Mendel Biotechnology

Founded in 1997, Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. operates as a plant biotechnology company from its base in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. The company was co-founded by Jonathan Jones and Dr. Brian Staskawicz. Staskawicz, a renowned expert in plant biology and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has been a member of the board of directors since the company's inception. The firm has focused on researching the control of plant gene regulation, establishing a significant intellectual property portfolio centered on transcription factor-based technologies designed to enhance crop plant traits.

The company's business model revolves around commercializing its proprietary technology through strategic partnerships and licensing agreements with major agricultural companies. Key collaborators have included Monsanto, BP, and Bayer CropScience. The long-term partnership with Monsanto, initiated in 1997, granted the multinational corporation exclusive, royalty-bearing licenses to Mendel's technology for use in large-acreage crops. Successful commercialization of products incorporating Mendel's technology, such as advanced soybean yield traits, results in milestone and royalty payments to the company. A strategic collaboration with BP, established in 2007, focused on developing and commercializing seeds for dedicated energy crops like Miscanthus and switchgrass for the second-generation biofuels industry. The company also engaged in research partnerships with Bayer CropScience to develop chemical products that regulate plant stress tolerance.

In December 2014, Mendel Biotechnology sold its research and development operations and certain assets to a subsidiary of Koch Agronomic Services. Following this transaction, Mendel Biotechnology transitioned to operate as an IP holding company, managing its extensive portfolio of patents and know-how related to genetic traits. The company continues to offer new licensing opportunities for its patented technologies. The R&D operations acquired by Koch were used to form a new business unit, initially called Koch Biological Solutions and later Mendel Biological Solutions, which was subsequently spun out and merged with another company in 2019.

Keywords: plant biotechnology, crop trait manipulation, transcription factors, agricultural technology, genetic traits, intellectual property licensing, Monsanto partnership, Bayer CropScience collaboration, BP bioenergy, seed technology, crop yield enhancement, plant gene regulation, agricultural biologicals, Koch Agronomic Services, energy crops, Miscanthus, switchgrass, soybean yield, plant stress tolerance, agricultural R&D