Mebiol

Name

Mebiol

Legal name

メビオール株式会社 (Mebiol Inc.)

Website

https://mebiol.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Technology — Hydrogel Film Farming

SIC

Plastic Material, Synth Resin/Rubber, Cellulos (No Glass) (2820)

akta.pro primary industry

Biological Formulation, Fermentation & Scale-Up Manufacturing (AFABAEAM)

Keywords

• Film farming technology
• Hydrogel membrane agriculture
• Soil-free cultivation
• Water-saving agriculture
• Agricultural biotechnology

Headquarters

HQ city

Hiratsuka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Patent Royalties (Imec® Technology Licensing): The primary revenue stream is royalty income from the Imec® patent portfolio, which is registered in 127 countries with over 120 registrations completed. The company licenses its technology to agricultural operators globally.
2. Domestic High-Quality Tomato Production: In Japan, Imec® is used for high-quality tomato (fruit tomato) production with domestic farms, generating revenue from produce sales at approximately 3x the price of conventionally grown tomatoes.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mebiol develops and licenses Imec® film farming technology, a hydrogel membrane-based soil-free agricultural system in which plants grow on a thin polymer film with nano-sized pores that selectively permit only water and nutrients while blocking bacteria, viruses, and contaminants. The company sells Imec® only as a complete installed system (liquid supply device plus cultivation bed with film, non-woven fabric, waterproof sheet, and irrigation tubes) inside greenhouses and poly houses, with revenue primarily generated through patent royalties from the technology registered in 127 countries. Mebiol also offers Mebiol Gel®, a thermoreversible synthetic polymer hydrogel used as a drug delivery carrier, electrophoresis carrier, cosmetic base, and 3D cell/tissue culture carrier.

Product overview

Mebiol offers two core products: Imec® (film farming technology) and Mebiol Gel. Imec® is a hydrogel membrane-based agricultural technology that enables plant cultivation without soil, using nano-porous films that filter water and nutrients while blocking pathogens. Mebiol Gel is a thermoreversible polymer for biomedical and cosmetic applications. The company operates as a fabless R&D enterprise, generating revenue primarily through patent royalties from Imec® technology registered in over 120 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• アイメック® (Imec®): Film farming technology using hydrogel membrane for agriculture - a world-first technology that allows plant cultivation on thin hydrogel films with nano-sized pores, enabling agriculture in deserts, contaminated soil, and concrete surfaces. Plants grow on the film surface with roots attached, producing high-sugar and high-nutrition crops.
• メビオールジェル (Mebiol Gel®)

Products and services

• Imec® Film Farming System (アイメック®) A revolutionary film farming technology using hydrogel membrane that allows plants to grow on thin polymer films. The film contains nano-sized pores that allow only water and nutrients to pass through while blocking bacteria, viruses, and contaminants. Enables agriculture in deserts, contaminated soil, and concrete surfaces, and produces high-sugar, high-nutrition crops at approximately 3x conventional pricing. Sold only as a complete installed system (liquid supply device + cultivation bed with film, non-woven fabric, waterproof sheet, and irrigation tubes) inside greenhouses. Targeted at premium/high-value crop producers, international development agencies, and domestic Japanese farmers.
• Mebiol Gel® (メビオールジェル)

Quantifiable outcome

• Water and fertilizer usage significantly reduced compared to conventional farming due to sealed waterproof sheet preventing external leakage.
• +3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ukrainian Institute for Plant Variety ExaminationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2025Mebiol signed a technology cooperation agreement (Agreement) with the Ukrainian Institute for Plant Variety Examination at the Japan-Ukraine Economic Recovery Promotion Forum (August 4, 2025), organized by METI, JETRO, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture. The partnership supports Ukraine's agricultural recovery using Imec® technology.
• Kivshovata Agro LLC (Ukraine)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2025Mebiol signed a technology cooperation agreement with Kivshovata Agro LLC at the Japan-Ukraine Economic Recovery Promotion Forum. This partnership deploys Imec® systems for agricultural production in Ukraine.
• UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) — Green Industrial Recovery Project for UkrainecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 July 2025Mebiol was adopted into UNIDO's 'Green Industrial Recovery Project for Ukraine,' which aims to support Ukraine's green industry recovery and build an innovation ecosystem through technology transfer, capacity development, and business co-creation between Ukrainian and Japanese private sectors. Imec® enables agricultural production recovery even in war-polluted soil.
• UNIDO Tokyo Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO Tokyo) — STePP Asia Industrial Training ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 July 2025Mebiol participates in the UNIDO STePP Asia Industrial Training Program in India, introducing Imec® systems and conducting tomato cultivation training at Chandrashekhar Azad Agricultural Technology University. The project aims to improve agricultural productivity and support sustainable agriculture development in India.
• Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) — Ukraine Agricultural Production Recovery Support ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 February 2024Mebiol was adopted into MAFF's 'Ukraine Agricultural Production Recovery Support Project.' The company traveled to Ukraine to install Imec® systems at local universities and start trial tomato cultivation.
• JICA Yokohama — Latin America Nikkei Community Cooperation Survey Mission (中南米日系社会との連携調査団)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2020President Yoshioka participated in JICA's 9th Latin America Nikkei Community Cooperation Survey Mission, visiting Brazil in February 2020 to explore Imec® deployment opportunities.
• JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) — SME/SDG Business Support ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2020Mebiol was adopted into JICA's SME/SDG Business Support Program (2019 2nd round) for a project titled 'Feasibility Study for Introduction of Imec System for Stable Cultivation of High-Quality, Nutritious Crops in Kenya.' The project matches Japanese private sector technology with developing country needs to contribute to SDGs.
• UNIDO Tokyo Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO Tokyo) — Environmental Technology DatabaseminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 March 2018Mebiol's Imec® (Film Farming) technology is registered in UNIDO ITPO Tokyo's Environmental Technology Database, facilitating visibility among international stakeholders.
• Ekokultura (Russia — largest tomato producer)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 October 2017Mebiol signed a strategic business partnership with Ekokultura, Russia's largest tomato producer, at the 'Golden Autumn' agricultural exhibition in Moscow (October 4, 2017). The partnership brought Imec® film farming to Russia, and the signing was covered by Nippon TV News 24 and Sputnik (Russian state news agency).
• Al-Afandi Establish (Saudi Arabia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2017Mebiol signed an economic cooperation MOU with Al-Afandi Establish at the Japan-Saudi Vision 2030 Business Forum during Saudi King Salman's visit to Japan (March 14, 2017). The partnership aims to transform Saudi deserts into vegetable production bases. The signing was reported in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on March 13 and 15, 2017.
• Iwate Rikuzen Takada City — Large-scale Horticultural FacilitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2014Imec® was adopted for a large-scale horticultural facility construction project in Rikuzen Takada City, Iwate Prefecture, as part of post-earthquake/tsunami reconstruction. Approximately 1.2 hectares of Imec tomato farms were planned for construction.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Priva: Dutch technology company providing climate control, process automation, and water management solutions for greenhouses. Broad incumbent serving controlled environment agriculture infrastructure comparable to Mebiol's Imec® cultivation systems.
• Signify: Global lighting leader (formerly Philips Lighting) with horticultural LED solutions for greenhouses and vertical farms. Broad incumbent serving the controlled environment agriculture ecosystem in which Mebiol's Imec® system operates, providing enabling infrastructure.
• dsm-firmenich: Global nutrition and health company with agricultural biologicals, animal nutrition, and crop solutions portfolio. Broad incumbent in agricultural inputs addressing sustainability and food security themes overlapping with Mebiol's mission, including crop protection and yield-enhancement biologicals.

Emerging players

• Indigo Ag: Agricultural technology company using plant microbiome science to improve crop yields and water-use efficiency. Emerging player addressing crop productivity and sustainability challenges with a biological approach that targets similar agricultural problems as Mebiol's hydrogel-based cultivation system.
• Pivot Bio: Biological nitrogen-fixing crop nutrition company offering microbial alternatives to synthetic fertilizers. Emerging player addressing agricultural sustainability challenges (fertilizer reduction) that partially overlap with Mebiol's water/fertilizer reduction value proposition through a different biological-input approach.

Direct peers

• Spread: Japanese vertical farming company specializing in automated soilless vegetable production. Direct peer and fellow Japanese-market operator with comparable soilless cultivation technology approach targeting domestic premium-produce markets.
• Plenty: Vertical farming company growing produce indoors without soil using hydroponic technology. Direct peer in the soilless/indoor agriculture space serving similar premium-produce markets with similar sustainability and water-efficiency value proposition.
• AeroFarms: Indoor vertical farming company using aeroponics to grow leafy greens without soil in controlled environments. Direct peer competing in the controlled environment agriculture sector with overlapping sustainability and food security value proposition.
• Bowery Farming: Indoor vertical farming operator using hydroponics for soilless crop production. Direct peer competing for the same premium-produce, pesticide-free market segment as Mebiol's Imec® system.
• BrightFarms: Greenhouse hydroponic farming company supplying locally grown leafy greens to retailers. Direct peer in soilless controlled-environment agriculture serving similar premium-produce retail channels as Mebiol's Imec® system.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=dvRQKoKI8lw&list=PL2YBFVHoWdiYkPKJIa4HW8Ym7M7Q82PLO&index=2
• Xx.com/mebiol_jp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mebiol-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Mebiol