Best Bioenergy Companies in California, United States
The 94 best Bioenergy companies in California, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Fulcrum Bioenergy.
Ranked: Best Bioenergy companies in California
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fulcrum Bioenergy Provider of ethanol production solution from municipal solid waste | $348M | 40 mo ago | 129 | Eric Pryor CEO | — | 88 patents Waste-to-fuel feedstock processing and Fischer‑Tropsch synthesis technologies | — |
| 2 | KiOR Biethanol and Bio Diesel manufacturer | $299M | 152 mo ago | 86 | — | — | 546 patents Catalytic thermochemical conversion of biomass into renewable fuels and chemicals | — |
| 3 | BlueFire Renewables Provider of solutions to convert cellulosic waste into ethanol | $270M | 139 mo ago | 3 | Arnold Klann CEO & President | — | — | — |
| 4 | FutureFuel Chemical Company Manufacturer of specialty and custom chemicals, including biodiesel 42Product top 14%Funding top 31%Moat top 32%Tech top 36% All 12 signals ▾Producttop 14% Fundingtop 31% Moattop 32% Techtop 36% Innovationtop 37% Patentstop 39% Partnerstop 45% Markettop 50% Newsbottom 41% Globalbottom 33% Fin. healthbottom 33% Growthbottom 32% Product: 7 distinct product lines · Company stage: Public Funding: Raised $108M across 7 rounds · 7 rounds over 17 yrs (0.4/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 42/100 | $108M | 16 mo ago | 472 472 → 279 (-41%) | — | Apple iCloud MailWindows ServerVimeo+21 | 54 patents Production and application of sulfonated aromatic acid salts for polymer modification | — |
| 5 | Greenleaf Power Energy generation from biomass | $100M | 144 mo ago | 51 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+10 | — | — |
| 6 | Ls9 Producing sustainable fuels and chemicals | $75M | 186 mo ago | — | David Berry Co-Founder | — | 218 patents Engineered microbial biosynthesis of renewable hydrocarbons, fatty acids, and biofuel esters | — |
| 7 | EdeniQ Analytical technologies for biofuels and agricultural industries, enabling cellulosic ethanol production | $74M | 108 mo ago | 30 | Brian Thome President/Ceo | WordPressMySQLPHP+16 | 40 patents Quantitative analysis of starch, cellulose, beta‑glucan and enzyme recycling in biomass. | — |
| 8 | Pacific Ethanol Producer of bio fuels | $43M | 174 mo ago | 741 | Bill Jones Co-Founder & Chairman | — | — | — |
| 9 | Propel Biofuel retail fuel stations | $34M | 162 mo ago | 18 | Rob Elam Founder | Apple iCloud MailGoogle WorkspaceSalesforce+15 | 17 patents Conductive hybrid yarns for integrated wearable bio‑electronic textiles and moisture‑managed electrodes. | — |
| 10 | Sierra Energy Provider of waste-to-energy solution | $33M | 82 mo ago | 57 | Mike Hart Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+25 | — | — |
| 11 | RealEnergy Waste-to-biogas generation units for commercial buildings | $28M | 288 mo ago | 22 | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | Viridos Provider of biofuels services | $25M | 39 mo ago | 108 | Craig Venter Founder | — | 43 patents Genetically engineered microalgae for enhanced biomass and lipid production for biofuels | — |
| 13 | Solazyme Provider of specialty ingredients derived from microalgae for the food, nutrition, and cosmetics industries | $22M | 197 mo ago | — | Harrison Dillon Co-Founder | — | 494 patents Patents concentrated in chemistry & materials | — |
| 14 | Greenline Industries Manufacturer of biodiesel equipment | $20M | 218 mo ago | — | Donn Tice CEO | — | 6 patents AI-powered data entry validation and veterinary practice management software solutions | — |
| 15 | Arensis Provider of waste to energy solutions | $17M | 94 mo ago | — | Julien Uhlig Founder & CEO | — | — | — |
| 16 | Energy Innovations Blog focusing on dairy products related topics | $16M | 252 mo ago | 19 | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | California Ethanol & Power Provider of bioethanol and electricity generation from sugarcane | $16M | 41 mo ago | 2 | David Rubenstein President | — | — | 1 partnership · 1 expansion · 3 awards |
| 18 | Biofuelbox Manufacturer of hyaluronic acid and related products for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and veterinary applications | $15M | 198 mo ago | — | Steven Perricone Ex Co-Founder & CEO | — | 4 patents Efficient conversion of cellular lipids into biofuels using specialized reactors | — |
| 19 | LiveFuels Algal oil from fish technology | $10M | 228 mo ago | 11 | Lissa Morgenthaler CEO | — | 18 patents Oceanic carbon capture and marine bioresource production (algae, bivalves, nutrients). | — |
| 20 | Biosphere Provider of fermentation process development and contract manufacturing 10Funding top 44%Moat bottom 49%Talent bottom 49%Patents bottom 37% All 8 signals ▾Fundingtop 44% Moatbottom 49% Talentbottom 49% Patentsbottom 37% Techbottom 36% Globalbottom 31% Innovationbottom 26% Marketbottom 16% Funding: Raised $8.8M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 1/10 · IP moat: 9 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 10/100 | $9M | 17 mo ago | — | Brian Heligman Co-Founder & CEO | WebflowjQueryHSTS+5 | 9 patents Flexible-to-rigid packaging conversion and extrusion molding for food/consumer product containers | — |
| 21 | Community Fuels Provider of online demo accounts for slot games | $8M | 128 mo ago | 20 | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | CalBio Developer of bio-gas dig-ester projects and waste treatment services | $6M | 93 mo ago | 41 | Ross Buckenham Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+16 | — | — |
| 23 | ALL Power Labs Energy generation equipment from biomass | $5M | 59 mo ago | 40 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+26 | — | — |
| 24 | Stratos Renewables Corporation Sugarcane ethanol producer | $5M | 217 mo ago | 28 | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Global Clean Energy Vertically integrated renewable fuels company focused on sustainable, low-carbon transportation solutions | $4M | 51 mo ago | 134 | Richard Palmer Founder & CEO | — | 136 patents Electroacoustic transducers, MEMS-based loudspeaker components, and ballistic rectifier energy converters. | — |
| 26 | Blue Sun Biodiesel Manufacturer of froth flotation chemicals and related services | $3M | 215 mo ago | — | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | Heliobiosys Developer of cyanobacteria-based cosmetic ingredients 29Moat top 38%Patents top 47%Funding top 50%Talent bottom 45% All 6 signals ▾Moattop 38% Patentstop 47% Fundingtop 50% Talentbottom 45% Innovationbottom 40% Globalbottom 31% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 9 patents Patents: 9 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 3 filings since 2022 vs 2 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 29/100 | $3M | 9 mo ago | — | David Smernoff Co-Founder | — | 9 patents Patents concentrated in chemistry & materials | — |
| 28 | Vertimass Provider of online rock music radio streaming | $2M | 138 mo ago | 2 | Charles Wyman President and CEO | — | 10 patents Catalytic conversion of alcohols to hydrocarbon fuels with enhanced yield and resource efficiency | 1 launch |
| 29 | West Biofuels Developer of systems converting biomass into renewable electricity for communities | $2M | 35 mo ago | — | Peter Paul CEO | — | — | — |
| 30 | Cavitation Technologies Technology developer for oil refining | $1M | 143 mo ago | 4 | Igor Gorodnitsky Co-Founder | — | 26 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | — |
| 31 | Maas Energy Works Developer and operator of anaerobic manure digesters | $1M | 112 mo ago | 102 102 → 122 (+20%) | — | DudaApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+15 | — | — |
| 32 | Tifton Quality Peanuts Producer of bio-fuels | $1M | 159 mo ago | — | Bill Park CEO | — | — | — |
| 33 | Biodico Biodiesel and biogas technology developer | $1M | 121 mo ago | 4 | — | — | — | — |
| 34 | Shift Energy Holdings Provider of municipal waste to biomass energy producing services | $1M | 145 mo ago | — | Rodney Alves CEO | — | — | — |
| 35 | Farm Power Provider of anaerobic manure digester services for dairy farms | $680K | 16 mo ago | 4 | Kevin Maas Co-Founder | — | — | — |
| 36 | Oberon Fuels Produce variants of Dimethyl ether( an alternative for biodiesel) | $595K | 69 mo ago | 25 | Elliot Anise-Hicks CTO & Co-Founder | Wix eCommerceWixSentry+13 | — | 1 launch |
| 37 | Cellana Developer of algae-based bioproducts for human health, animal feed, and biofuels | $430K | 143 mo ago | 11 | Martin Sabarsky CEO | — | — | — |
| 38 | Khepra Producer of bio fuels | $350K | 36 mo ago | 9 | Madeleine A Co-Founder | — | — | — |
| 39 | Phoenix Energy Provider of carbon removal and renewable energy solutions. | $148K | 95 mo ago | 6 | — | — | — | 1 award |
| 40 | Canergy Second generation bioethanol manufacturer | $120K | 170 mo ago | — | Tim Brummels Co-Founder | — | — | — |
| 41 | ADP Producer of bio-fuels | $105K | 203 mo ago | — | Dan Heinrich CEO | — | 611 patents Payroll processing, HR data management, and enterprise business analytics platforms. | — |
Top 12 Bioenergy companies in California
#1
Public · Clayton, California · founded 1920 · 472 employees$108.3Mraised▾
Manufacturer of specialty and custom chemicals, including biodiesel. This entity provides custom toll manufacturing services, developing and scaling processes from laboratory to full production. They offer analytical services and quality control, ensuring product quality. A focus on environmental sustainability guides their operations. The company also produces a line of performance chemicals for various market applications, including detergents, coatings, and polymers.
- Feb 2025Grant (prize money)$209.8K
- Sep 2011Grant (prize money)—
- Sep 2011Grant (prize money)$750.7K
- Sep 2011Grant (prize money)$1.5M
#2
Funding Raised · San Francisco, California · founded 2010$2.6Mraised▾
Developer of cyanobacteria-based cosmetic ingredients. It harnesses the unique properties of cyanobacteria to produce UV protective, anti-inflammatory, and naturally moisturizing compounds for the cosmetics industry. The company's technology leverages the bacteria's ability to efficiently produce these materials using only sunlight, air, and seawater, resulting in sustainable and environmentally friendly ingredients. Its team comprises scientists with expertise in bio-production, biotechnology, and the cosmetics sector. The company holds several patents related to its cultivation and purification processes.
- Sep 2025Grant (prize money)$1.1M
- Jul 2023Grant (prize money)$1M
- Feb 2020Grant (prize money)$225K
- Aug 2016Grant (prize money)$200K
#3
Seed · Oakland, California · founded 2015$8.8Mraised▾
Biosphere is a biotech company specializing in fermentation process development and contract manufacturing. They aim to expand access to material abundance through biological manufacturing.
- Jan 2025Seed$8.8M
#4
Series F · Pleasanton, California · founded 2007 · 129 employees$347.9Mraised▾
Provider of ethanol production solution from municipal solid waste
- Feb 2023Grant (prize money)$20.2M
- Jul 2022Series F$20M
- Jul 2020Series E$5M
- Jul 2019Series E$19M
#5
Funding Raised · Redding, California · founded 2007 · 4 employees$680Kraised▾
Provider of anaerobic manure digester services for dairy farms. This involves designing and building regional digesters that serve multiple farms, raising the necessary funds, and operating the digesters to generate electricity from methane gas. The processed manure is returned to the farmers as organic fertilizer. The company works collaboratively with farmers, without requiring any financial investment from them. The goal is to make farming both economically viable and environmentally sustainable.
- Feb 2025Grant (prize money)—
- Sep 2013Grant (prize money)—
- Sep 2012Grant (prize money)—
- Sep 2011Grant (prize money)$100K
#6
Public · Pasadena, California · founded 2007 · 86 employees$298.9Mraised▾
Biethanol and Bio Diesel manufacturer
- Oct 2013PE$100M
- Sep 2013Grant (prize money)—
- Jan 2012Conventional Debt$75M
- Jul 2010Series C$110M
#7
Funding Raised · Irvine, California · founded 2006 · 3 employees$270Mraised▾
Provider of solutions to convert cellulosic waste into ethanol. The company uses a concentrated acid hydrolysis technology process for the conversion of cellulosic waste materials to ethanol and other viable alternatives to petroleum-derived fuels. It produces ethanol and other petroleum displacing fuels from urban trash, rice and wheat straws, wood waste, and other agricultural residues.
- Oct 2014Conventional Debt$270M
- Dec 2009Grant (prize money)$89.2M
- Sep 2009Grant (prize money)$3.7M
- Sep 2009Grant (prize money)—
#8
Series A · Manhattan Beach, California · founded 2007 · 2 employees$16.4Mraised▾
Provider of bioethanol and electricity generation from sugarcane
- Jan 2023Series A$125K
- May 2021Series A$50K
- Apr 2021Series A$180K
- Feb 2021Series A$56.2K
#9
Series A · La Jolla, California · founded 2005 · 108 employees$25Mraised▾
Provider of biofuels services
- Mar 2023Series A$25M
#10
Acquired · Visalia, California · founded 2008 · 30 employees$73.5Mraised▾
Analytical technologies for biofuels and agricultural industries, enabling cellulosic ethanol production. The company provides innovative analytical chemistry methods for determining sugars and carbohydrates in grains and agricultural materials. It is a service provider of fiber and cellulosic analytical testing for ethanol producers. The company's platform supports the biofuels industry with advanced testing methods for fiber ethanol certification and D3 RIN production. The company's technologies help customers meet regulatory requirements and optimize their processes. The company offers analytical solutions for carbohydrate testing and analysis.
- Jun 2017Series E$5M
- Jan 2017Series E$7M
- Jan 2015Series D$16M
- Jul 2013Venture Debt$8M
#11
Acquired · San Francisco, California · founded 2005$75Mraised▾
LS9 produces sustainable fuels and chemicals to meet current and future world demand with a diverse product portfolio and the ability to leverage common reactors for the production of all products supporting a stable platform that maximizes product optionality while minimizing capital and operating costs. LS9’s industrial biotechnology platform converts diverse renewable feedstocks to drop-in fuel and chemical products. LS9's current focus is on fatty alcohols, speciality esters, and biodiesel technology. LS9 was acquired by REG Life Sciences which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Renewable Energy Group in 2014.
- Dec 2010Series D$30M
- Oct 2009Series C$25M
- Mar 2008Venture Debt$3M
- Oct 2007Series B$15M
#12
Late Stage · Sacramento, California · founded 2010 · 51 employees$100Mraised▾
Greenleaf Power collects residual biomass material from agricultural, construction, demolition, landfill, and timber industries and converts that biomass into energy for sale to municipal, public power, and utilities. It has five operating facilities with a combined generation capacity of more than 154 MW. Ita started to acquire biomass plants into its portfolio from initial year with a view of expansion
- Jun 2014PE$100M
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Bioenergy coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Bioenergy Biofuels in California is moving
A read on the academic research around Bioenergy Biofuels in California — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 210 papers.
UC Berkeley, Sandia, and UC Davis lead California's moderately optimistic bioenergy research, dominated by microbial engineering and algal biofuel production themes across 210 papers.
- University of California, Berkeley59
- Sandia National Laboratories California46
- University of California, Davis34
- University of California, Santa Barbara13
- University of California, Los Angeles11
- Biomass (ecology)2→13
- Lignocellulosic biomass1→8
- Bioproducts1→7
- Biotechnology1→3
- Metabolic engineering1→3
- Biomass (ecology)11→22
- Biorefinery1→12
- Biodiesel1→10
- Lignocellulosic biomass4→11
- Pulp and paper industry2→9
- Biomass (ecology)5→15
- Waste management1→8
- Raw material1→4
- Greenhouse gas3→5
- Renewable energy3→4
Common questions
Riya reads income statements for fun. She covers the real money in a sector — revenue, growth, who actually earns — and never met a vague claim she didn't want a number for.