Brightseed Valuation, Funding & Investors

Brightseed is valued at $300M as of May 2022.

Last Brightseed valuation

$300M

Series B · May 2022

Last Brightseed funding round

$68M

Series B · May 2022

Cumulative funding Brightseed raised

$119M

across 4 funding rounds

Key investors in Brightseed

  • S2G Investments
  • Horizons Ventures
  • AgFunder
  • Fifty Years
  • Continental Grain Company
  • Germin8 Ventures

Brightseed Overview

About Brightseed

Brightseed is a San Francisco-based biosciences company using Forager AI to discover plant bioactives for health applications. The platform screens ingredients for compounds targeting inflammation and metabolic disorders, accelerating validation from years to months. It partners with Mars and ADM on formulations for supplements and foods. Founded in 2018, Brightseed analyzes seeds and herbs revealing novel molecules like those in fenugreek.


Founded

2017

HQ

United StatesSan Francisco, CA

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Licensing

Valuation

$300M (May 2022)

Brightseed Valuation

Brightseed is currently valued at $300M, based on its Series B in May 2022.

The $68M round was led by Temasek and Reference Capital SA, with participation from Astor Perkins, iSelect Fund, AgFunder, VamosVentures, Continental Grain Company and 4 other investors.

Brightseed valuation by funding round

Brightseed valuation by funding round
DateStageValuation
May 2022Series B$300M

Brightseed Funding History

Brightseed has raised a total of $119M across 4 funding rounds.

Brightseed's first fundraising round was a $6M seed round in September 2018. The most recent completed round was a $68M Series B in May 2022.

Brightseed funding rounds

Brightseed funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedValuationDeal Summary
May 2022Series BTemasek (lead); Reference Capital SA (lead); Astor Perkins; iSelect Fund; AgFunder; VamosVentures; Continental Grain Company; Angel Collective Opportunity Fund; Lewis & Clark AgriFood; Germin8 Ventures; S2G Investments$68M$300MBrightseed is an AI-driven biosciences company founded in 2017 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, that uses its Forager platform to analyze plant data and discover novel bioactive compounds for health applications, including nutrition and improving outcomes for undernourished populations. The company targets phytonutrients to address global health challenges by mapping nature's intelligence through machine learning. Previous funding included a $27M growth round in 2020 led by Lewis & Clark AgriFood, bringing total funding to $52M at that time, with additional grants like $1.6M from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for research on environmental enteric dysfunction. In September 2022, Brightseed raised approximately $68M in a funding round led by Temasek Holdings, with participation from AgFunder, Angel Collective Opportunity Fund, Astor Perkins, Continental Grain Company, Germin8 Ventures, iSelect Fund, Lewis & Clark AgriFood, S2G Investments, and VamosVentures, increasing total funding to around $112M-$120M. The company operates in the biotech and AI sector, competing with firms in plant intelligence and bioactive discovery, with total funding reflecting strong investor interest from agribusiness and impact funds.
Sep 2020Undisclosed stageLewis & Clark AgriFood (lead); AgFunder; Continental Grain Company; Bart Swanson; Horizons Ventures; Germin8 Ventures; S2G Investments$27M-Brightseed is a San Francisco-based biotech company developing AI technology, specifically its Forager platform, for phytonutrient discovery to illuminate nature and restore human health. On September 15, 2020, it closed a $27M growth financing round led by Lewis & Clark AgriFood, with participation from investors including AgFunder, Bart Swanson, Continental Grain Company, Germin8 Ventures, Horizons Ventures, and S2G Investments, bringing total funding to $52M including $25M from prior rounds. The funds were intended to fuel its AI-powered phytonutrient discovery platform. The company has continued raising capital post-2020, with later rounds including a Temasek-led $68M Series B and total funding reported up to $120.8M including grants by 2025, enabling scaling of commercial ingredient production and CPG partnerships. Brightseed has also received grants, such as $1.6M from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to discover novel compounds improving birth outcomes for undernourished mothers by targeting environmental enteric dysfunction. It operates in the agtech and biotech space, focusing on plant-derived bioactives.
Apr 2019Series AS2G Investments (lead); Fifty Years$18M-Brightseed is a bioactives company using proprietary AI called Forager to accelerate bioactive discovery from plants for food, beverage, nutrition, and health applications. The company, founded in 2017 and based in South San Francisco, CA, has raised a total of $121.4M across 9 funding rounds with 13 investors. S2G Investments is listed among investors in Brightseed, focusing on sustainable food and ag investing. A later Series B round on May 9, 2022, had a valuation of $300M.
Sep 2018SeedFifty Years; Horizons Ventures$6M--

Who has invested in Brightseed?

14 investors have backed Brightseed across its funding rounds, including S2G Investments, Horizons Ventures, AgFunder, Fifty Years, Continental Grain Company and Germin8 Ventures.

Lead investors include Temasek, Reference Capital SA, Lewis & Clark AgriFood and S2G Investments.


Brightseed Investors

Investors in Brightseed by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
S2G InvestmentsUnited StatesChicago, IL3LeadApr 2019
AgFunderUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2ParticipantSep 2020
Continental Grain CompanyUnited StatesNew York City, NY2ParticipantSep 2020
Fifty YearsUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2ParticipantSep 2018
Lewis & Clark AgriFoodUnited StatesSt Louis, MO2LeadSep 2020
Horizons VenturesHong KongHong Kong2ParticipantSep 2018
Germin8 VenturesUnited StatesChicago, IL2ParticipantSep 2020
TemasekSingaporeSingapore1LeadMay 2022
Astor PerkinsUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantMay 2022
iSelect FundUnited StatesSt Louis, MO1ParticipantMay 2022
VamosVenturesUnited StatesLos Angeles, CA1ParticipantMay 2022
Bart SwansonUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantSep 2020

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Brightseed Competitors

Brightseed competitors include listed companies like eVISO and Alpha Teknova, and private ones like Petmate, Recludix Pharma, Sarborg and Freehand.

Public and private companies comparable to Brightseed
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
PetmateUnited StatesSan Francisco, CAPrivate--$420M-
Recludix PharmaUnited StatesSan Diego, CAPrivate--$204M-
SarborgCayman IslandsCayman IslandsPrivate--$575M-
Freehand--Private--$300M-
eVISOItalyItalyPublicly listed$363M$12M$277M0.6x
Alpha TeknovaUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$41M($10M)$400M9.2x

Brightseed Public Comps

Brightseed is still privately-owned, but its public comps include ZipRecruiter, eVISO, CS Disco, Cerence, DSC Holdings, Fortifai, Alpha Teknova, Perfect Corp., Pacific Edge and Winner Technology.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
ZipRecruiter$449M($7M)0.9x0.9x(62.1x)7.3x
eVISO$363M$12M0.7x0.6x22.8x16.6x
CS Disco$157M($44M)1.1x1.0x(4.0x)(22.1x)
Cerence$252M$8M1.7x1.4x52.9x6.2x
DSC Holdings$101M($10M)3.3x-(34.3x)-
Fortifai$3M($1M)62.7x-(150.0x)-
Alpha Teknova$41M($10M)10.1x9.2x(40.4x)(62.7x)
Perfect Corp.$69M$636K0.5x0.5x56.9x11.9x

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Common questions about Brightseed

When was Brightseed founded?Brightseed was founded in 2017.
Where is Brightseed headquartered?Brightseed is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, United States.
Is Brightseed publicly listed?No, Brightseed is a private, VC-backed company.
What is Brightseed's valuation?Brightseed was last valued at $300M in its Series B in May 2022.
How much funding has Brightseed raised?Brightseed has raised $119M across 4 funding rounds.
What was Brightseed's last funding round?Brightseed's last funding round was a $68M Series B in May 2022, led by Temasek and Reference Capital SA.
Who are Brightseed's investors?Brightseed's investors include S2G Investments, AgFunder, Continental Grain Company, Fifty Years, Lewis & Clark AgriFood, Horizons Ventures, Germin8 Ventures, Temasek, Astor Perkins, iSelect Fund and 4 others.
Which companies are comparable to Brightseed?Companies comparable to Brightseed include Petmate, Recludix Pharma, Sarborg, Freehand, eVISO and Alpha Teknova.

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