bitBiome

bitBiome is a biotechnology and AI company dedicated to unlocking the full potential of the planet's microbes to power the future of the bioeconomy. Founded in 2018 out of research at Waseda University in Japan, bitBiome sequences, catalogs, and evolves microbial genomes sourced from diverse natural environments — from volcanic soil and ocean surfaces to forest roots and the human gut. With over $22 million in private and public funding, the company serves industry and academic partners across drug biomanufacturing, materials and textiles, food production, and other sectors seeking novel microbial sequences and enzymes.

At the core of bitBiome's mission is the recognition that nearly one trillion microbial species exist on Earth, yet less than 1% are currently understood. Their genomes encode 3.5 billion years of evolutionary resilience, containing proteins and enzymes adapted to some of the harshest environments on the planet. bitBiome's platform captures and shares this biological intelligence to shape a more sustainable bioeconomy — enabling new approaches to manufacturing drugs, creating textiles, digesting plastics, and producing safer food products.

The bitBiome Platform

• bit-MAP® — A single-cell sequencing technology for microbes that is 100x more efficient than conventional methods. It is described as the only technology of its kind for microbial single-cell sequencing, enabling high-throughput genome capture directly from natural samples.
• bit-GEM — The world's most diverse microbial sequence database, containing over 2 billion sequences and continuously growing. Built on single-cell sequencing of microbes collected from natural environments, bit-GEM serves as the foundational catalog for enzyme and strain discovery.
• bit-QED — A custom bioinformatics and AI-driven engine for enzyme and strain engineering. bit-QED leverages the sequence data in bit-GEM to deliver dramatic improvements in enzyme accuracy, performance, and functionality, while reducing time and cost compared to traditional approaches.

Core Capabilities and Applications

• Single-cell microbial genome sequencing from diverse natural samples, enabling access to previously unculturable and unknown microbial species.
• Ancestral sequence reconstruction to build stronger, more diverse enzyme toolkits — demonstrated in a drug biomanufacturing case study focused on transaminase enzymes.
• Enzyme discovery and engineering for industrial applications, including maximizing the potential of PETase enzymes for plastic degradation in materials and textiles.
• AI-driven bioinformatics workflows that accelerate the identification and optimization of novel enzymes and microbial strains for commercial use.
• Support for a broad range of bioeconomy sectors including pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, food and agriculture, and sustainable materials.

Partners, Collaborators, and Funding

• bitBiome has established partnerships and collaborations with Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, The University of Texas at Austin, and Twist Bioscience.
• The company originated from academic research at Waseda University, where founder and CSO Masahito Hosokawa, Ph.D., developed single-cell analysis technology. He remains an associate professor at Waseda University.
• bitBiome has received over $22 million in combined private and public funding to support its platform development and global expansion.
• The company's advisory board includes industry veterans such as Jim Lalonde, Gjalt Huisman, and Karl-Heinz Maurer, bringing deep expertise in enzyme engineering and industrial biotechnology.

Leadership Team

• Yuji Suzuki, President and CEO — A certified bioinformatics engineer with a background spanning McKinsey & Company, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and multiple biotech ventures. He joined bitBiome as COO in 2021 and became CEO in 2022.
• Masahito Hosokawa, Ph.D., Founder and CSO — Developer of the single-cell analysis technology underlying bitBiome's platform; recipient of the 2019 Young Scientist Award from Japan's Minister of Education and the 2019 JST PRESTO Innovation Award.
• Soichiro Tsuda, Ph.D., CTO — Over 10 years of interdisciplinary expertise in biology, engineering, and mathematical modeling; leads new application development using microbial single-cell genome sequencing and enzyme discovery.
• Dipnath Baidyaroy, CBO — More than 20 years of techno-commercial experience in biotechnology; previously VP and Head of Business at Inscripta, Inc. and Head of Alliance & Products Management at Codexis. Holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Biochemistry.
• Aaron Hammons, Global Head of Business Development, Pharma and Life Science — Over two decades of experience in pharmaceutical, biotech, and life science industries; previously led the Global Life Sciences and Diagnostic division at Codexis.

bitBiome's integrated platform — spanning single-cell sequencing, a vast proprietary sequence database, and AI-driven enzyme engineering — positions the company as a foundational intelligence layer for the next generation of biotechnology, enabling partners across industries to harness the untapped power of microbial diversity for a more sustainable future.