Pivot Bio, an agricultural biotechnology company founded in Berkeley, California, is relocating its research and development operations to St. Louis, Missouri, resulting in the layoff of 62 employees. The company confirmed the move in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed with the state of California on May 28.
The layoffs are the largest reported in Berkeley so far this year and come 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. Although some R&D staff were offered relocation packages, others were let go due to role redundancies or misalignment with future needs. Several Berkeley-based employees are expected to continue working remotely.
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.
