Benson Hill Biosystems announced plans to officially establish its headquarters in St. Louis, with plans to build a 160,000 square-foot building at the Danforth Plant Science Center’s campus.
“We chose to expand our presence in St. Louis because of its leadership in plant science and commitment to innovation,” said Matthew Crisp, CEO and co-founder of Benson Hill.
“Dr. Danforth’s vision to build an ecosystem in food and agriculture was fostered by stakeholders across the St. Louis community, and Benson Hill is an example of those efforts coming to fruition,” continued Crisp.“We’re excited to contribute to the growth and opportunity of the St. Louis region and to the evolution of a more healthy and sustainable food system.”
Launched in 2012, Benson Hill is the developer of a revolutionary platform that combines machine learning and big data with genome editing and plant biology to develop healthier and more sustainable crops and ingredients for both the human and animal feed markets.
Through its revolutionary computational platform CropOS™ and suite of breeding and genome editing tools, Benson Hill empowers organizations of all sizes along the agri-food value chain through advanced seed innovation and leveraging the natural genetic diversity of plants to improve sustainability, nutrition, and flavor profiles at an accelerated pace.
Plant breeders and researchers can use the data analytics and biological knowledge-base on the CropOS platform to bypass years of experimentation in the search for specific desired traits. The platform’s ability to use machine learning also means that as the number of users, experiments, and data increase, so too will the sophistication of the research capabilities. It also democratizes the process – doing the computational work that allows agricultural scientists to more easily down the data.
The move by the company to build and establish its new $52 million headquarters in the 39 North agricultural technology district is part of its strategic growth trajectory to expand to 300 employees. Currently, the company stands at 120 employees, after growing by 50 percent over the past year.
“I can’t say I ever envisioned this,” said Crisp. “The momentum we’ve gained has exceeded our expectations.”
Benson Hill’s expansionary moves also follow the company’s successful $60 million Series C led by GV in October 2018, which brought the company’s total funding to $100 million. Included in the round were new investors Activant Capital and Tao Capital Partners, along with existing investors Alexandria Venture Investments, Fall Line Capital, iSelect Fund, Lewis & Clark Ventures, Mercury Fund, Prelude Ventures, and S2G Ventures.
Early-stage funding for the startup was secured largely from St. Louis-based investors such as Lewis & Clark Ventures and Cultivian Capital.
“With its data-driven approach to crop improvement, Benson Hill has significant potential to impact the next wave of productivity gains across food and agriculture,” said Andy Wheeler, general partner at GV in October 2018. “The broad applicability of Benson Hill’s technology platform – combined with the executive team’s expertise in photosynthesis and genomic selection -creates new opportunities for farmers and the food production industry at-large.”
With this funding, the company also went on a bit of a streak in March of this year – closing two deals within weeks of each other. On March 1, GAI News shared that Benson Hill and California Hemp Corporation, a tech-driven genetic company focused on the hemp seed market, announced a sponsored research agreement with the laboratory of Dr. Edward Charles Brummer at the University of California, Davis.
Ultimately, this multi-year program is expected to produce a wide portfolio of commercial field-grown hemp varieties for use in the production of health and wellness products.
Weeks later, Benson Hill acquired Iowa-based Schillinger Genetics, also known as eMerge Genetics, for an undisclosed sum.
For decades, Schillinger Genetics has worked to improve both yield and the nutrient profile of soybeans, which have both declined over time at the hands of traditional breeding systems. And after decades, the company has produced a portfolio of superior non-GMO, high yielding, high protein soybean varieties that are in high demand from end users in the food industry and others.
By applying Benson Hill’s technology, the companies will be better armed to expand a pipeline of new varieties offering traits that are sought by high-volume end users, such as superior protein and amino acid profiles, better digestibility, and low trypsin inhibitor qualities.
As its business continues to grow, Benson Hill’s new headquarters will include flexible research laboratories, shared workspaces, lounges, and fitness, yoga, and break spaces to foster a collaborative atmosphere and improved work environment. The new facility also will offer the company the space to expand its product development capacity and commercialization efforts.
“Benson Hill is a product of our innovation ecosystem, and we are so proud to see the company grow in new facilities on our campus,” said James Carrington, president of the Danforth Plant Science Center. “Benson Hill is a model for how scientific discovery can transform into real solutions, and should encourage everyone who cares about addressing big challenges at the intersection of food and the environment.”
~ Lynda Kiernan