BEAM Circular

We’re excited to spotlight an incredible group of founders and operators at Bioeconomy: Capital, Community & Connections during SF Climate Week 🌉 🌿

In partnership with gener8tor, this panel brings together leaders building across the bioeconomy—from sustainable materials to next-generation food systems—sharing how they’re scaling, raising capital, and navigating growth.

These are the companies turning breakthrough science into real-world impact.

📅April 23
📍MISTA, 1069 Pennsylvania Ave, San Francisco
🔗 Register today: https://luma.com/27hv66mr

Join us to connect with founders, investors, and partners shaping what’s next in the bioeconomy.

Last month, BEAM Circular announced our new cohort of accelerator companies. You can meet these amazing founders and hear them pitch LIVE in Lodi’s stunning wine region at BioCatalyst 2026. Register at beamcircular.org/BioCatalyst

Featuring: Fermeate, , Ruby Bio, Supercarb, and - you’re not going to want to miss hearing about the future of the circular bioeconomy on May 21st!

This Earth Month, we're proud to join our community partners in raising awareness, promoting sustainable solutions, and celebrating our planet!

Here at BEAM we believe that nothing should go to waste. By turning our food scraps and agricultural leftovers into products we use every day, we can reduce pollution, cut emissions, and build a more sustainable future.

Check out the many community events happening all month. We hope you can join us!

We are proud to launch our first round of Community Prosperity Grants, a new funding opportunity designed to support community-led innovation across the North San Joaquin Valley!

This pilot program has $65,000 available for communities in the North San Joaquin to support projects that introduce or expand circular bioeconomy practices in local communities and seed long term community prosperity strategies.

Funding tiers include:
Micro Grants (up to $1,000)
Small Project Grants (up to $15,000)
Larger Project Grants (up to $45,000)

Eligible applicants include individuals, community-based organizations, and small businesses based in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Merced counties.

📅 Deadline: May 2, 2026

We encourage community-rooted leaders, organizations, and partners to apply to help shape a more regenerative regional economy. Examples of projects are included in our RFP!

🔗 Learn more + apply:
RFP: https://bit.ly/4bhIlif
Application: bit.ly/4rKiu7F

📣 Materials and application are also available in Spanish:
RFP: https://bit.ly/474zcaj
Application: bit.ly/4lEeUdF

Help us build a future where our community can thrive and lead in the circular bioeconomy!

🙌 Registration is open NOW for BioCatalyst 2026! Claim your ticket now – Early Bird Pricing is only available until March 31! 🎟
Join us on May 21 at Appellation Lodi - Wine & Roses Resort and Spa for a day filled with inspiring speakers and networking.
✨ *BioCatalyst: Industry and Innovation Exchange* ✨ is BEAM Circular’s premier annual gathering that brings together industry leaders, investors, and innovation partners to accelerate the circular bioeconomy in California and beyond. This high-impact event showcases cutting-edge technologies, emerging market opportunities, and collaborative pathways to transform organic waste into new bio-based products.
⚡ Most exciting of all – at BioCatalyst, we’ll be introducing the 2026 cohort of the BEAM Circular Accelerator in partnership with gener8tor. Don’t miss the live pitch showcase!
Want to build deeper connections with the region and fellow industry leaders? Join us the day before on May 20th for The BioCatalyst Reserve Experience. Extend your visit to scenic Lodi with this full-day tour celebrating the best of this beautiful wine region. 🍷 The Reserve Experience includes wine tastings, a delicious lunch, dinner and VIP reception ticket, exclusive facility tours, and private transportation. The Reserve Experience can be selected as an add-on during event registration.
🔗 REGISTER NOW at beamcircular.org/BioCatalyst

BEAM Circular has awarded $1.064 million in a second round of grants to advance bioeconomy workforce development in Stanislaus County, supported by ARPA funding from Stanislaus County. Together, these investments strengthen curriculum, modernize lab infrastructure, and expand career-connected learning to ensure students and workers across the county are prepared for high-quality jobs in the growing bio-based manufacturing sector. By aligning education and industry, Stanislaus County and BEAM Circular are building a more resilient, innovative, and inclusive regional bioeconomy. Congratulations to all grant recipients! @igniteducation , @yuda_io, @stanislauscoe, @modestojuniorcollege, @babec_org @pattersonschools, @stanstate, @stanpartnersined Read more in our press release here: https://lnkd.in/gPZwhxwJ #Bioeconomy #WorkforceDevelopment #STEM #EconomicDevelopment

This MLK Day, we recommit to building interconnected systems where people, nature, and communities move forward together. We honor the legacy of those who marched before us, and link arms with those who are working every day to build a better tomorrow for all.

“It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

🚀 Big news for California’s bioeconomy!

BEAM Circular has acquired a state-of-the-art, 130-liter gas fermentation pilot system — a major milestone in building the California Bioeconomy Innovation Campus in Stanislaus County.
Supported by a California Jobs First grant and North Valley Thrive, this new system fills a critical gap in U.S. bioindustrial infrastructure. Pilot-scale gas fermentation capacity at this level is almost non-existent nationally — and now it’s coming to the Central Valley.

Why this matters:
⚡ This advanced reactor can help transform climate-warming gases like methane and CO₂ into renewable products — from sustainable proteins to specialty chemicals and materials.
🌱 It enables circular, low-carbon innovation from sources like wastewater plants, dairy digesters, and industrial facilities.
🏭 It strengthens California’s position as a global leader in bio-based manufacturing and climate technology, and supports American supply chain independence.

While our Innovation Campus is under development, the system will be hosted at Mango Materials’ Vacaville facility — integrating with their pioneering methane-to-bioplastics platform. Together, BEAM Circular and Mango Materials will offer open-access, fee-based R&D and pilot services, helping companies validate and scale their technologies in real-world conditions. Once the Innovation Campus is ready to host the system, it will be relocated to Stanislaus County and join the region’s growing ecosystem of circular bioeconomy scale-up resources.

Karen Warner, CEO of BEAM Circular, said:
“This investment is a game-changer for California and for the U.S. bioeconomy. By providing open-access pilot infrastructure, we’re helping innovators turn waste gases into opportunity by supporting new companies, new products, and new jobs that advance a more sustainable and prosperous future for local communities.”
This collaboration also deepens BEAM Circular’s work with Berkeley Lab and its ABPDU team — strengthening a connected, world-class innovation ecosystem that links R&D to commercial manufacturing.

We’re proud to help build the infrastructure that will power California’s circular bioeconomy for decades to come. 🌍⚙️

Mango Materials Berkeley Lab North Valley Thrive

Read more here: https://www.beamcircular.org/news-updates/gasfermentationpilot

📢 Call for Proposals: Stanislaus County Bioeconomy Job Catalyst Fund

BEAM Circular is now accepting proposals through the Stanislaus County Bioeconomy Job Catalyst Fund, a program supporting businesses that create jobs, advance the bioeconomy, and deliver measurable benefits to local communities in Stanislaus County. The program includes two funding tracks:

💡 Track 1: Small Business Capital Access, Research & Commercialization Fund
Supports early-stage businesses with funding of up to $75,000 for activities such as research, feasibility studies, commercialization planning, grant preparation, and workforce training. Track 1 applications are accepted in two rounds, with deadlines of March 30, 2026 and May 30, 2026.

🚀 Track 2: Anchor Employer Development Fund
Supports growth-stage or anchor employers making significant capital investments, infrastructure improvements, and creating jobs in Stanislaus County. Awards of up to $1,000,000 are available, with applications accepted on a rolling basis until June 2026, subject to funding availability.

Our team is available for guidance throughout the process, including office hours for additional support.

👉 Learn more:
https://www.eventcreate.com/e/business-funding-opps

*This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP2096 awarded to County of Stanislaus by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Curious about CBIO Collaborative? Join us on January 7 for an introduction and short history lesson of CBIO for new and prospective members. We’ll share who we are, how we got here, and where we’re going! Get your membership questions answered and preview what’s ahead in 2026. You won’t want to miss this. | REGISTER AT BIT.LY/CBIO2026WEB