CR biomed

Name

CR biomed

Legal name

CR Biomed

Website

https://crbiomed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San José

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CR biomed generates revenue through membership fees from member companies and organizations across the life sciences sector. The organization offers several membership tiers: Socios Fundadores (Founding Members), Socios Plenos (Full Members), Biogerentes | Investigadores, Socios Académico, and Socios Afines.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CR biomed is a Costa Rica-based biotechnology and life sciences cluster association that offers tiered membership programs (Founding Members, Full Members, Biogerentes, Academic, Affiliate). It delivers the BIOGerentes Academy training platform covering bioeconomy, competitive intelligence, and university-industry cooperation, and runs the ESPORA entrepreneurship support program for scientific startups. The organization also organizes flagship events such as BIOTICA and Biolíderes to promote networking and biotech sector development.

Product overview

CR biomed is a biotechnology and life sciences cluster association rather than a product company. It provides a suite of membership-based services including a multi-tier membership program, the BIOGerentes Academy training platform, the ESPORA entrepreneurship support initiative, and organizes signature events like BIOTICA and Biolíderes. These services collectively support the development of Costa Rica's biotechnology, medical devices, and life sciences sectors through collaboration, education, networking, and entrepreneurship promotion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BIOGerentes Academy: Training program combining science and business education to prepare future leaders in life sciences, including courses on bioeconomy, technological surveillance, and university-enterprise cooperation.
• ESPORA

Products and services

• CR biomed Membership Program Multi-tier membership program for life sciences organizations and professionals offering Socios Fundadores (Founding Members), Socios Plenos (Full Members), Biogerentes/Investigadores, Socios Académico, and Socios Afines tiers. Benefits include voting rights, leadership opportunities, project participation, event discounts, and privileged access to technical information. Targeted at companies and professionals with economic interest in high-technology sectors including biotechnology, medical devices, pharma (human and animal), biodiversity, waste management, food technology, and environment.
• BIOGerentes Academy Online training and education program combining science and business knowledge to prepare future leaders in life sciences. Delivered through the Teachable platform, it offers courses on bioeconomy, technological surveillance and competitive intelligence, university-industry cooperation management, and coaching for BIOGerentes. Targeted at biotech executives, researchers, and innovation managers.
• ESPORA Program Entrepreneurship support initiative for scientific researchers in life sciences, providing exchanges with cluster member companies, expert advisory services, mentorship, legal support (NDAs), and access to research infrastructure and prototyping facilities. The pilot supported six biotech startups: NeoClinic, Mfeducativa, Blastrace, BioCient, MetLess, and Hemoalgae.
• BIOTICA Event Annual biotechnology promotion event organized jointly with Tecnológico de Costa Rica, bringing together enterprise, academia, and government sectors to discuss bionegocios, innovation, bioentrepreneurship, public policies, and university-enterprise linkage. Targeted at the biotechnology ecosystem in Costa Rica.
• Biolíderes Event Annual event focused on connecting business and biosciences through talks and workshops, covering topics like biotech investment, clinical trials, bioeconomy, digital health, and telemedicine. Targeted at entrepreneurs, researchers, and biotech professionals in Costa Rica.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 6 biotech startups through the ESPORA pilot program with mentorship, advisory services, and legal support.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Deep Science Ventures / TABI (Tropical Agriculture & Bioeconomy Initiative)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 September 2022Deep Science Ventures launched the Tropical Agriculture & Bioeconomy Initiative (TABI) focused on Costa Rica's 12 climate zones. Partners include CR biomed along with Fundación CRUSA, CINDE, EARTH University, and CATIE, with the goal of creating agritech ventures in tropical bioregions.
• Israel Innovation AuthorityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 November 2020CR biomed and PROCOMER organized a virtual exchange with the Israel Innovation Authority on December 3, 2020, focusing on Bio-Convergence and exploring potential cooperation opportunities between Israeli and Costa Rican life sciences ecosystems.
• The Ganesha LabminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2020The Ganesha Lab operates the BIGinBIO program for Latin American biotech startups and partners with CR biomed to promote the program to Costa Rican entrepreneurs. The Ganesha Lab's CEO Markus Schreyer participated as an international speaker at Biolíderes 2023.
• Bufete Arias LawminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 September 2020Bufete Arias Law, a member law firm of CR biomed, provides legal support to cluster activities including preparing bilateral non-disclosure agreements for ESPORA program participants. The firm contributes its expertise in commercial and intellectual property law.
• PROCOMER (Promotora Costarricense de Innovación e Investigación)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPROCOMER collaborates with CR biomed to facilitate member companies' participation in international biotechnology conferences including BIO International Convention, BIO Europe, and other global events. PROCOMER provides funding and logistical support for delegations, enabling Costa Rican biotech companies to access international markets and partnering networks.
• Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEC is an academic founding member and board participant in CR biomed. The university's School of Biology collaborates with the cluster on the BIOTICA conference series, the BioInnova Training program, DOCINADE doctoral program, and various research initiatives. TEC and CR biomed jointly organize biotechnology events and training programs.
• Universidad Nacional (UNA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNA collaborates with CR biomed on bioeconomy programs, the DOCINADE doctoral program (jointly with TEC and UNED), and innovation challenges such as the joint program with the University of Valencia, Spain. UNA representatives serve on CR biomed's board.
• CeNAT/CENAT (Centro Nacional de Alta Tecnología)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCeNAT houses LANOTEC (Laboratorio Nacional de Nanotecnología), which is a member of CR biomed. CeNAT represents Costa Rica in the national bioeconomy strategy and collaborates on research initiatives including the 'One Health' (Una Sola Salud) program with international partners.
• ICBA (International Council of Biotechnology Associations)coreOthersCR biomed is the only Latin American biotechnology cluster that is a member of the ICBA, which connects national biotechnology associations from around the world. This membership provides Costa Rican companies with international visibility and access to global biotech policy discussions.
• AseBio (Asociación Española de Bioempresas)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAseBio organizes BIOSPAIN and the Green Innovation Forum. CR biomed promotes these events to its members and facilitates participation. CR biomed also collaborates on information sharing related to Spanish and European biotech industry developments.
• MICITT (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación, Tecnología y Telecomunicaciones)coreOthersMICITT is a key government partner in the National Bioeconomy Strategy and collaborates with CR biomed on innovation funding programs including PROPYME grants. The Ministry's Vice Minister (Federico Torres) participates in cluster events and panels.
• CINDE (Coalición Costarricense de Iniciativas de Desarrollo)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCINDE is a prominent economic development organization that collaborates with CR biomed on attracting investment to Costa Rica's life sciences sector and supports entrepreneurship programs including the TABI (Tropical Agriculture & Bioeconomy Initiative).
• FUNIN (Fundación INCIENSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFUNIN (Fundación de Investigación y Desarrollo en Salud) is a member of CR biomed. FUNIN researchers collaborate with cluster members on clinical bioinformatics, participate in Life Sciences Meetups, and contribute to the Clinical Bioinformatics Technical Council of the Ministry of Health.
• ILSI Mesoamérica (International Life Sciences Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerILSI Mesoamérica collaborates with CR biomed member LANOTEC on webinars related to food safety, microplastics in the environment, and other food science topics relevant to the life sciences sector.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MassBio: Massachusetts biotechnology association with deep member services, policy advocacy, and industry-networking programs. A regional U.S. cluster association analogous to CR biomed, but with a far larger membership base and budget.
• BIO (Biotechnology Innovation Organization): The largest U.S. and global biotech industry association, organizing the BIO International Convention — the very conference CR biomed helps its members attend. Operates the same association model at vastly greater scale and budget.
• BIOCOM: California-based life sciences association representing hundreds of member companies across biotech, medical devices, and digital health. Comparable cluster-association structure with stronger capital markets and policy engagement.

Direct peers

• BIOTECanada: Canada's national biotechnology industry association, representing a federation of member companies, academic institutions, and government partners. Closely mirrors CR biomed's mandate to advocate, network, and train across the country's biotech ecosystem.
• EuropaBio: European Association for Bioindustries, representing member companies and national biotech associations across the EU. Comparable to CR biomed at a continental level, with similar advocacy and international-network functions.
• AseBio (Asociación Española de Bioempresas): Spanish bioindustry association that organizes BIOSPAIN and the Green Innovation Forum — explicitly partnered with CR biomed for member promotion and information sharing. Operates the same national-association-for-biotech model in a larger market, making it the closest structural peer.
• AusBiotech: Australia's national biotechnology association, offering industry advocacy, member services, international conference participation, and training programs — a near-equivalent model to CR biomed, scaled to a larger domestic biotech base.

Regional players

• KoreaBIO: Korean biotech industry association organizing international partnering events and policy advocacy. Comparable in mission to CR biomed but operating in Asia with a much larger domestic market and member base.
• Japan Bioindustry Association: Japan's national bioindustry association promoting biotechnology across industry, academia, and government — a mission structurally aligned with CR biomed's four-helix model, though serving a very different geography.

Others

• CINDE (Coalición Costarricense de Iniciativas de Desarrollo): Costa Rica's investment promotion agency, a direct partner of CR biomed on life-sciences FDI and the TABI initiative. While not a biotech association, it is the most relevant domestic ecosystem partner and a useful comparator for how Costa Rica organizes sector-development coalitions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CRbiomed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crbiomed

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CR biomed