Game-changing Always-N™ product poised to transform industrial corn production with sustainable, gene-edited microbes

BioConsortia, Inc., a leader in microbial innovation for sustainable agriculture, announced today it has secured $15 million in funding from its long-standing internal investors, led by Otter Capital and affiliated funds.

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BioConsortia continues development of its nitrogen-fixing microbial seed treatment product line, with more than 1,000 trials in the past five years. The trial shown in the photo is on corn in South Dakota.

“This investment, one in a series of recurring financings from our internal investors, reflects their deep confidence in BioConsortia’s science, strategy, and commercial momentum,” said Marcus Meadows-Smith, BioConsortia’s CEO. “Their investments total $95 million and bring BioConsortia to this exciting moment in the company’s history.”

The new funding will accelerate the global launch of Always-N™, BioConsortia’s groundbreaking nitrogen-fixing seed treatment for industrial corn and support continued expansion of its discovery and development engine at the company’s Davis, California headquarters.

Always-N enables farmers to maintain crop yields while reducing reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers—significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions and improving soil health. Applied as a seed treatment, Always-N delivers consistent field performance and is the only nitrogen-fixing biofertilizer combining advanced gene editing and extended viability exceeding two years.

"Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers are essential to modern agriculture, but their overuse comes at a steep environmental cost,” said Meadows-Smith. “With Always-N, we offer a powerful, sustainable alternative—backed by cutting-edge science and built for real-world performance.”

Roughly half of applied synthetic nitrogen is never absorbed by crops. Instead, it runs off into waterways or is broken down in soil, releasing nitrous oxide—a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than CO₂. As regulatory and market pressure builds for climate-smart farming, demand for sustainable alternatives like Always-N is growing rapidly.

Following its successful commercial debut in New Zealand in 2024, Always-N is now preparing for broader market entry, supported by key global partners including The Mosaic Company in row crops in the Americas. The new funding enables BioConsortia to scale manufacturing, build inventory, and expand market access in anticipation of the upcoming growing season.

Always-N is powered by BioConsortia’s discovery and development platform - an integrated engine using proprietary tools for microbial discovery, selection, and optimization. It begins with Advanced Microbial Selection™ (AMS) to identify high-performing plant-associated microbes, then uses GenExpress™ and GenePro™ tools to enhance traits such as nitrogen fixation, disease and pest control, and shelf-life.

In addition to Always-N™, BioConsortia is advancing a robust pipeline of next-generation biostimulants, fungicides, nematicides, and insecticides—engineered for extended shelf life, ease of use, and superior field efficacy.

Since its founding in 2014, BioConsortia has validated its platform across diverse crops, geographies, and soil types. Field trials have consistently demonstrated the efficacy of its microbial biofertilizers, fungicides, nematicides, and insecticides—delivering growers new tools for sustainable, high-yield farming.

About BioConsortia

At BioConsortia, we are pioneering the next generation of agricultural biologicals through cutting-edge microbial gene editing. Our breakthroughs in editing only the most stable microbes unlock unprecedented performance in nitrogen fixation, biocontrol, and biostimulants—delivering solutions that are more effective, more consistent, and easier to use than anything on the market today. By precisely enhancing natural microbial traits, we’re creating products that outperform both traditional chemicals and first-generation biologicals—with longer shelf life, extended life on seed, robust field efficacy, and compatibility with existing farm systems. Our AMS platform supports rapid discovery and development of superior wild type microbial products, and our gene-edited innovations redefine what’s possible in sustainable agriculture.

Since its founding in 2014, BioConsortia has built a reputation for delivering science-driven, field-proven solutions across a wide range of crops, geographies, and growing conditions. Today, the company stands at the forefront of the agricultural biologicals revolution—offering farmers the tools to grow more with less, and do so sustainably.

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