Amyris Biotechnologies
Awards:
#3, 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy, 2009-10; #8, 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy, 2008-09
Description:
Amyris is a renewable products company that applies a proprietary synthetic biology platform to create a portfolio of “No Compromise” renewable fuels and chemicals.
Founded in 2003, Amyris has raised over $125 million in equity funding to date, including investments from Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, TPG Biotech, and Votorantim Novos Negocios.
In June, Amyris Biotechnologies unveiled a series of partnerships and investments from Proctor & Gamble, Total, Soliance, Cosan and M&G Finanziaria for the production and off-take of biomass-based chemicals and fuels.
Key Execs:
CEO, John Melo - Profile
CTO, Neil Renninger - Profile
LinkedIn: Company page
Key Investors:
$125M+ from Kleiner Perkins, Total
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Based in: 5885 Hollis Street, Emeryville CA
Year Founded: 2003
Annual Revenues: ($60M, $14M, $6M)
Technology: Synthetic Biology
Fuel type: renewable diesel, jet as well as renewable chemicals
Major investors: Kleiner Perkins, Khosla Ventures, TPG, Votorantim
Top 3 milestones for 2008-09.
1. Scale up and Advancement of Commercialization: Opening of US pilot plant in Sept 08 to transition technology between Emeryville lab and Brazil where product production will occur. Simultaneously developed Brazil operations, including opening lab (aug 08), pilot plant (april 09), and demonstration facility (june 09). Engaged EPCM and have kicked off design work on first commercial facility. Have run processes in large, contract manufacturing facility with successful results.
2. Product Certification and Demonstration: Completed several road demonstrations of our fuel (including the Olympic Committee bus during April 2008 tour of Chicago) and received EPA certification of our renewable No Compromise® diesel in 2009.
3. Financial Raised over $110M from the sale of equity from 2/08 to present to support scale up operations and initial commercial plant work.
3 major milestone goals (2010-11) Secure first commercial production site and begin construction for 2011 first commercial production. Secure off-take agreements with first customers for Amyris renewable products. Finalize agreements for expansion of production for 2012-2013.
Business model:
Focus on first production and scale up in Brazil using sugar cane as an economic, scalable, environmentally responsible feedstock (note- our engineered yeast strains can use a wide range of feedstock to produce our diesel)
Fuel cost:
Not disclosed
Competitive edge:
We intend to participate along the value chain by providing technology, leveraging others to produce our product, and to then market and distribute our proprietary products worldwide. In support of this model, we intend to grow our production in Brazil under a ‘capital light’ model where producers invest the capital to convert their mills, then we market and distribute the produced products. We intend to distribute the product globally, working with strategic partners as appropriate on a geographic basis. We have already established US distribution capabilities through our subsidiary, Amyris Fuels, which is generating current revenue and establishing a US distribution network.
Alliances and Partnerships:
See previous answer re distribution. We are putting our first customer offtake agreements in place now in anticipation of 2011 commercialization. We have chosen to stay independent of any major partnerships to retain full commercial rights, but do intend to work with partners beginning 2010-2011 for production expansion, and for geographic, product specific offtake.
Stage:
Demo completed, advancing toward commercialization
Website:
