Biomede

What Biomede does

Biomede (legally SAS Biomede) is a French agritech company headquartered in the EM Lyon Business School incubator in Villeurbanne/Lyon, founded in March 2018 by agronomist Ludovic Vincent and cancer researcher Patricia Gifu. The company specializes in phytoremediation — specifically phytoextraction — using proprietary mixtures of hyperaccumulator plants to extract heavy metals (copper, lead, arsenic, cadmium, chrome, and nickel) from contaminated agricultural and urban soils. Its offering is a four-step service: (1) soil pollution diagnosis via X-ray analysis of soil samples, (2) supply of customized hyperaccumulator seed mixtures tailored to the contamination profile, (3) planting and crop management, and (4) recovery and circular-economy revaluation of extracted metals, particularly copper.

Biomede targets three distinct customer segments. The primary segment is professional land cultivators — viticulturists, farmers, and arborists — with anchor deployments across more than 20 classified French wine appellations including Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chablis, Champagne, Cognac, and Côte du Rhône. Notable enterprise customers include Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Maison Jean Loron (135 hectares in Beaujolais/Mâconnais), Domaine William Fevre (78 hectares in Chablis), and Domaine Haute Perche. Two secondary segments — individual urban gardeners and municipal/community organizations — are served through a self-service online diagnostic platform. The company cites a 10–100x cost advantage over conventional physico-chemical soil treatments as its core value proposition, addressing an addressable market in which 30% of European agricultural soils and over 230,000 sites in France are affected by heavy metal contamination.

The business model combines professional services (soil diagnosis), one-time supply of proprietary seed mixtures, and a nascent circular-economy revenue stream from metal revaluation. Go-to-market is sales-led with a digital diagnostic front-end: direct outreach to vineyards and farmers, referrals via agricultural chambers (e.g., Chambre d'Agriculture de l'Yonne), and brand-building at events such as VivaTech. The company holds the French Tech Seed label from BPI France, AgroParisTech certification, and multiple national awards (CIC "Innovating for a Changing World," InVivo "Nourishing the Future," Lyon Start-Up), and operates with a broad partnership ecosystem across academic, governmental, and impact-oriented organizations.

Name

Biomede

Legal name

SAS Biomede

Website

https://biomede.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Biomede is a French agritech company that uses proprietary hyperaccumulator plant mixtures to phytoremediate heavy-metal-contaminated soils, serving viticulturists, farmers, arborists, urban gardeners, and municipalities — primarily across 20+ classified French wine appellations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Soil Remediation Services

NAICS

Remediation Services (562910)

akta.pro primary industry

Bioremediation & Phytoremediation (Enhanced Bioremediation, Natural Attenuation) (EUAIALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mining & Heavy Metals Remediation (Acid Mine Drainage, tailings-impacted sites) (BPALAKAK), Soil Contaminant & Heavy Metals Testing Services (AFACAKAE), Soil Remediation & Immobilization Amendments (Bentonite, Zeolite, Phosphates) (AFABADAH), Soil & Sediment Sampling (Contaminants, Nutrients, Metals) (EUAHACAF)

Keywords

• Phytoremediation services
• Soil remediation solutions
• Heavy metal extraction
• Phytoextraction technology
• Agricultural soil treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Soil Diagnosis Services: Biomede performs soil diagnosis including X-ray analysis of 50g soil samples to identify heavy metal contamination levels before providing treatment recommendations.
2. Phytoextractive Seed Mixtures: Supply of customized seed mixtures of hyperaccumulator plants adapted to each client's specific soil conditions and target metals. The seeds are provided, crops are grown, and plants are harvested to extract metals.
3. Metal Revalorization: Extracted heavy metals of interest (such as copper) are recovered and reused for other purposes, aligning with circular economy principles. This represents a secondary revenue stream from material recovery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Biomede provides phytoremediation solutions for soils contaminated with heavy metals such as copper, lead, arsenic, cadmium, chrome, and nickel. Using proprietary mixtures of hyperaccumulator (HYP) plants, the company extracts metals from soils through a four-step process: soil diagnosis via X-ray analysis of 50g samples, supply of tailored seed mixtures adapted to terrain and target metal, planting and harvesting of crop plants, and recovery/revalorization of extracted metals for circular economy reuse. The solution preserves soil structure and supports biodiversity while remediating contaminated agricultural and urban lands.

Product overview

Biomede is a pioneer and world leader in plant-based heavy metal extraction from agricultural soils. The company offers a unified phytoextraction platform centered on its core technology—using hyperaccumulator plant mixtures to remediate heavy metal contamination. The main offering consists of a four-step process: (1) soil pollution diagnosis, (2) supply of customized seed mixtures adapted to specific terrain and metal types, (3) planting and crop management, and (4) recovery and circular reuse of extracted metals. The company serves three distinct market segments: (a) agricultural parcels/viticulture for professionals, (b) urban gardens for individuals, and (c) municipal/community lands. Biomede's expertise spans phytoremediation science, agronomic diagnostics, and circular economy metal recovery. The company was founded in March 2018 and operates primarily in France with expansion planned internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Phytoextraction Service Plant-based soil remediation service using hyperaccumulator plants to extract heavy metals from contaminated agricultural and urban soils. Biomede provides a tailored mixture of phytoextractrice plants designed to remove problematic heavy metals such as copper, lead, arsenic, cadmium, chrome, and nickel. The end-to-end service covers diagnosis, seed supply, planting guidance, harvesting, and metal recovery.
• Soil Diagnosis (Mon Diagnostic) Personalized soil diagnostic service that assesses pollution levels and metal content via X-ray analysis of 50g soil samples. Available for three user segments: professionals (farmers, viticulturists), individuals (urban gardeners), and communities (municipalities). Users complete a 5-10 minute online questionnaire, submit samples, and receive customized treatment recommendations.
• Professional/Viticulture Phytoremediation Soil remediation offering tailored for professional cultivators including vineyards, arboriculture, and agriculture. Supports both conventional and organic/biodynamic production modes. Clients include prestigious wine estates across Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chablis, Champagne, Cognac, and Côte du Rhône appellations, with documented collaborations covering more than 135 hectares.
• Urban Gardens Phytoremediation Phytoremediation service for urban and shared gardens addressing pollution from former industrial sites, old agricultural lands, and urban areas contaminated with lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals. Includes soil analysis and tailored plant mixtures. Used by community garden projects such as Incroyables Comestibles Lyon.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 to 100 times less expensive than conventional physico-chemical treatments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AgroParisTechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2018AgroParisTech foundation certified Biomede and validated its scientific approach. This partnership provides academic credibility and research collaboration for the phytoextraction technology development.
• Chambre d'AgricultureminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural chambers refer clients to Biomede and provide industry credibility. The Chambre d'agriculture de l'Yonne specifically referred Domaine William Fevre as a customer.
• Incroyables Comestibles LyonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban agriculture association collaborating on community garden remediation projects in Lyon, promoting urban green space regeneration.
• Positive PlanetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpact-focused organization supporting Biomede's environmental mission and sustainable development objectives.
• GenopoleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench biocluster supporting biotech and environmental innovation companies with research and development resources.
• CirculrminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCircular economy focused organization aligned with Biomede's metal valorization and sustainability mission.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Environnement: Global French environmental services giant that operates soil remediation and brownfield cleanup as part of a much broader water, waste, and energy portfolio. Overlaps with Biomede on soil decontamination but competes at industrial scale with conventional engineering methods rather than plant-based approaches.
• Séché Environnement: French-listed specialist in hazardous and non-hazardous waste treatment and industrial-site remediation. Provides soil decontamination services in France with comparable regional footprint to Biomede, though using conventional methods and with a broader industrial waste portfolio.
• Suez SA: French environmental services and water utility group offering soil and groundwater remediation capabilities. Comparable to Biomede in French soil cleanup but operates across a far wider portfolio (water, waste, recycling) using established engineering methods rather than phytoremediation.

Emerging players

• Regenesis: US-based company offering biological and biochemical remediation products (slow-release electron donors, persulfate, etc.) for soil and groundwater cleanup. Intersects with Biomede on biological remediation philosophy but sells in-situ injection products to environmental engineers rather than plant-based agricultural solutions.

Direct peers

• Edenspace Systems: Plant-based remediation company focused on phytoremediation and phytoextraction of heavy metals and other contaminants from soil and water. Most directly comparable to Biomede's core technology, though historically targeted industrial and military sites with a US geographic focus rather than French viticulture.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/_Biomede
• Facebookfacebook.com/BI0MEDE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biomede

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Biomede