Benson Hill Biosystems Named to the 2018 AI 100, Highlighting Advancements in Empowering Crop Genomic Innovation to Improve our Food System

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CB Insights today named Benson Hill Biosystems to the prestigious AI 100, a select group of promising private companies working on groundbreaking artificial intelligence technology. CB Insights CEO and co-founder Anand Sanwal will reveal the full list of the second annual AI 100 companies at the A-ha! Conference today in San Francisco.

"Last year's AI 100 enjoyed amazing success in the year since earning this recognition. 55 of them went onto raise additional funding nearing $2B and 5 were acquired." 

"This year's list was culled from 1000+ applications and looks even more impressive. These are companies using artificial intelligence in industries from drug discovery and cybersecurity to robotics and legal tech. I'm happy that CB Insights is able to shine a light on the founders and companies that will revolutionize these industries and look forward to seeing what they do in 2018 and beyond," said CB Insights CEO Anand Sanwal.

"Despite the potential to have massive impact on people and our planet, the application of AI has been lagging in agriculture relative to other industries," said Matthew Crisp, CEO and co-founder of Benson Hill Biosystems. "Our platform combines the power of AI and biological knowledge to tap the natural genetic diversity of plants and open a new era of innovation to modernize our food system. We're honored to receive this award recognizing the importance of AI technology to address a need as critical as sustainable food production."

The CB Insights research team selected the AI 100 companies based on criteria, examining company-submitted data and the company's Mosaic Score. The Mosaic Score, based on CB Insights' National Science Foundation-funded algorithm, measures the overall health and growth potential of private companies. Through this evidence-based, statistically-driven approach, the Mosaic Score can help predict a company's momentum, market health and financial viability.

Benson Hill joins companies such as Zoox, Shield AI, Zest Finance, Dynamic Yield, Appier, and CognitiveScale being recognized for their innovative technology in front of an audience of 400 senior innovation executives from around the world and news outlets including The Financial Times, CNBC, Reuters, Bloomberg and the Washington Post.

Benson Hill's CropOStm revolutionary crop design platform combines the most advanced data analytics and biological knowledge with cloud-based computing ? an intersection of disciplines known as cloud biology ? to empower organizations to develop food and ingredients with better flavor, nutrition and environmental sustainability. CropOS uses AI to improve with every data set, enhancing the platform's ability to predict biological outcomes and accelerate product development. Benson Hill has developed eleven partnerships with established and emerging companies across the food and agriculture value chain, spanning ten crops and four continents. 

Quick facts on the AI 100:

• These 100 emerging private companies have raised $6.6B across 99 deals in 2017.
• Applications of their technology include breakthroughs in fintech, digital health, auto tech, robotics, and much more.
• More than 1,000 companies were nominated or applied and only 9% were selected.
• Eleven AI 100 companies have reached a valuation of $1B or more.
• Thirty-three companies on the list were also on the list for 2017, with 67 new companies making it for 2018.
• Nine countries are represented among the AI 100 companies.

The AI 100 Companies (in alphabetical order):

About CB Insights
Our team builds technology that helps corporations guess less and win more. We aggregate and analyze terabytes of data and use machine learning, algorithms and data visualization to help corporations replace the three Gs (Google searches, gut instinct and guys with MBAs*) so they can answer massive strategic questions using probability not punditry.

*We have MBAs.

For more information about the AI 100, visit:
https://www.cbinsights.com/research-ai100

To learn more about A-ha!, go here: http://events.cbinsights.com/aha

About Benson Hill Biosystems:
Benson Hill empowers innovators with a revolutionary crop design platform to tap the natural genetic diversity of plants and develop healthier and more sustainable food choices. Our CropOStm platform combines machine learning and big data with genome editing and plant biology to differentiate and accelerate the product development process.  More information can be found online at www.bensonhillbio.com.  Follow us on Twitter at @BensonHillBio.

SOURCE Benson Hill Biosystems