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Ceres

Full company profile

uuid00qek58

Namestring
Ceres
Websiteurl
ceres.net
Company typeenum
Private
Founded yearint
1995
Descriptiontext

Ceres is an agricultural biotechnology company focused on developing sorghum seed products and proprietary agricultural trait technologies. Founded in 1995 and historically headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California, the company operated as a public entity on NASDAQ under the ticker CERE before being delisted. Its core work centers on plant genetics and trait development for use in commercial sorghum cultivation, with downstream applications spanning food, feed, and bioenergy markets. The current firmographic profile shows 11–50 employees.

The company's technology platform involves agricultural trait engineering — developing genetically enhanced sorghum varieties with improved agronomic characteristics such as yield, drought tolerance, and processing suitability. The broader agricultural biotech sector that Ceres operates in is exemplified by peer alfalfa-trait developers offering branded trait packages (e.g., reduced-lignin quality traits, herbicide tolerance, and disease resistance packages). Ceres' own product portfolio details, patent estate, and trait pipeline specifics are not disclosed in the available source data, and the company does not list products, certifications, or technology integrations in its current profile.

The business model historically relied on seed and trait licensing to agricultural distributors, with capital raised across at least two disclosed financing rounds in February and September 2021 featuring participation from strategic and financial investors including Warburg Pincus, Monsanto, TowerBrook Capital Partners, and others. Detailed pricing, GTM mechanics, revenue model, and customer composition are not publicly disclosed; ownership structure post-delisting is also unclear. Note: one source block references a March 2026 multi-gigawatt fuel cell partnership with Centrica across the UK and Europe, which is inconsistent with the company's stated agricultural-biotech profile and likely pertains to a separate, similarly named entity; this signal has been flagged as a data conflict rather than attributed as a Ceres Inc. strategic action.

Short descriptiontext

Ceres is an agricultural biotechnology company that develops sorghum seed products and proprietary agricultural trait technologies. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California, it historically served seed distributors and growers before its NASDAQ delisting.

Operating statusenum
Operating
Ownership categoryenum
Headcount rangeband
11–50
akta.pro rankint
HeadquartersThousand Oaks, United States
HQ citystring
Thousand Oaks
HQ countrystring
United States
HQ regionstring
North America
Markets served

Serves global market

Keyword5 values
agricultural biotechnology, sorghum seed products, crop trait technologies, biotech seed development, hybrid sorghum seeds
NAICS code1 code
  • Other Crop Farming1119
SIC code1 code
  • Agricultural Production-Crops100
Product category
Agricultural Biotechnology
Social media profiles2 records
Cost components4 values
Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
GTM typeB2B
B2B
Offering typeHardware or Manufacturing
Hardware or Manufacturing
Core offering1 text field

Ceres is an agricultural biotechnology company that develops sorghum seed products and agricultural trait technologies for use by farmers and agribusiness customers. The company applies biotechnology and plant breeding to develop improved crop varieties with enhanced agronomic traits.

Differentiator
Functional benefit
Problem solved
Product and service1 record
1Sorghum seed products
Scale indicator1 record

Each record includes

Type, Value, Description, Source

Partnership1 partner
1Centrica
Strategic tierCoreTypeStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnounced on2026-03-25
Description

Centrica and Ceres announced a strategic partnership to deploy multi-gigawatt, on-site fuel cell power solutions across the UK and Europe. The collaboration addresses grid connection delays and supports data centers, AI growth, and industrial projects with faster, low-carbon power solutions.

Recent move5 records

Each record includes

Date, Type, Title, Description, Source

Expansion highlight3 records

Each record includes

Type, Description

Peers10 records
1Forage Genetics International
TypeDirect peer
Description

Forage crop biotech developing genetically engineered alfalfa traits including herbicide tolerance and quality improvements. Comparable to Ceres as an agricultural biotech focused on developing and commercializing seed trait technologies for crops.

2Bayer Crop Science (formerly Monsanto)
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

Global leader in agricultural seeds, traits, and crop protection. Comparable as a broad incumbent that develops and licenses biotech traits for row crops, the same value chain Ceres targets with its sorghum trait technology.

3Corteva Agriscience
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

Major seed and crop protection company with deep investment in biotech traits and germplasm. Directly comparable to Ceres as a developer and licensor of agricultural trait technologies for major crops.

4Inari Agriculture
TypeEmerging player
Description

Seed design company using multiplex gene editing to develop step-change crop varieties. Closely comparable to Ceres as an emerging biotech seed/trait platform targeting row crops with novel genetic technology.

5Pairwise
TypeEmerging player
Description

Agricultural biotech using CRISPR-based gene editing to develop improved fruit, row, and oilseed crops. Comparable to Ceres as a venture-backed agricultural biotech applying novel genetic tools to develop differentiated seed/trait products.

6Yield10 Bioscience
TypeEmerging player
Description

Agricultural biotech developing novel yield and content traits in major crops. Directly comparable to Ceres as a small-cap agricultural biotech focused on licensing trait technologies to seed companies and growers.

7Benson Hill
TypeEmerging player
Description

Crop improvement company combining genomics and trait development for soy and other crops. Comparable to Ceres as an emerging agricultural biotech focused on developing improved seed varieties through trait innovation.

8Arcadia Biosciences
TypeDirect peer
Description

Agricultural trait developer commercializing innovations in crop quality, yield, and stress tolerance. Comparable to Ceres as a small-cap agricultural trait biotech with a similar licensing-and-partnership business model.

9BASF Agricultural Solutions
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

Diversified agricultural input company with seed and trait development capabilities. Comparable to Ceres as a broader industry player that licenses and develops agricultural traits for crop improvement.

10Syngenta
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

Global agribusiness with seed, trait, and crop protection businesses. Comparable as a broad incumbent in agricultural biotech with overlapping R&D platforms and licensing approaches for crop traits.

Market position
Strengths3 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Weaknesses4 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Competitive moat3 records

Each record includes

Type, Details

Key risks5 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Key highlights4 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Customer concentration

Classification, Details

Ideal customer profile1 record

Each record includes

Profile, Firmographic size, Sales motion, Sales cycle length, Buying structure, Purchase trigger, Buyer persona, Geography, Industry vertical, Primary use case, Description, Pain points, Evidence proof points, Target buyer

Technology focused
Yes
API detail
Has APIbool
No

Docs URL, Description

AI maturity
App detail

Has app

Core technology
Revenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Number of profiles
Profiles2 records

Each record includes

Name, Designation, Designation category, Overview, Profile commentary, Source

No data
No data
Funding overview

Funding stage, Last funding date, Total funding USD

Funding rounds2 records

Each record includes

Round, Amount USD, Date, Pre money valuation, Total investors, Investors, News

Investors10 records

Each record includes

Name, Type, Date of entry, Rounds participated, Website

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Each record includes

Name, Acquisition type, Announced date, Completed date, Status, Website, News

Investment

Each record includes

Name, Round, Announced date, Lead investor, Website, News

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Ceres

Agricultural Biotechnologyceres.net

Ceres is an agricultural biotechnology company that develops sorghum seed products and proprietary agricultural trait technologies. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California, it historically served seed distributors and growers before its NASDAQ delisting.

What Ceres does

Ceres is an agricultural biotechnology company focused on developing sorghum seed products and proprietary agricultural trait technologies. Founded in 1995 and historically headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California, the company operated as a public entity on NASDAQ under the ticker CERE before being delisted. Its core work centers on plant genetics and trait development for use in commercial sorghum cultivation, with downstream applications spanning food, feed, and bioenergy markets. The current firmographic profile shows 11–50 employees.

The company's technology platform involves agricultural trait engineering — developing genetically enhanced sorghum varieties with improved agronomic characteristics such as yield, drought tolerance, and processing suitability. The broader agricultural biotech sector that Ceres operates in is exemplified by peer alfalfa-trait developers offering branded trait packages (e.g., reduced-lignin quality traits, herbicide tolerance, and disease resistance packages). Ceres' own product portfolio details, patent estate, and trait pipeline specifics are not disclosed in the available source data, and the company does not list products, certifications, or technology integrations in its current profile.

The business model historically relied on seed and trait licensing to agricultural distributors, with capital raised across at least two disclosed financing rounds in February and September 2021 featuring participation from strategic and financial investors including Warburg Pincus, Monsanto, TowerBrook Capital Partners, and others. Detailed pricing, GTM mechanics, revenue model, and customer composition are not publicly disclosed; ownership structure post-delisting is also unclear. Note: one source block references a March 2026 multi-gigawatt fuel cell partnership with Centrica across the UK and Europe, which is inconsistent with the company's stated agricultural-biotech profile and likely pertains to a separate, similarly named entity; this signal has been flagged as a data conflict rather than attributed as a Ceres Inc. strategic action.

Ceres firmographics

Firmographics
Name
Ceres
Website
https://ceres.net
Company type
Private
Founded year
1995
Operating status
Operating
Headcount range
11–50 employees
Short description
Ceres is an agricultural biotechnology company that develops sorghum seed products and proprietary agricultural trait technologies. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California, it historically served seed distributors and growers before its NASDAQ delisting.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Where Ceres is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city
Thousand Oaks
HQ country
United States
HQ region
North America

Markets served

Ceres business model

Business model
GTM type
B2B
Offering type
Hardware or Manufacturing
Cost components
Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Ceres product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Ceres is an agricultural biotechnology company that develops sorghum seed products and agricultural trait technologies for use by farmers and agribusiness customers. The company applies biotechnology and plant breeding to develop improved crop varieties with enhanced agronomic traits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

  • Sorghum seed products

Companies that use Ceres

Customer profile

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Ceres technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API
No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Ceres partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

  • CentricacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Centrica and Ceres announced a strategic partnership to deploy multi-gigawatt, on-site fuel cell power solutions across the UK and Europe. The collaboration addresses grid connection delays and supports data centers, AI growth, and industrial projects with faster, low-carbon power solutions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Ceres competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

  • Forage Genetics International: Forage crop biotech developing genetically engineered alfalfa traits including herbicide tolerance and quality improvements. Comparable to Ceres as an agricultural biotech focused on developing and commercializing seed trait technologies for crops.
  • Arcadia Biosciences: Agricultural trait developer commercializing innovations in crop quality, yield, and stress tolerance. Comparable to Ceres as a small-cap agricultural trait biotech with a similar licensing-and-partnership business model.

Broad incumbents

  • Bayer Crop Science (formerly Monsanto): Global leader in agricultural seeds, traits, and crop protection. Comparable as a broad incumbent that develops and licenses biotech traits for row crops, the same value chain Ceres targets with its sorghum trait technology.
  • Corteva Agriscience: Major seed and crop protection company with deep investment in biotech traits and germplasm. Directly comparable to Ceres as a developer and licensor of agricultural trait technologies for major crops.
  • BASF Agricultural Solutions: Diversified agricultural input company with seed and trait development capabilities. Comparable to Ceres as a broader industry player that licenses and develops agricultural traits for crop improvement.
  • Syngenta: Global agribusiness with seed, trait, and crop protection businesses. Comparable as a broad incumbent in agricultural biotech with overlapping R&D platforms and licensing approaches for crop traits.

Emerging players

  • Inari Agriculture: Seed design company using multiplex gene editing to develop step-change crop varieties. Closely comparable to Ceres as an emerging biotech seed/trait platform targeting row crops with novel genetic technology.
  • Pairwise: Agricultural biotech using CRISPR-based gene editing to develop improved fruit, row, and oilseed crops. Comparable to Ceres as a venture-backed agricultural biotech applying novel genetic tools to develop differentiated seed/trait products.
  • Yield10 Bioscience: Agricultural biotech developing novel yield and content traits in major crops. Directly comparable to Ceres as a small-cap agricultural biotech focused on licensing trait technologies to seed companies and growers.
  • Benson Hill: Crop improvement company combining genomics and trait development for soy and other crops. Comparable to Ceres as an emerging agricultural biotech focused on developing improved seed varieties through trait innovation.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

Ceres social profiles

Digital presence

Ceres financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Ceres leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Ceres funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Ceres M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ceres

What does Ceres do?

Ceres is an agricultural biotechnology company that develops sorghum seed products and agricultural trait technologies for use by farmers and agribusiness customers. The company applies biotechnology and plant breeding to develop improved crop varieties with enhanced agronomic traits.

Is Ceres a public or private company?

Ceres is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was Ceres founded?

Ceres was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Ceres based?

Ceres is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, United States, in the North America region.

Who are Ceres's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Forage Genetics International and Arcadia Biosciences. Broad incumbents are Bayer Crop Science (formerly Monsanto), Corteva Agriscience, BASF Agricultural Solutions and Syngenta. Emerging players are Inari Agriculture, Pairwise, Yield10 Bioscience and Benson Hill.

Does Ceres have an API?

No public API is recorded for Ceres.

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Live signals
PR NewswireCeres Awarded Two U.S. Patents for Innovative Crop TraitsCeres, Inc., an agricultural biotechnology company based in Thousand Oaks, California, was awarded two patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for crop traits that can increase and protect yields under suboptimal environmental conditions. The new patents (U.S. Patent No. 9,303,268 and U.S. Patent No. 9,309,573) cover traits enabling crops to be sown more densely or to be more productive on marginal farmland, with potential applications in corn, soybean, forage sorghum, and cotton. The company plans to advance these traits in its own crops and offer licensing to other seed companies, with the CEO stating such traits could significantly impact crop yields, farm income, and low-value cropland.PR NewswireCeres Reports That Trial Results 'Exceeded Expectations' for Its Leading TraitCeres, Inc. announced favorable results from its 2015 sorghum trait evaluations in the United States, with its leading biomass trait demonstrating a 30% increase in harvestable biomass across commercial hybrids in its second year of testing. The company plans to scale up seed production for future commercialization and continue additional field trials, aiming to expand sorghum production beyond its historical acreage and increase seed value. The next stage of research field trials is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.PR NewswireCeres Announces First Quarter Financial Results of Fiscal Year 2016Ceres, Inc. reported a net loss of $3.4 million for its fiscal first quarter ended November 30, 2015, while announcing plans to achieve $8 to $10 million in cash savings through operational restructuring. The company completed its strategic shift away from bioenergy and Brazil operations toward higher-value forage and feed crops, supported by a recent $7.6 million equity offering. Additionally, Ceres validated its technology via a multi-year collaboration with Forage Genetics International and plans to expand its forage sorghum seed distribution.