Loading organizations...
§ Private Profile · West Sacramento, CA, USA
AgTech company analyzing soil microbiomes with BeCrop technology, delivering data to farmers for optimized practices and soil health.
Based in West Sacramento, California, Biome Makers is an agricultural technology company that utilizes DNA sequencing and artificial intelligence to analyze soil microbiomes and provide data-driven insights for optimizing farming practices. The organization generates revenue by selling physical soil testing kits alongside subscription-based access to its proprietary BeCrop and Gheom data analytics platforms for crop input manufacturers and agronomists. Operating globally, the enterprise employs approximately 100 people and has analyzed over 170,000 soil samples across more than 45 countries, impacting over one million acres of agricultural land. Biome Makers has raised over $24 million in total equity funding, including a $15 million Series B round, with financial backing from institutional investors such as Prosus Ventures, Seaya Ventures, Viking Global Investors, and Illumina Accelerator. The company was founded in 2015 by Adrian Ferrero and Dr. Alberto Acedo.
Biome Makers has raised $21.2M across 3 funding rounds.
Biome Makers has raised $21.2M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Biome Makers has raised $21.2M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $15.0M Series B in August 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2021 | $15M Series B | Banafsheh Fathieh | Blockchain.com Ventures, Faction VC, JME Ventures, Pymwymic, Beatriz Gonzalez, Viking Global Investors | Announced |
| Aug 2, 2019 | $4M Series A | Jose Maria Hernanz Fernandez Aguado, Aristotelis Xenofontos | LocalGlobe | Announced |
| Oct 18, 2016 | $2.2M Seed | — | Illumina, Viking Global Investors | Announced |
Biome Makers has raised $21.2M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Biome Makers's investors include Banafsheh Fathieh, Blockchain.com Ventures, Faction VC, JME Ventures, Pymwymic, Beatriz Gonzalez, Viking Global Investors, Jose Maria Hernanz Fernandez-Aguado, Aristotelis Xenofontos, LocalGlobe, Illumina.
Biome Makers is a global AgTech company founded in 2015 that develops soil microbiome analysis technology to optimize soil health, boost crop yields, and promote regenerative agriculture.[2][4] Its flagship product, BeCrop®, uses DNA sequencing, machine learning, and the world's largest microbial database (over 55 million microorganisms) to deliver actionable insights on soil biology, disease risks, yield limitations, and input effectiveness, serving farmers, ag-input manufacturers, and crop advisors across six continents and 2.2 million acres.[2][3][4] A complementary platform, Gheom®, provides independent assessments of farming practices and crop inputs to support customized, sustainable agriculture.[1][5] The company addresses climate change and food insecurity by enabling transitions from traditional to microbiome-based farming, with strong growth evidenced by global labs, extensive crop coverage (over 170 types), and recent platform updates enhancing AI-driven decision support.[2][3]
Biome Makers was co-founded in 2015 in the San Francisco Bay Area by Dr. Alberto Acedo (Chief Scientific Officer, PhD in genetics) and Adrián Ferrero, who brought expertise in biotech and intelligent computing.[2][5] The idea emerged from applying DNA sequencing—initially used in human microbiomes—to agriculture, inspired by the need to decode soil microbes for better farming outcomes; they joined Illumina’s accelerator program as the first non-American company, piloting in the wine industry with a tool called WineSeq.[5] Early traction came from in-house development of sequencing, algorithms, and software, growing the team to 20 (half PhDs) within three years, expanding from wine to broad ag-input validation via BeCrop and Gheom, and relocating to West Sacramento for scaling.[2][5]
Biome Makers rides the regenerative agriculture trend, leveraging AgTech's convergence of biotech, AI, and big data to combat soil degradation amid climate change, overpopulation, and food insecurity—timing amplified by urgent needs for sustainable yields as arable land declines.[1][2][4] Market forces like rising demand for precision ag, microbiome insights, and verifiable sustainability (e.g., for ESG compliance) favor it, with its database enabling ag-input innovation and ecosystem-wide decisions.[3][5][7] It influences the landscape by setting the soil health standard, bridging biology to digital tools for farmers and manufacturers, fostering biodiverse farming, and collaborating globally to reverse degradation—positioning AgTech as essential for food security.[2][4][6]
Biome Makers is poised for expansion with ongoing BeCrop updates (e.g., AI enhancements, tabular views) and its massive database fueling new discoveries in microbial agronomy.[2][3] Trends like AI-driven precision farming, climate-resilient crops, and regulatory pushes for soil regeneration will accelerate growth, potentially deepening integrations with farm tech stacks and expanding Gheom for input R&D.[1][4][7] Its influence may evolve into a foundational platform for global ag sustainability, scaling impact beyond 2.2M acres as microbiome tech becomes agriculture's "missing puzzle piece"—ultimating soil-health optimization to secure food systems.[2][6][7]