Milestones
- First product PROVEN launched for corn2019Complete.
- PROVEN 40 launched2022Complete.
- On-seed formulation introduced2024Complete.
- Production expansion and price cutMar 2026Complete.
- Broader crops and higher nitrogen replacementNowCurrent milestone.
Most important updates
- 31 Mar 2026
- 4 Mar 2026
- 16 Jun 2025
- 13 Mar 2025
- 30 Aug 2022
Upcoming
- 2026US Treasury 45Z clean-fuel credit guidance recognising low-carbon farming practices (next)
Current obstacles
- Replacing only part of the fertiliserCorn needs roughly 150-200 lb of nitrogen per acre; microbes supply only part of that.
- Shelf life and handlingLive microbes need cooling and careful handling, unlike bags of fertiliser.
Physics limits
- Breaking nitrogen's triple bond costs the plant energyThe enzyme nitrogenase spends about 16 ATP molecules for every N2 it splits. The microbes pay with sugars from the plant's roots, so there is a ceiling on how much nitrogen they can supply without costing yield.
- The nitrogen-fixing enzyme is destroyed by oxygenNitrogenase stops working in oxygen, yet roots sit in airy soil. Microbes must protect the enzyme, which limits how fast and how steadily they can fix nitrogen through the season.
- Corn needs far more nitrogen than microbes supplyHigh-yield corn takes up roughly 1 lb of nitrogen per bushel, often 200 lb or more per acre. Root microbes supply a few tens of pounds, so they replace part of the fertiliser, not all of it.
How it works
Colonise
Bacteria live on the roots
Applied at planting, the microbes settle on the roots and multiply as the roots grow.
Fix
The nitrogen switch stays on
Thanks to the edits, an enzyme keeps turning nitrogen gas from the air into ammonium, even in fertilised soil.
Feed
Food delivered to the plant
Corn absorbs the ammonium, so it needs less synthetic fertiliser, which means less runoff and greenhouse gas.
Spec sheet
| Spec | PROVEN 40 |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen supplied (claimed) | Up to 40 lb N/acreR (reported) |
| Organisms | Kosakonia sacchari, Klebsiella variicolaR (reported) |
| Genetic changes | Non-transgenic gene editsR (reported) |
R reported by the company
Papers & demos
- 2021paperEnabling biological nitrogen fixation for cereal crops in fertilized fields (ACS Synthetic Biology) (opens doi.org)Explains the gene changes that keep nitrogen fixing switched on in fertilised soil.
Update log
Tue 31 Mar
- Minor: PressResearch
Wed 4 Mar
- Minor: PressCommercial
Mon 16 Jun 2025
- Minor: PressResearch
Thu 13 Mar 2025
- Major: PressHardware
Tue 30 Aug 2022
- Minor: PressHardware
About Pivot Bio
Pivot Bio
Nitrogen-fixing microbes, PROVEN 40
Makes gene-edited soil bacteria that live on corn roots and turn nitrogen from the air into plant food, replacing part of the synthetic fertiliser. Founded in Berkeley in 2011; announced a move to Minnesota in 2026.
- PROVEN 40 claims to supply up to 40 lb of nitrogen per acre of corn over a season.
- Raised a $430M Series D in 2021, valuing it above $2B.
- Cut prices and expanded production in March 2026 as fertiliser prices swung.
- Founded
- 201115 yrs
- Headquarters
- United States
- Status
- Private
- Valuation
- private
- Raised
- $430M1 round
- Last round
- Series D · $430MJul 2021
- Works in
- AgricultureMicrobes & soilBiotech
- Coverage
- 1 program · 9 updateslatest 27 May 2026checked 25 Sep
- Lead investors
- DCVCTemasek
- Investors
- Breakthrough Energy Ventures (opens breakthroughenergy.org)DCVC (opens dcvc.com)Temasek (opens temasek.com.sg)
- People
- Chris Abbott (opens pivotbio.com)CEOKarsten Temme (opens pivotbio.com)Co-founder