BeeFlow

About BeeFlow

BeeFlow is a biotechnology company operating on a pollination-as-a-service model, aimed at increasing crop yields for farmers. Founded in 2016 by CEO Matias Viel, a business administrator, and two bee biology scientists, Pedro Negri and Agustín Saez, the company merges scientific knowledge with agricultural practices. Viel, with a background in business administration and marketing, identified the business potential in the scientific research of his co-founders. Negri specialized in strengthening the immune systems of bees, while Saez focused on optimizing pollination conditions. This collaboration was born from the realization that farmers were not leveraging scientific advancements in apiculture to maximize crop output.

The company offers managed pollination programs for growers of crops like almonds, blueberries, and raspberries. It addresses the common issue of bees being drawn to more attractive surrounding flora rather than the target crops, a significant problem for flowers with low nectar, such as blueberries. BeeFlow's business model is service-based; it designs, manages, and executes end-to-end pollination programs for farmers, rather than selling a product off the shelf. This includes the supply and logistics of high-quality beehives, monitoring of bee activity and crop conditions, and providing data analysis through a pollination efficiency dashboard. The company's clients are primarily large-scale agricultural producers, including partnerships with major brands like Driscoll's.

BeeFlow has developed a platform of proprietary technologies to enhance pollination. One key technology involves a plant-based nutritional supplement that strengthens the bees' immune systems, enabling them to be active and pollinate in colder temperatures (below 57°F or 14°C), which can increase bee activity sevenfold in such conditions. Another core technology trains bees to pollinate specific target crops. This is achieved by feeding the bees organic molecule compounds that replicate the scent of the target flower, a method based on classical conditioning principles. This encourages the bees to seek out the designated crops. The company reports that these methods can increase crop yields by 20% to 90%. The company has received significant venture capital backing, including a $3 million seed round in 2019 and an $8.3 million Series A round in 2021, with investors such as Ospraie Ag Sciences and Future Ventures.