AgBiome
Defunct microbial crop protection startup, assets sold off in 2024, no longer operating.
On the record
Checkpoint: Any recruiting activity under the AgBiome name should be checked against Ginkgo Bioworks or Certis Biologicals as the real employer
The call
AgBiome shut down in 2024 after spending $236.5M; its strains went to Ginkgo Bioworks and its two fungicides went to Certis Biologicals.
AgBiome made natural pesticides and plant treatments using bacteria strains from soil. The company could not sell its products fast enough to cover its costs, even after 11 years and hundreds of millions of dollars spent. Larger rivals like Bayer and BASF simply bought its best assets (a library of 115,000 bacterial strains and EPA-approved products) and folded them into their own operations, which is why an independent AgBiome no longer exists. The one thing that might have changed this: if AgBiome had cracked the code on faster sales and lower manufacturing costs before its money ran out, it might have survived as its own company instead of becoming a part of Ginkgo Bioworks and Certis Biologicals.
Why
01
AI pressure: Ginkgo Bioworks. Ginkgo bought AgBiome's 115,000-strain library to feed its own AI biofoundry, not to keep AgBiome alive. Could AI do the core job? Yes, likely.
02
Bigger players: Bayer, BASF, Corteva, Syngenta. AgBiome stopped operating in 2024; its EPA-registered fungicides Howler and Theia now sit with Certis Biologicals. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.
03
What protects it. None. The company no longer exists as an operating entity, so there is nothing left to protect.
What would change this call
Any 2026 job listing or recruiter email using the AgBiome name. Would indicate stale or mislabeled recruiting; the real employer is Ginkgo Bioworks or Certis Biologicals.
Ginkgo Bioworks quarterly reports mentioning Howler, Theia, or the 115,000-strain library. Shows whether AgBiome's former assets are generating revenue under new ownership.
Certis Biologicals announcements on Howler or Theia fungicide sales or EPA label expansions. Indicates whether the acquired products are gaining commercial traction post-acquisition.
Ginkgo Bioworks quarterly reports mentioning Howler, Theia, or the 115,000-strain library. Shows whether AgBiome's former assets are generating revenue under new ownership.
Certis Biologicals announcements on Howler or Theia fungicide sales or EPA label expansions. Indicates whether the acquired products are gaining commercial traction post-acquisition.
Key numbers
- $236.5M total capital raised over 11 years
- 100+ employees laid off via WARN notice
- 115,000+ microbial strains sold to Ginkgo Bioworks
Named risks
- AgBiome ceased independent operations entirely by April 2024 after burning $236.5M.
- Job offers or recruiter contact citing AgBiome name are likely stale or mislabeled pointing to Ginkgo or Certis.
- Successor entities' own durability (Ginkgo Bioworks, Certis Biologicals) must be separately evaluated.
- Company never achieved unit economics despite 11 years and 13 funding rounds.
Rivals, as read in July 2026
| Rival | Direction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Ginkgo Bioworks | losing to | Acquired AgBiome's entire strain library and discovery platform on 2024-04-11 |
| Certis Biologicals | losing to | Acquired Howler and Theia fungicides from AgBiome on 2024-03-18 |
| Bayer, BASF, Corteva, Syngenta | contesting | Former partners/investors now run own biologicals R&D absorbing AgBiome's former market space |
Questions people ask
- Is AgBiome still operating in 2026?
- No. AgBiome ceased independent operations by April 2024. It sold its Howler and Theia fungicides to Certis Biologicals on 2024-03-18 and its entire discovery platform and 115,000-strain library to Ginkgo Bioworks on 2024-04-11, per company press releases.
- Was AgBiome ever profitable?
- No public revenue was ever disclosed by AgBiome. The company raised roughly $236.5M across 13 rounds between 2013 and 2021 and still ran out of funding, filing WARN layoff notices for all 100+ employees on 2023-10-19.
- Who owns AgBiome's technology now?
- AgBiome's assets are split between two acquirers: Certis Biologicals bought its two commercial fungicides, Howler and Theia, on 2024-03-18, and Ginkgo Bioworks bought its microbial strain library and pipeline on 2024-04-11, per company announcements.
- Did AgBiome lay off its employees?
- Yes. AgBiome filed WARN notices on 2023-10-19 announcing termination of all 100+ employees effective December 15, 2023, after failing to secure additional funding, according to reporting by ABC11.
- Could AI replace what AgBiome did?
- Ginkgo Bioworks stated on 2024-04-11 it acquired AgBiome's platform, including over 115,000 sequenced strains and 500 million gene sequences, explicitly for genomic mining and AI model training within its Ag Biologicals Services unit.
- Who is AgBiome's biggest competitor?
- By 2024 AgBiome's former assets became part of its own competitors: Ginkgo Bioworks and Certis Biologicals now hold its platform and products, while Bayer, BASF, Corteva, and Syngenta, once partners or investors, run competing biologicals R&D programs.
Timeline
- 2024-04-11Ginkgo Bioworks acquires AgBiome's discovery platform, 115,000+ strains, 500M+ gene sequences
- 2024-03-18Certis Biologicals acquires AgBiome's Howler and Theia fungicides
- 2023-12-15Effective date of AgBiome's full workforce termination per WARN filing
- 2023-10-19AgBiome files WARN notice to lay off all 100+ employees
- 2022-06Theia fungicide receives EPA approval
- 2021-09-14AgBiome raises $116M Series D led by Blue Horizon and Novalis LifeSciences
- 2017-08Howler biofungicide receives EPA approval
- 2015-08-23AgBiome raises $34.5M Series B led by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- 2013-04-11AgBiome raises $14.5M Series A led by Polaris Partners
- 2012AgBiome founded in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Revision history
25 July 2026
First assessed. Little protection left. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
In the same band
Sources
- Raleigh agriculture company plans to terminate all employees by end of year (2023-10-19)
- Certis Biologicals Acquires Howler and Theia Fungicides From AgBiome (2024-03-18)
- Ginkgo Bioworks Announces Acquisition of AgBiome's Platform Assets (2024-04-11)
- AgBiome Stock Price, Funding, Valuation, Revenue & Financial Statements (2024-04-17)
- AgBiome Harvests $14.5M Round (2013-04-11)
- AgBiome Nets $34.5M Series B (2015-08-23)
- AgBiome Raises $116 Million Led By Blue Horizon and Novalis LifeSciences (2021-09-14)
- AgBiome May Layoff All Employees (2023-10-24)
- The end of AgBiome's decade in agtech (2024-04-24)
- Products, Competitors, Financials, Employees, Headquarters Locations (2026-02-26)
- AgBiome raises $116M led by Blue Horizon and Novalis LifeSciences (2021-09-14)
- Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings (2026-07-24)