Pivot Bio relocates research to St. Louis from Berkeley

Pivot Bio, an agricultural biotechnology company founded in Berkeley, California, is relocating its research and development operations to St. Louis, Missouri. The company confirmed the move in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed with the state of California on May 28.

The company reached out to Fertilizer Daily to comment on the relocation, stating that it will not be laying off 62 workers, as stated in the other media. As is required by the WARN notice, any time a facility closes, even for relocation, the company is obliged to notify impacted employees. The number of affected workers includes team members who will be relocating, as well as applying for other positions. In some cases, employees will be able to continue working remotely. The Berkeley R&D facility will remain open until the relocation is completed. Additionally, the company will hire new employees at the new centers of excellence. These new centers that will be strategically located in the ag innovation hub in the Midwest will be announced in the next 30 days.

The move comes amid a broader slowdown in Bay Area tech and life sciences employment and an increasing volume of unrented laboratory space in the region. Pivot Bio currently leases a 45,000-square-foot facility in the Aquatic Park Research Campus in West Berkeley. The site will be vacated over the coming months. Company officials described the decision as part of a long-term strategy to consolidate operations closer to its core customer base in the Midwest, where Pivot Bio already maintains a major manufacturing facility.

Founded in 2011 by two UCSF Ph.D. students who are alumni of UC Berkeley, Pivot Bio developed microbial products that replace synthetic nitrogen fertilizers by enabling plants to convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable nutrients. The company released its first commercial product in 2019 and surpassed $100 million in revenue by 2023. Following a $430 million fundraising round in 2021, it achieved a valuation of nearly $1.7 billion.

While Pivot Bio once operated offices in Berkeley, Hayward, Omaha, Chicago, St. Louis, Iowa, and Minnesota, the company is streamlining its footprint. The Hayward greenhouse facility had already been phased out prior to the latest decision. Co-founder and chief innovation officer Karsten Temme stated the move reflects a broader effort to co-locate teams.

Temme also acknowledged the foundational role that Berkeley played in the company’s early development, citing scientific breakthroughs from local institutions. “Our roots will always be deeply tied to the Bay Area,” he said.

Source: Berkeleyside