Pivot Bio
Pivot Bio sells patented microbial crop nutrition products to farmers, having raised $617M in funding including a Series D in 2021. The 304-person company draws heavily from agricultural chemical incumbents for talent.
The growth story
Pivot Bio grew from 231 to 304 employees between 2021 and 2026, raising $617M along the way, most recently a Series D in July 2021.
About
Pivot Bio develops microbial alternatives to synthetic nitrogen fertilizers for row crops. Its products aim to reduce agriculture's environmental impact while maintaining yields, targeting large-scale farmers.
The company has raised $617M, with backing from Breakthrough Energy Ventures and the Gates Foundation. Its workforce shows strong ties to legacy agchem firms, with Bayer and Monsanto as top talent sources.
Founders and leadership
Sales is the largest department with 46 employees. Leadership appears focused on commercializing biotech innovations in agriculture, given the strong sales focus and agchem industry hiring patterns.
The Pivot Bio org chart
Chris Abbott (Chief Executive Officer) leads 59 mapped leaders with 9 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Research 74 (+7% YoY), Sales 59 (-12% YoY), Operations 29 (+7% YoY), Engineering 21 (+17% YoY), Information Technology 15 (-6% YoY), Business Development 13 (-13% YoY).
Talent flow
Nearly a quarter of analyzed employees came from Bayer or Monsanto. Alumni frequently move to other agtech firms like Corteva and InnerPlant, with some transitioning to tech companies like Amazon.
Most common previous employers of Pivot Bio staff: Bayer (24), Monsanto Company (22), Corteva Agriscience (19), Syngenta (12), DuPont Pioneer (12), Iowa State University (8). Former Pivot Bio employees most often moved to Corteva Agriscience (4), Rovensa Next North America (3), Amazon (3), InnerPlant (3), BW Fusion (3), University of California, Berkeley (3).
Alumni worth knowing
The Pivot Bio mafia
12 alumni have founded companies, including Glanbia Performance Nutrition (1,360 staff) and Inari (505 staff), showing Pivot Bio's role in agtech entrepreneurship.
12Monica McGurk, was Member Board Of Directors until 2024Lisa Nunez Safarian, was Strategic Advisor until 2025Kevin Hammill, was COO until 2018Yongjin Park, was Scientist III, Technical Project Lead until 2024Mitchell Craft, was Director of Communications until 2025Emily Tung, was First Employee until 2017
Daniel Walsh, was Senior Director, Commercial Sustainability until 2024
Keira Havens, was Sustainability Project Manager until 2024
Grant Bolton, Ph.D., was Freelance Copywriter until 2024
Ryan Bartelme, Ph.D., was Bioinformatics Scientist II until 2025
Judee Sharon, Ph.D., was Microbial Discovery Team Lead until 2018
Jade C. L., was Data Engineer until 2024Hiring now
Web traffic
Traffic mix: 26% direct, 22% search, 10% social, 18% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at Pivot Bio: Leadership (102), Microsoft Office (82), Strategic Planning (73), Research Skills (72), Customer Service (70), Management (69), Agriculture (68), Communication (66).
Where the team actually sits
Pivot Bio people are concentrated in Missouri, United States (31), Iowa, United States (26), Minnesota, United States (16), Illinois, United States (15). 4 offices on record.
Search footprint
Pivot Bio attracts about 1,266 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $1K a month if bought through ads. It gained 176 ranking keywords and lost 120 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 4.20 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 3.50 / 5
- Senior management
- 3.20 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 3.80 / 5
Frequently asked
Pivot Bio has 304 employees as of September 2026.
Pivot Bio has raised $617M in total, most recently a Series D round in July 2021.
Pivot Bio was founded in 2011 by Chris Voigt.
Chris Abbott (Chief Executive Officer) sits at the top of Pivot Bio's reporting structure, with 9 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current Pivot Bio staff are Bayer (24 people), Monsanto Company (22 people), Corteva Agriscience (19 people).
Former Pivot Bio employees most often move to Corteva Agriscience (4), Rovensa Next North America (3), Amazon (3).
At least 12 companies have a founder who previously worked at Pivot Bio, including Glanbia Performance Nutrition (GPN), Inari, EnviroKure, Incorporated.
Pivot Bio attracts about 1,266 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $1K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among Pivot Bio staff are Leadership, Microsoft Office, Strategic Planning, Research Skills, Customer Service.
Pivot Bio staff are concentrated in Missouri, United States (31), Iowa, United States (26), Minnesota, United States (16).
Pivot Bio has about 74 people in Research, up 7% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Pivot Bio has about 59 people in Sales, down 12% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 231 current and 257 former Pivot Bio profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
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