# Solarbiotech

> Solarbiotech is a U.S.-based synthetic biology and biomanufacturing company that helps companies move precision-fermentation products from lab bench to commercial scale. Built around a Norton, Virginia plant with fermentation capacity from 6L to 10,000L and a modular 'BioNodes' architecture, it offers end-to-end strain-to-shelf services - upstream fermentation, downstream processing, and commercial production - for food ingredients, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, enzymes, and industrial bioproducts. After a 2024 Chapter 11 restructuring, its assets were acquired by Pictor Biotech (led by ex-Novozymes executive Peter Rosholm) and unified in January 2025 with GPC Bio and Eleszto Genetika into a vertically integrated, 100+ person SynBio platform.

- **Founded:** 2019
- **Headquarters:** Norton, Virginia, United States
- **Founders:** Alex Berlin (Founder, CEO & CTO)
- **Team size:** ~19 employees at Solarbiotech (Norton); 100+ across the unified Pictor Biotech group
- **Products:** Bioprocess development & scale-up, Upstream fermentation (USP), Downstream processing (DSP), Contract / toll manufacturing, BioNodes modular architecture
- **Notable:** Built an 18-acre, 6L-to-10,000L precision fermentation facility in Norton, Virginia., Secured strategic investment from food-ingredient giant Ingredion in 2022., Produced HEMAMI yeast-derived heme protein with Motif FoodWorks for plant-based meat.

## Products & services

- **Bioprocess development & scale-up** — End-to-end development from 6L lab fermentation to 10,000L commercial production, covering bacteria, yeast, fungi, and microalgae host systems.
- **Upstream fermentation (USP)** — Precision fermentation across industrially relevant hosts including Pichia pastoris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, filamentous fungi, E. coli, and microalgae.
- **Downstream processing (DSP)** — Homogenization, disc-stack centrifugation, filtration, and drying technologies to recover and purify bioproducts.
- **Contract / toll manufacturing** — Manufacturing-as-a-service for food and beverage enzymes, nutraceuticals, cosmetic actives, cannabinoids, carotenoids, industrial enzymes, and specialty chemicals.
- **BioNodes modular architecture** — Modular, scalable plant architecture marketed for low operating costs, recycled water use, and reduced carbon footprint.

## Achievements

- Built an 18-acre, 6L-to-10,000L precision fermentation facility in Norton, Virginia.
- Secured strategic investment from food-ingredient giant Ingredion in 2022.
- Produced HEMAMI yeast-derived heme protein with Motif FoodWorks for plant-based meat.
- Acquired Canadian biomanufacturer Noblegen in 2023.
- Assets acquired for a $20M winning bid in 2024 and unified with GPC Bio and Eleszto Genetika into a vertically integrated, 100+ person SynBio group in January 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Pictor Biotech (d.b.a. SOLARBIOTECH) announced strategic unification with GPC Bio and Eleszto Genetika, creating a vertically integrated SynBio and biomanufacturing organization with 100+ engineers and scientists.
- **2024-09** — Pictor Biotech, founded by ex-Novozymes executive Peter Rosholm, won the auction for Solar Biotech's assets with a $20M bid following its Chapter 11 filing; Alex Berlin remained as CEO/CTO.
- **2024-06** — Solar Biotech filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, attributed to overexpansion and cash-flow difficulties.
- **2023** — Acquired Canadian biomanufacturing startup Noblegen; Canadian operations later consolidated into the Virginia headquarters.

## Links

- Website: https://solarbiotech.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/solar-biotech
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Solar_Biotech

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/solarbiotech
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-12