CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 December 2025Group 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 or Co-development Partner · 24 November 2025Strategic 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 or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2024Strategic 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 DiagnosticsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 February 2023Collaborative agreement to develop commercial relationships serving unmet needs utilizing the Symphony Platform in blood and hospital markets.
• AbbottminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 January 2023Partnership 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 or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2022Strategic 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

Others

• 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

• Xx.com/BCAbloodcenters
• Facebookfacebook.com/BCABloodCenters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2699650

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Blood Centers of America