ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money

How does a micro-cap biotech company with a trailing twelve-month (TTM) revenue of just $209,025 as of September 30, 2025, become a critical player in the global fight against antibiotic overuse in livestock? ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. is doing exactly that, leveraging its proprietary algal strains to develop therapeutic and nutritional products for both human and animal health, positioning itself at the intersection of agtech and biotechnology with a market capitalization of approximately $27.26 million as of November 2025. You need to understand this dual-market strategy because while the company is currently signaling a need for an estimated $6.0 million in funding over the next year to cover basic operations, its recent positive results in poultry studies against avian influenza and coccidiosis could unlock significant licensing value in the massive global animal health market.

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO) History

You want to understand the foundation of ZIVO Bioscience, Inc., and that's smart. Tracing a biotech company's lineage, especially one focused on microalgae-derived compounds, tells you everything about its risk profile and long-term vision. The story isn't a straight line; it involves a significant pivot, a name change, and a constant hunt for capital, which is defintely typical for a development-stage firm.

Given Company's Founding Timeline

Year established

The company was originally incorporated on December 16, 2005, under the name M3 Technology, Inc. This initial entity later reincorporated in Delaware in 2007 and officially adopted the ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. name in 2008, marking the start of its focus on bioactive compounds from algal strains.

Original location

The initial incorporation was in Nevada, but the company's current headquarters are located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, which is where the R&D is managed.

Founding team members

Specific details on the original 2005 founding team are not publicly available, which is common for smaller, earlier-stage incorporations. However, key current leadership includes Hayden S. Reynolds as the Chief Executive Officer and John P. Payne as the Chairman of the Board, steering the company's strategic direction as of late 2025.

Initial capital/funding

While the exact initial capital from the 2005 incorporation is not disclosed, ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. has raised a total funding of approximately $962K across 20 rounds since 2009. The company continues to rely on equity and debt financing, including a recent raise of $390,000 in cash in October 2025 from the sale of shares and warrants.

Given Company's Evolution Milestones

Given Company's Transformative Moments

The most transformative decision was the complete shift in focus from its original technology to the proprietary algal platform. This move defined the company's entire intellectual property (IP) portfolio and market strategy.

• The Algae Pivot: The 2008 name change to ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. cemented the company's dedication to its proprietary strains of freshwater algae. This IP is the foundation for all its product candidates, including those for bovine mastitis and human immune modulation.
• The Ongoing Funding Challenge: The company's financial state in 2025 is a critical moment. As of September 30, 2025, ZIVO reported cash reserves of only $57,222, with management stating there is substantial doubt about the ability to continue as a going concern. This forces a constant, high-stakes focus on securing the estimated $6.0 million needed over the next 12 months for basic operations.
• Strategic Market Focus: The company's decision to pursue dual tracks-animal applications (like feed ingredients for dairy cows) and human applications (like functional food ingredients)-is key to its commercialization strategy. This diversification aims to maximize the value of the core algal platform.

Here's the quick math: Q3 2025 revenue was $65,625, but the net loss was 15.7 times that amount, showing the high cost of R&D. That's a huge gap to close. If you want a deeper look at the numbers, you can check out Breaking Down ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors. Your next step should be to track their Q4 2025 financing activities closely, as that will be the true test of their near-term viability.

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO) Ownership Structure

The ownership structure of ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. is heavily concentrated among insiders, a key factor that gives the management and directors significant control over strategic decisions and the company's future direction.

This high insider ownership means the company's leadership has substantial skin in the game, but it also reduces the public float (the number of shares available for trading), which can contribute to stock price volatility.

ZIVO Bioscience's Current Status

ZIVO Bioscience is a Publicly Held company, trading on the OTCQB Venture Market under the ticker symbol ZIVO. As of November 2025, the company's market capitalization stands at approximately $31.11 million. The company is currently in a pre-revenue status, focusing on research and development (R&D) of proprietary algal-derived bioactive molecules for human and animal health applications. For the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2025, the company reported revenue of only $209,000, underscoring its early-stage, R&D-heavy business model.

It is important to remember that a small market cap and trading on the OTCQB often mean lower liquidity and higher risk than a major exchange listing. That's a crucial detail for any investor.

ZIVO Bioscience's Ownership Breakdown

The company's ownership is dominated by insiders, which is a common characteristic of smaller, development-stage biotech and agtech firms. This structure means that nearly half of the company is controlled by the people running it, so their interests are defintely aligned with long-term success, but it also limits the influence of outside shareholders.

ZIVO Bioscience's Leadership

The leadership team at ZIVO Bioscience blends deep experience in animal health, finance, and scientific research, which is necessary for a company targeting both the biotech and agtech sectors. The core team has extensive experience in the highly regulated animal health space, which is a significant asset as they commercialize their proprietary algae platform.

• John B. Payne: Serves as President, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and Chairman of the Board. He is a veteran of the animal health industry, having founded Compassion-First Pet Hospitals and served as President and CEO of Banfield Pet Hospitals. His total compensation for the 2025 fiscal year is estimated to be around $738,819.
• Keith R. Marchiando: Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Treasurer, and Secretary. He brings over 25 years of experience in leading finance organizations for manufacturing and technology companies.
• Dr. Harlan L. Miller III: Vice President of Technology & Global Supply.
• Dr. Amy Steffek: Director of Research & Development, holding a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and over 13 years of scientific research experience.

Their focus is clearly on moving from R&D to commercialization, which you can read more about in their Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO).

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO) Mission and Values

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc.'s core purpose is to tackle global health and agricultural challenges by developing natural, science-backed solutions derived from proprietary algae. The company's cultural DNA is built on a commitment to sustainability, scientific rigor, and delivering innovative, non-antibiotic alternatives for human and animal wellness.

Given Company's Core Purpose

The company's mission goes beyond just commercializing a product; it's about creating a sustainable, plant-based platform to address major issues like antibiotic resistance and the need for high-quality, non-GMO protein sources. This dual focus on human nutrition and animal health is their strategic blueprint for creating lasting value, especially as they navigate the pre-revenue status reported as of the end of the 2025 fiscal year.

To be fair, the market is massive. The global animal feed supplements market alone is expected to reach nearly $58.96 billion by 2032, which shows the scale of the opportunity ZIVO is chasing. You can dive deeper into the ownership structure and market sentiment by reading Exploring ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Official mission statement

ZIVO Bioscience's official mission is focused on the entire value chain, from R&D to market delivery, for their core technology.

• Develop, manufacture, and market natural, bioactive compounds.
• Support the health and wellness of livestock, companion animals, and humans.

This is a clear, concise statement. It tells you defintely where they are spending their R&D budget and where their future revenue will come from: ingredients that make people and animals healthier.

Vision statement

The company's vision is tightly linked to solving a critical problem in modern agriculture-the over-reliance on antibiotics-by offering a safer, natural alternative.

• Provide innovative alternatives to traditional animal health and nutrition products.
• Improve farm and consumer safety through these alternatives.

This vision is a realist's view of the market, acknowledging that for their technology to win, it must replace existing, less-optimal solutions while improving safety for everyone involved. The company's market capitalization, which sat at about $31.11 million as of November 2025, reflects the early-stage nature of this ambitious, long-term vision.

Given Company slogan/tagline

While ZIVO Bioscience uses several phrases to communicate its value proposition, two stand out as encapsulating its ethos and ambition.

• Making Discoveries that Matter.
• A Quest for Optimal Health.

These slogans reinforce the company's identity as a research and development firm first, where scientific breakthrough is the key to commercial success. Their proprietary algae platform is designed to be Affordable, Sustainable, and Adaptable, which are the core product values that support the larger mission.

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO) How It Works

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. operates as a research and development (R&D) company in the biotech and agtech sectors, focused on discovering and commercializing bioactive compounds from its proprietary freshwater algal strains. The company makes money primarily through the sale of its dried algal biomass product and, more critically, by aiming to license its patented or patent-pending ingredients to larger animal health and human nutrition companies, which provides a path to a long-term, high-quality annuity stream of income.

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc.'s Product/Service Portfolio

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc.'s Operational Framework

The company's operational framework is lean and heavily weighted toward R&D and intellectual property (IP) development, a classic biotech model. The goal is to develop and validate the efficacy of its proprietary compounds, then partner for commercialization to avoid the massive capital expenditure of building out a global sales and distribution network. This is a smart move for a company of its size.

• R&D and IP Generation: Isolate and characterize bioactive molecules from its proprietary algal culture, Klebsormidium var. ZIVO, for new therapeutic and nutritional applications.
• Cultivation: Produce the proprietary algal biomass at commercial scale, which, as of early 2024, included outdoor pond cultivation in the high desert of Peru.
• Monetization via Licensing: Engage in discussions with major global animal health and nutraceutical companies to secure licensing agreements. These deals are structured to include upfront payments, milestone payments, and a royalty on future product sales.
• Direct Ingredient Sales: Sell the dried algal biomass as a functional food ingredient, which generated a nine-month revenue of $119,025 in 2025.

The operational cash outflow for the first nine months of 2025 was $(2,173,204), showing the significant investment needed to run R&D before major licensing revenue hits. You can dive deeper into the financial situation in Exploring ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc.'s Strategic Advantages

ZIVO's core strategic advantage lies in its unique, proprietary biological platform and the resulting intellectual property. They are not just selling algae; they are selling validated, non-antibiotic solutions to major industry problems.

• Proprietary Algal Strain: Owns and controls a unique, optimized freshwater algal strain, Klebsormidium var. ZIVO, which is the source of its bioactive compounds. This is a high barrier to entry.
• Non-Antibiotic Solutions: Their product candidates, like the coccidiosis treatment, are non-antibiotic and immune-modulating, which directly addresses the global push to reduce antibiotic use in livestock, a multi-billion-dollar market shift.
• Dual-Market Versatility: The same proprietary platform yields product candidates for both the animal health (therapeutic) and human nutrition (nutraceutical) markets, diversifying the potential revenue streams.
• High-Value IP Focus: The business model is defintely focused on licensing its IP, which, if successful, can create a high-margin, long-term royalty income stream without the overhead of full-scale manufacturing and distribution.

The company's ability to secure the estimated $6.0 million needed over the next 12 months will be the single most critical factor in converting these strategic advantages into commercial success.

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO) How It Makes Money

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. primarily generates its minimal commercial revenue through the direct sale of its proprietary dried algal biomass as a human food ingredient, while its long-term, high-margin business model is centered on licensing its intellectual property (IP) for therapeutic and nutritional compounds to larger partners in the human and animal health sectors.

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc.'s Revenue Breakdown

As a development-stage biotech company, ZIVO Bioscience, Inc.'s revenue is currently minimal and volatile, reflecting its focus on research and development (R&D) over large-scale commercialization. The reported commercial revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, totaled $119,025. This revenue is almost entirely derived from product sales, with the licensing model still in the pre-commercial partnership phase.

The Product Sales stream, which is the sale of dried algal biomass for human food or food ingredients, is showing an Increasing trend. Revenue for the third quarter of 2025 was $65,625, which is a 108% increase from the third quarter of 2024's revenue of $31,500. The Licensing/IP Royalties stream represents the company's core strategic value-extracting and licensing bioactive molecules for applications like bovine mastitis or human immune support-but it has not yet yielded material revenue as of November 2025. You can dig deeper into the company's structure by Exploring ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Business Economics

The economics of ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. are currently dominated by its R&D cost structure, not its minimal sales. The goal is to transition from a high-cost R&D model to a high-margin licensing model.

• Gross Margin: For the third quarter of 2025, the company reported a gross margin of $21,288 on revenue of $65,625. This means the gross margin percentage is about 32.4%, which is decent for a biotech product but insufficient to cover operating expenses.
• Pricing Strategy: The current product sales are likely priced based on production cost plus a modest margin, typical for a niche ingredient. The future licensing model will involve high-margin royalty payments (a percentage of the licensee's sales) on approved products, which is the real economic payoff.
• Operating Leverage: The company has virtually no operating leverage right now. Its operating expenses, driven by R&D, are fixed and high relative to revenue. The net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, was $6,884,474. This massive gap shows the cost of developing the IP that will eventually be licensed.

The quick math shows that a $65,625 revenue quarter against a $1,033,056 net loss quarter is unsustainable without external financing. The entire business model hinges on securing and monetizing those high-value licensing deals.

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc.'s Financial Performance

As of November 2025, ZIVO Bioscience, Inc.'s financial health is characterized by tight liquidity and a significant funding requirement, which is common for companies focused on long-term biotech development.

• Liquidity Crisis: Cash on hand as of September 30, 2025, was only $57,222, a critically low level. This minimal cash position contrasts sharply with total liabilities of $3,846,055.
• Cash Burn: Net cash used in operations for the first nine months of 2025 was $2,173,204. This operating cash outflow is the true measure of the company's burn rate.
• Going Concern Warning: Management has stated there is substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern (a business that will be able to meet its financial obligations as they fall due).
• Funding Need: To fund basic operations over the next 12 months, the company estimates it will need about $6.0 million in additional capital. This is the defintely the single most critical number for investors to track right now.
• Stockholders' Deficit: The stockholders' deficit worsened to $(3,286,603) as of September 30, 2025, reflecting the accumulated losses.

The financial performance clearly indicates a company in a high-risk, pre-commercial phase, where valuation is based almost entirely on the potential of its intellectual property pipeline, not its current earnings.

ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO) Market Position & Future Outlook

ZIVO Bioscience is positioned as a high-risk, high-reward research and development (R&D) company, currently holding a negligible share of the global microalgae market but targeting multibillion-dollar opportunities in the animal health and human nutraceutical sectors. Its future hinges entirely on successfully monetizing its proprietary algal strain through lucrative licensing and partnership deals, as current operations face a critical liquidity challenge.

Competitive Landscape

The microalgae market is fragmented, but ZIVO competes against large, established ingredient suppliers and specialized biotech firms. ZIVO's market share is minimal, estimated at less than 0.1% of the global microalgae market, which is projected to be around $841.30 million in 2025. This is because the company's revenue of $209K (TTM as of Q3 2025) is primarily from initial commercialization efforts, not scaled production.

Opportunities & Challenges

The company's strategic focus is on two high-growth areas: human nutrition (nutraceuticals) for near-term revenue and animal health for long-term, high-margin licensing income. However, the financial runway is extremely short, making execution of these initiatives a race against time. Honestly, the going concern risk is the biggest factor right now.

Industry Position

ZIVO Bioscience is a micro-cap R&D firm with a market capitalization of approximately $27.26 million as of late November 2025, placing it firmly in the early-stage, high-risk biotech sector. Its position is defined by its intellectual property (IP) portfolio, not its commercial scale, which is the key differentiator from its larger competitors like Cyanotech Corporation (FY 2025 sales of $24.2 million) and Corbion N.V.

• R&D Focus: The company's core value is its patented and patent-pending inventions for human and animal health applications, not current sales.
• Antibiotic-Free Trend: ZIVO is strategically positioned to capitalize on the global regulatory pressure against antibiotic overuse in livestock, offering a non-antibiotic, immune-modulating feed ingredient for poultry coccidiosis and bovine mastitis.
• Growth Trajectory: Analysts forecast a high revenue growth rate of 124.2% per year, but this is off a very low base and assumes successful commercialization or licensing deals.
• Financial Health: The company's financial health is weak, with a stockholders' deficit of $(3,286,603) as of September 30, 2025, and persistent material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting.

To understand the full scope of their long-term vision, you should review their Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of ZIVO Bioscience, Inc. (ZIVO).