BioBus
BioBus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 that operates mobile laboratories bringing research-grade microscopes and professional scientists to K-12 schools, targeting underrepresented minority, female, and low-income students across the Northeast US.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What BioBus does
BioBus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit science education organization founded in 2008 and headquartered in New York City. It operates mobile and pop-up laboratories equipped with research-grade microscopes, staffed by professional scientists who bring hands-on science experiences directly to K-12 schools and community organizations. The organization's mission targets students historically excluded from science careers—minority, female, and low-income students—by providing free access to professional scientists, research-grade equipment, and a structured pathway from elementary school through college that includes paid Junior Scientist internships. BioBus has reached more than 400,000 students at 1,000+ schools since inception and expanded to New England via a Cambridge, Massachusetts regional office in 2023.
The technology stack is physical-first: mobile lab vehicles that travel to and park at schools, supporting up to six 45-minute classes of up to 30 students per visit. BioBus has also developed a proprietary DIY modular 3D-printed open-source microscope platform designed as an affordable classroom instrument, alongside complementary products including the Going Viral! educational card game, themed online STEAM Challenges (Water, Urban Ecology, Genetics, Brains), and the student-written BioBuzz science journal. Programs are structured as a three-stage pathway: Discover (mobile/pop-up lab visits), Explore (after-school, weekend, and summer programs), and Pursue (paid Junior Scientist internships for high school and college students).
The business model is donation- and grant-funded, with no pricing charged to participating schools or students. Revenue streams consist of philanthropic contributions accepted via donate.biobus.org and targeted program grants, most notably a multi-year commitment from Flu Lab for the NYC Virus Hunters initiative. The organization operates two regional hubs (New York HQ at 1361 Amsterdam Avenue, plus BioBase Harlem at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, and the Cambridge, MA New England office) and is supported by an academic partner network including Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Columbia, and Mount Sinai's Krammer Laboratory.
BioBus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BioBus
- Legal name
- BioBus, Inc.
- Website
- https://biobus.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BioBus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 that operates mobile laboratories bringing research-grade microscopes and professional scientists to K-12 schools, targeting underrepresented minority, female, and low-income students across the Northeast US.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BioBus industry classification
Industry- Product category
- STEAM Education Services
- NAICS
- All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Biology & Life Science Enrichment (Biotech, Genetics, Anatomy) (EDAMABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)
Keywords
Where BioBus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
BioBus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Philanthropy: BioBus is a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations and philanthropy. They accept donations through their website (donate.biobus.org) and have specific contacts for donations and philanthropy inquiries.
- Grant Funding: Funded by organizations such as Flu Lab for specific programs like the Virus Hunters initiative. The Virus Hunters program was funded generously by Flu Lab over a two-year period.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
BioBus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BioBus is a nonprofit science education organization that operates mobile and pop-up laboratories bringing research-grade microscopes and professional scientists directly to K-12 schools and community organizations. The organization runs a programmatic pathway from elementary through college that includes mobile lab visits, pop-up labs, after-school and summer programs, paid Junior Scientist internships, online STEAM challenges, the Going Viral! educational card game, and the NYC Virus Hunters urban virus surveillance program.
Product overview
BioBus is a nonprofit science education organization that operates mobile and pop-up laboratories, bringing hands-on science experiences directly to K-12 and college students. The organization offers a pathway of programs including Discover (mobile lab visits), Explore (after-school and summer programs), and Pursue (paid Junior Scientist internships). Key offerings include mobile lab visits with research-grade microscopes, student research projects, Student Town Halls with guest scientists, the Going Viral! educational card game, STEAM Challenges, DIY Microscope Curriculum, and regional programs through BioBus New England. The organization does not sell software products or technology platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BioBus Jr. Scientist: Program where junior scientists conduct research projects and explore scientific topics
- BioBazaar
Products and services
- Mobile Lab Visits On-site mobile laboratory visits to schools where students aboard the mobile lab conduct hands-on scientific investigations using research-grade microscopes under the guidance of professional BioBus scientists.
- Pop-Up Lab Visits In-school pop-up lab sessions where BioBus scientists set up equipment and samples inside school facilities to deliver hands-on science experiences adaptable to classroom needs.
- Field Trips to Partner Laboratories Field trips for middle and high school students to partner research institutions such as Northeastern University's Chemical Imaging of Living Systems Center to meet research scientists and use state-of-the-art microscopes.
- Community Science Programs After-school, weekend, and summer science programs designed for students and families to engage in hands-on STEAM learning outside of traditional school settings.
- Junior Scientist Internship Program Paid internship program for high school and college students offering training, mentorship, and access to professional networks in STEM research as part of BioBus's pathway from elementary school through college and career.
- NYC Virus Hunters Program Community science program partnering with the Krammer Laboratory at Mount Sinai and Wild Bird Fund, enabling high school students to participate in urban influenza virus surveillance and pandemic-prevention research.
- BioBus New England Programs Regional delivery of BioBus mobile labs, pop-up labs, and community science programs to K-12 and college students in the Greater Boston Area and New England, based out of Cambridge, MA.
- STEAM Challenges Online science challenges themed around topics such as Water, Urban Ecology, Genetics, and Brains, providing students with downloadable worksheets, videos, and activity guides for at-home exploration.
- Student Town Halls Live virtual events featuring guest scientists who answer student-submitted questions on topics students care about, with past sessions archived on YouTube.
- Going Viral! Educational Card Game A science education card game designed by BioBus interns where players assume the role of a virus competing to infect a host cell by completing viral replication steps using ATP energy cards.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 400,000 students at 1,000+ schools and organizations have been reached since 2008
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use BioBus
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
BioBus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
BioBus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Krammer Laboratory at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaicoreGlobal leader in influenza virus research partnering with BioBus for the NYC Virus Hunters program. Professor Florian Krammer serves as a leading virologist collaborator. The partnership enables student participation in safe virus surveillance and provides scientific expertise for the community science initiative.
- Wild Bird FundcoreNew York City's not-for-profit wildlife rehabilitation center, caring for injured, ill, and orphaned wildlife. Partners with BioBus for the Virus Hunters program, with bird-to-bird and bird-to-human virus transmission surveillance being vital to pandemic prevention efforts.
- HarvardmajorHarvard Medical School collaborates with BioBus New England on microscopy workshops for science teachers, expanding professional development opportunities for educators in the region.
- MITmajorAcademic partner in New England working with BioBus to expand science education access in the Greater Boston Area and New England region.
- Northeastern University Chemical Imaging of Living Systems CentermajorHost site for BioBus field trips where high school and middle school students travel to meet research scientists and use state-of-the-art microscopes for scientific investigation.
- Columbia University's Zuckerman InstitutemajorHouses BioBase Harlem facility at the Jerome L. Greene Science Center, providing a permanent location for BioBus programs in New York.
- LifeSci NYC Internship ProgramminorInternship program that funded two BioBus interns in summer 2019 who designed and created the Going Viral! educational card game.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
BioBus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center: The most direct peer to BioBus: a nonprofit that delivers hands-on genetics and molecular biology labs to K-12 students through both on-site field trips and mobile lab outreach, with a similar mission of broadening access to authentic science experiences.
- Science from Scientists: Nonprofit that sends scientists into K-12 classrooms to lead STEM experiments, mirroring BioBus's mobile-lab-plus-professional-scientist model and targeting underserved schools.
- Mad Science: Franchise-based STEM enrichment provider delivering in-school assembly and after-school science programs to K-8 students nationwide; competes for school district contracts and STEM enrichment budgets alongside BioBus.
- Center for Science Teaching and Learning: Nonprofit running mobile science lab visits and outreach programs to schools on Long Island and the greater NYC area, directly comparable to BioBus's mobile and pop-up lab channels.
Emerging players
- SciStarter: Citizen-science platform connecting students and the public to real research projects; overlaps with BioBus's community science and student research project model.
- MIT Center for Mobile Education (MIT Mobile Labs): MIT-affiliated mobile and field-trip science education programming collaborating with BioBus on Boston-area outreach; a natural adjacent comparable for STEM field-trip and mobile-lab delivery.
Broad incumbents
- New York Hall of Science (NYSCI): Large NYC science museum with K-12 outreach programs, exhibit-based science engagement, and maker spaces; competes for NYC school and family STEM attention that BioBus also targets.
- Smithsonian Science Education Center: National-level provider of K-12 STEM curricula and teacher professional development; competes for district adoptions and federal STEM funding alongside BioBus.
Regional players
- Liberty Science Center: Northeast-based science museum and education center serving New Jersey and NYC metro schools, with mobile STEM programming that overlaps BioBus's service geography and audience.
Others
- Carolina Biological Supply Company: Major supplier of K-12 science kits and lab supplies; relevant adjacent peer because BioBus's open-source microscope and Going Viral! card game sit on the same school-budget-driven purchasing rails.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BioBus social profiles
Digital presenceBioBus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BioBus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
BioBus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BioBus 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 BioBus
What does BioBus do?
BioBus is a nonprofit science education organization that operates mobile and pop-up laboratories bringing research-grade microscopes and professional scientists directly to K-12 schools and community organizations. The organization runs a programmatic pathway from elementary through college that includes mobile lab visits, pop-up labs, after-school and summer programs, paid Junior Scientist internships, online STEAM challenges, the Going Viral! educational card game, and the NYC Virus Hunters urban virus surveillance program.
Is BioBus a public or private company?
BioBus is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was BioBus founded?
BioBus was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BioBus based?
BioBus is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does BioBus make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Philanthropy is the primary driver. The others are grant Funding.
Who are BioBus's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center, Science from Scientists, Mad Science and Center for Science Teaching and Learning. Emerging players are SciStarter and MIT Center for Mobile Education (MIT Mobile Labs). Broad incumbents are New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) and Smithsonian Science Education Center. Liberty Science Center is listed as a regional player. Carolina Biological Supply Company is listed as an others.
Does BioBus have an API?
No public API is recorded for BioBus.
What industry is BioBus in?
BioBus's product category is STEAM Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAF, Biology & Life Science Enrichment (Biotech, Genetics, Anatomy), with a secondary code of EDAMABAA, Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs). Its NAICS code is 61169 and its SIC code is 8200.