Signalbase · Mar 2026
Funding-related article describing a $125,000 investment capital event for 1849 Bio.
Engineering microbes for miners to unlock billions in trapped metal
Company research
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Overview
1849 bio is a San Francisco-based biotechnology research startup that engineers custom microbes for biomining, with a focus on extracting copper from low-grade ores and stockpiles. Public funding sources are inconsistent: LinkedIn shows smaller rounds and a later undisclosed seed round, while CBInsights lists $2.41M raised.
Primary product
Custom-engineered microbes and bioleaching solutions for copper extraction
Founded
2024
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, United States
Team size
1-10
Industry
Biotechnology Research
Sub-industry
Biomining / industrial biotechnology
Offices
San Francisco, California, United States (HQ)
Business model
B2B pilot programs
custom enterprise partnerships
project-based microbial engineering
Funding
Stage
Seed / pre-seed
Total raised
$2.4M
Latest round
Seed Round · Jan 2026
People & investors
Leadership
Founder & CEO
Founder & CSO
Senior Scientist
Scientist
Work & culture
Mission-driven, research-heavy deep-tech culture centered on MIT-trained scientists, microbial engineering, and sustainability in mining. Public-facing posts emphasize experimentation, partnerships, and hiring for specialized scientific roles.
Product & market
Pricing
Custom enterprise / pilot pricing not publicly disclosed
Differentiators
- —Genetically engineered microbes rather than naturally occurring strains
- —Targets difficult ores such as chalcopyrite
- —Customizes solutions to the ore composition
- —Designed to fit existing leaching infrastructure
- —Lower-CapEx approach to metal extraction
- —Aims to improve recovery rates versus conventional bioleaching
Technology
engineered microbes
bioleaching
high-throughput screening
synthetic biology
microbial cultivation
sequencing
bioinformatics
microbiome characterization
custom strain engineering
ore/mineral composition analysis
Customers
Mining companies
Copper miners
Gold miners
E-waste recyclers
Competitors
Endolith
Nuton
Allonnia
REEgen
Ceibo
Alta Resource Technologies
Scale & contact
Estimated revenue
~$250K-$500K estimated ARR
Estimated monthly visits
1.2K
Traffic estimate as of Dec 2024
Latest news
Fondo · Feb 2026
Explains the company’s product, market thesis, and why bioleaching and engineered microbes could unlock stranded copper value.
MIT Technology Review · Feb 2026
Industry article discussing biomining trends and explicitly mentioning 1849 as a company trying to improve metal extraction through genetically engineered microbes.
Y Combinator on LinkedIn · Aug 2024
Launch post announcing 1849 bio (YC S24) and its approach to building microbes for miners, with context on copper supply gaps and bioleaching.
Y Combinator · Aug 2024
YC launch page describing the company’s mission, product, target ores, and technical rationale for engineered microbes in mining.
Jobs and careers at 1849 bio
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