7 Innovative Synbio Platform Companies (PRIVATE)
Ginkgo Bioworks’ market debut last Friday marked one of the largest biotech transactions to date with $1.6 billion in proceeds raised. This milestone demonstrates the maturation of synthetic biology from a science to an emerging industry.
What are other promising private synbio companies that are currently being built?
Here is a list of seven promising synbio companies that program biology to create new products and services.
1. Bit Bio
Year founded: 2016
Description: Bit Bio, a spinout from the University of Cambridge, is combining data science and biology to code induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Its tech platform Opti-ox™ (which stands for optimized over-expression) enables precise reprogramming of stem cells and induces them to take on a new identity. This platform enables them to produce human cells at a higher scale, speed, and consistency than traditional methods.
Total funding: $53M (Series B)
Notable investors: Rick Klausner, BlueYard Capital, ARCH Venture Partners, Foresite Capital
2. Mammoth Biosciences
Year founded: 2017
Description: Mammoth Biosciences’ mission is to “improve human lives by reading and writing the code of life”. By leveraging its internal research and development and exclusive licensing to Cas12, Cas13, Cas14, and CasΦ, Mammoth can provide enhanced diagnostics and genome editing for life science research, healthcare, agriculture, and biodefense.
Total funding: $219.5M (series B)
Notable investors: Redmile Group, Foresite Capital, Senator Investment Group, Sixth Street, Greenspring Associates, Mayfield, Decheng Capital, Plum Alley, NFX, Amazon, Tim Cook
3. Prime Medicine
Year founded: 2019
Description: Prime Medicine uses Prime Editing, a gene-editing technology that can “search and replace” any genetic information. This helps to restore normal genetic function almost anywhere in the genome.
Total funding: $315M (series B)
Notable investors: Arch Venture Partners, F-Prime Capital, GV, Casdin Capital, T. Rowe Price, Samsara BioCapital, Redmile Group
4. Senti Biosciences
Year founded: 2016
Description: Senti Biosciences, founded by Tim Lu in 2016, is the leader in the development of gene circuits for cell and gene therapies. Senti’s mission is to create a new generation of smarter medicines that can outmaneuver complex diseases.
Total funding: $158M (series B)
Notable investors: Leaps by Bayer, Amgen, Matrix Partners China, Mirae Asset Capital, Ridgeback Capital, Intel Capital, New Enterprise Associates, 8VC, Lux Capital, Allen & Company
5. ElevateBio
Year founded: 2017
Description: ElevateBio was founded to accelerate the commercialization of cell and gene therapies that are coming directly from academic research.
Total funding: $845M (series C)
Notable investors: EDBI, Emerson Collective, Samsara BioCapital, Surveyor Capital, Matrix Capital Management, SoftBank, Fidelity Management & Research Company
6. Benchling
Year founded: 2012
Description: Benchling is a cloud-based software platform for biology researchers and research and development organizations.
Total funding: $311.9M (series E)
Notable investors: Altimeter Capital, Thrive Capital, Benchmark, Spark Capital, Menlo Ventures, Byers Capital, ICONIQ Capital, Lux Capital, Elad Gil, Lead Edge Capital
7. Culture Biosciences
Year founded: 2016
Description: Based in South San Francisco, Culture offers a digital biofacturing platform in the form of cloud bioreactors as a service. Via Culture’s cloud platform biotech companies to design, monitor, and analyze high-throughput bioreactor experiments for cultivation and fermentation. The company’s mission is to build an end-to-end platform where bioprocess scientists can manage their entire workflow in one software application.
Total funding: $20.6M (series A)
Notable investors: Y Combinator, The Production Board, Craft Ventures, DCVC, Verily, Cultivian Sandbox Ventures, Section 32, The E14 Fund
