The company, originally known as Metabolix, was founded in 1992 and has since shifted its focus to improving plant metabolism through enhanced photosynthetic efficiency and directed carbon utilization. Yield10's proprietary technologies, such as the 'Smart Carbon Grid for Crops' and 'T3' platforms, aim to increase carbon dioxide fixation efficiency and conversion into plant matter. They are currently working on developing and commercializing new traits in key crops like canola, soybean, and corn, with the goal of enhancing global food security. Yield10 completed its initial public offering in 2018 and has partnerships with companies like Bayer for the research and development of yield trait genes.