Pivot Bio

Pivot Bio is an agricultural biotechnology company founded in 2011 and headquartered in Berkeley, raising over $430M to develop microbial products that replace synthetic nitrogen fertilizer for row crops. The company's microbes are applied as seed treatments and colonize crop roots, fixing atmospheric nitrogen directly at the plant root zone where crops need it. This approach reduces the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, which is energy-intensive to manufacture, a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, and subject to supply chain volatility. Pivot Bio's products PROVEN and PROVEN 40 have been adopted on tens of millions of acres by corn farmers across the United States, demonstrating both agronomic performance and commercial viability at scale. The company is expanding its product line to other crops and nitrogen-fixing organisms. Pivot Bio has established partnerships with major agricultural input distributors and is working on carbon credit programs that monetize the emission reductions from reduced fertilizer use. The company represents a biological approach to crop nutrition that could fundamentally change the nitrogen management practices of modern agriculture.