AURUM TECH LLC  -  INDUSTRIAL BIOTECH  -  EST. 2024 - TEXAS-BASED

The soil

intelligence platform.

Aurum is a Texas-born industrial biotechnology company sequencing microbial communities, developing tailored consortia, and engineering regenerative biochar systems for resilient agriculture and circular waste streams across North America

REQUEST A SOIL ASSESSMENT ->
MICROBIAL R&D INQUIRIES ->

§ 01 / ENGAGEMENTS

Two routes in.

For commercial work

Soil Intelligence,
field-deployed.

Diagnostic and monitoring services for agricultural operations, municipalities, and land managers. Sample collection through analytical reporting, with subscription monitoring available for sites under active management.

  • 01Soil and water diagnostic reports
  • 02Subscription monitoring services
  • 03NRCS-aligned indicator reporting
  • 04Carbon project measurement support
Request a soil assessment →
For federal & strategic

Microbial R&D,
under contract.

Applied research for federal programs and prime contractors. An extensible platform spanning microbial discovery, critical mineral recovery, regolith biology, and biohybrid materials development.

  • 01Microbial discovery and characterization
  • 02Tailored consortia development
  • 03Bioleaching and critical mineral recovery
  • 04Regolith and off-world biology
Microbial R&D inquiries →

§ 02 / SELECTED FIELD WORK

Reports from the field.

A snapshot of recent diagnostic engagements. Detailed reports are available to qualified parties. Contact us for more info.

01
Sudan grass under brackish well water
Irrigation source returned high salinity values across multiple samplings. Sudan grass identified as the most viable cover among candidates evaluated under current water chemistry.
El Paso County, TX 2025
02
Chloride toxicity assessment, alfalfa parcel
Chloride loading approaching go and no-go threshold for sustained alfalfa production. Decision framework provided to the operator for the upcoming planting cycle.
El Paso County, TX 2025
03
Anomalous copper profile, community garden
Bioavailable copper signal flagged ahead of food production expansion. Confirmation testing and remediation pathway recommended prior to acreage scale-up.
El Paso, TX 2025
04
Multi-treatment biochar field trial
Locally pyrolyzed biochar integrated across multiple treatment plots. Soil response and biomass productivity tracked across the active growing season.
Anthony, NM 2025

§ 03 / PLATFORM

The technical stack.

Three integrated capabilities. Sequencing, microbial development, and regenerative carbon, deployed together or independently depending on the engagement.

[ 01 ]

Metagenomic
sequencing

Long-read sequencing and analysis of soil and rhizosphere microbiomes. Outputs include taxonomic profiles, functional gene insights, and ecological indicators for soil health and process monitoring.

[ 02 ]

Microbial
consortia

Development of tailored microbial communities for resilience under environmental stress. Applications across agriculture, waste valorization, and bioleaching for critical mineral recovery.

[ 03 ]

Biochar
systems

Conversion of organic waste streams into regenerative carbon through controlled pyrolysis. Engineered for porosity, carbon retention, and microbial habitat across soil amendment and circular waste applications.

§ 04 / LEADERSHIP

Joshua Ortiz, PhD.

Founder & CEO

PhD in Developmental Biology and Neuroscience from Baylor College of Medicine, trained in the Arenkiel Lab at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute. Cross-domain background spanning microbial consortia development, biochar and biochar -microbe dynamics, nanopore metagenomics, AAV capsid engineering, large microbial datasets and databases, and clinical and environmental research operations. Aurum consolidates that arc into a single platform focused on the microbial systems that make soil productive on Earth and beyond.

The most useful biotechnology is the one already living under your feet. Our work is to read it, evolve it, and deploy it where it has to perform. Joshua Ortiz, PhD · Founder & CEO

§ 05 / Partners

Working together.

Strategic
Microsoft
Federal
NIST SBIR Phase I
Municipal
City of El Paso
Health Innovation
Medical Center of the Americas
Aerospace · Academic
UTEP Aerospace
Academic
NMSU
Regional Tech
STTE
Talent Network
PIONEERS 21
Workforce
Workforce Solutions

§ 06 / Contact

Bring us a question
about your soil.