What are the best synthetic biology startups?

This blog post has been written by the person who has mapped the synthetic biology market in a clean and beautiful presentation

Synthetic biology startups raised $8.2 billion in 2024, with leaders like Ginkgo Bioworks and Mammoth Biosciences commanding the largest rounds. The sector has matured beyond lab curiosities into commercially viable platforms spanning gene writing, cell-free manufacturing, and AI-driven organism design.

These companies attract investment from top-tier VCs like ARCH Venture Partners and Flagship Pioneering, while strategic partnerships with giants like Moderna and Bayer validate their technologies. And if you need to understand this market in 30 minutes with the latest information, you can download our quick market pitch.

What are the most promising synthetic biology startups in 2025, and what exactly do they do?

Eight companies dominate the synthetic biology startup landscape, each targeting distinct but interconnected markets worth billions.

Ginkgo Bioworks operates the world's largest automated biofoundry, using AI to design custom microorganisms for pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and industrial chemicals. Their platform processes over 100,000 experiments monthly, generating revenue through organism design services and licensing deals with major corporations like Bayer and Organon.

Mammoth Biosciences leverages CRISPR technology beyond gene editing, focusing on rapid diagnostics through their point-of-care detection platform. Their CRISPR-DX kits can identify pathogens in under 20 minutes, with CE-IVD approval already secured for infectious disease testing in Europe.

Tessera Therapeutics pioneered "gene writing" technology that inserts DNA sequences without creating double-strand breaks, making genome engineering significantly safer than traditional CRISPR approaches. They're advancing toward first-in-human trials for rare liver diseases in late 2026.

Perfect Day Foods produces animal-free dairy proteins through precision fermentation, scaling to 100-kiloliter fermenters for commercial production. Their whey proteins enable vegan cheese and milk products that match traditional dairy's taste and nutritional profile.

Which startups have raised the most funding in 2024 and 2025 so far, and how much did each receive?

Funding concentration reflects the capital-intensive nature of synthetic biology, with seven companies capturing over $1.6 billion across 2024-2025.

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Who are the main investors backing these synthetic biology startups, and what are the terms or conditions attached to their investments?

Five major investor categories drive synthetic biology funding, each bringing distinct capital structures and strategic value.

ARCH Venture Partners manages over $9 billion in assets under management and leads early-stage rounds for Mammoth, Senti, and Cellares. They typically secure 15-25% pro-rata rights in Series A-B rounds, maintaining participation rights through follow-on financing rounds. Their investment terms include board representation and anti-dilution protections.

Flagship Pioneering operates as both incubator and investor, founding companies like Tessera and Ginkgo in-house before spinning them out. They retain founder-equivalent board seats and first-refusal rights on new spin-outs, creating an interconnected portfolio of synthetic biology companies.

Corporate venture arms like GV (Google Ventures) take strategic minority stakes in platform companies like Ginkgo and Tessera. Their preferred stock agreements include information rights, anti-dilution protections, and often technology licensing options that benefit their parent companies' broader strategic initiatives.

Moderna Ventures focuses on mRNA-adjacent technologies, investing in companies like Vernal Biosciences with structured preferred stock that includes milestone-based warrants. These arrangements often come with offtake commitments for manufacturing services, creating guaranteed revenue streams for portfolio companies.

Which startups have received backing from industry giants like Ginkgo Bioworks, Moderna, Bayer, or Google Ventures?

Corporate strategic investments create validation and market access that pure financial investors cannot provide.

Which of these startups have received notable awards, recognitions, or have been featured in high-profile industry lists?

Industry recognition validates both technical achievements and commercial potential, influencing subsequent funding rounds.

SynBioBeta's "30 Under 30 in Biology" for 2024 highlighted the CEOs of Mammoth Biosciences, Senti Biosciences, and Synthace, recognizing their leadership in translating academic research into viable commercial platforms. This recognition often correlates with increased investor interest and partnership opportunities.

Forbes included Tessera Therapeutics and Perfect Day Foods in their "Next-Gen Biotech" 2025 list, emphasizing companies with clear paths to market and scalable technologies. MIT Technology Review featured Ginkgo Bioworks among their "50 Smartest Companies" for 2025, specifically citing their AI-driven organism design capabilities.

Fast Company's "World's Most Innovative Companies" 2025 recognized Bolt Threads in the Materials category and Mammoth Biosciences in Diagnostics, highlighting their breakthrough technologies that address real-world problems with commercial solutions already reaching market.

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Where are these startups based geographically, and are there particular hubs or clusters for synthetic biology innovation?

Five geographic clusters dominate synthetic biology startup concentration, each offering distinct advantages for different aspects of the industry.

Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts hosts the highest concentration of leading startups including Ginkgo Bioworks, Tessera Therapeutics, and Senti Biosciences. This cluster benefits from proximity to MIT, Harvard, and a robust venture capital ecosystem with over $12 billion in biotech-focused funds. The region's regulatory expertise and talent pipeline from academic institutions create natural advantages for therapeutics-focused companies.

The San Francisco Bay Area houses Mammoth Biosciences, Bolt Threads, and numerous platform companies, leveraging the region's tech-bio convergence expertise. Silicon Valley's AI and software capabilities enhance synthetic biology platforms, while proximity to major tech companies facilitates strategic partnerships and talent acquisition.

London and the Oxford-Cambridge corridor represent Europe's strongest synthetic biology hub, with Synthace and multiple Evonetix spin-outs. The UK government's £2 billion investment in synthetic biology research creates favorable conditions for academic-to-commercial transitions, while regulatory frameworks support both domestic and international expansion.

Singapore and the Singapore-Malaysia Iskandar region attract startups like Chai Biosciences and Shiok Meats through government R&D grants and strategic location for Asian market access. The region's focus on food security and sustainable manufacturing aligns with cellular agriculture and alternative protein companies.

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What technologies or scientific breakthroughs have these startups brought to market as of mid-2025?

Five breakthrough technologies have achieved commercial viability, demonstrating synthetic biology's transition from research to market impact.

Tessera Therapeutics' gene writing platform represents the most significant advancement in genome engineering since CRISPR's initial development. Their RNA-guided DNA insertion technology enables precise genetic modifications without creating double-strand breaks, addressing safety concerns that have limited traditional gene editing approaches. The platform has entered preclinical IND-enabling studies for genetic disease targets, with first-in-human trials planned for late 2026.

Perfect Day Foods scaled cell-free biomanufacturing to 100-kiloliter fermenters, producing animal-free whey proteins at commercial volumes. Their precision fermentation approach yields proteins identical to traditional dairy, enabling the production of cheese, ice cream, and milk products that match conventional dairy's taste and nutritional profiles while eliminating animal agriculture's environmental impact.

Mammoth Biosciences commercialized CRISPR-based diagnostics through their CRISPR-DX platform, achieving CE-IVD approval for infectious disease detection. Their point-of-care kits deliver results in under 20 minutes, significantly faster than traditional PCR testing, with applications expanding beyond infectious diseases to cancer biomarker detection.

Aether Bio's machine learning-guided enzyme discovery platform demonstrates AI's practical application in biotechnology, supplying pharmaceutical CDMOs with custom enzymes for drug manufacturing. Their platform reduces enzyme development timelines from months to weeks while improving performance characteristics.

Which R&D advances or products are expected to emerge in 2026 from these companies or from the industry as a whole?

Seven major technological milestones will define synthetic biology's commercial expansion in 2026.

Generate Biomedicines plans to nominate their first clinical candidates using generative biology platforms by Q4 2025, with human trials beginning in 2026. Their AI-driven protein design approach could revolutionize drug discovery timelines, reducing development costs from hundreds of millions to tens of millions of dollars.

Tessera Therapeutics aims for first-in-human dosing of their gene writing therapeutics for rare liver diseases in H2 2026. Success would validate in vivo gene writing as a safer alternative to traditional gene therapy, potentially opening applications across hundreds of genetic diseases currently considered untreatable.

Perfect Day Foods will launch animal-free ice cream products in Q1 2026, expanding beyond their current B2B protein sales to direct consumer markets. This represents cellular agriculture's entry into mainstream food retail, with potential market impact measured in billions rather than millions of dollars.

Parse Biosciences plans commercial launch of multiplexed single-cell analysis kits for immune profiling in oncology trials, enabling personalized cancer treatments based on individual tumor microenvironments. Ginkgo Bioworks' rapid vaccine prototyping platform aims to demonstrate RNA vaccine development for emerging pathogens within 30 days of pathogen identification.

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How much total capital was invested in synthetic biology startups globally in 2024, and what are the figures so far for 2025?

Global synthetic biology venture investment reached $8.2 billion in 2024, with industrial applications commanding $6.3 billion of total funding.

The 2024 investment surge reflected several factors: major late-stage rounds for established platforms like Ginkgo Bioworks and Perfect Day Foods, increased corporate venture participation from pharmaceutical and chemical companies, and growing investor confidence in commercial viability demonstrated by revenue-generating startups.

Through June 2025, the industry has raised approximately $4.5 billion, suggesting a potential annual total of $9-10 billion if current momentum continues. Series B through Series D rounds dominate 2025 funding, indicating market maturation as companies transition from proof-of-concept to commercial scaling.

Investment distribution shows clear sector preferences: automation and AI-enabled design platforms attract the largest checks, followed by therapeutic applications and industrial biomanufacturing. Geographic concentration remains high, with Boston/Cambridge and Bay Area companies capturing over 60% of total funding despite representing less than 40% of global startups.

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Which of these companies are already generating revenue, and which are still pre-revenue or in the research phase?

Revenue generation divides synthetic biology startups into three distinct categories, reflecting different business models and market maturity levels.

Are there any startups showing clear signs of scalability or strategic partnerships with manufacturers, pharma, or agriculture players?

Strategic partnerships with established industry players provide validation, market access, and scaling capabilities that pure venture funding cannot match.

Perfect Day Foods established co-manufacturing agreements with ADM and formed joint ventures for global plant-based dairy distribution, enabling production scaling to meet consumer demand. Their partnerships provide access to existing food distribution networks and manufacturing expertise, critical for competing with established dairy companies.

Ginkgo Bioworks signed multi-year agreements with Bayer for custom crop-trait microorganisms and joint R&D with Organon for novel antimicrobials. These partnerships generate immediate revenue while providing access to regulatory expertise and distribution channels worth billions in market value.

Vernal Biosciences partnered with Moderna for GMP manufacturing of mRNA therapeutics, securing guaranteed revenue streams while leveraging Moderna's regulatory and manufacturing expertise. Arzeda formed a bio-foundry alliance with BASF to scale enzyme-based chemical processes, combining Arzeda's design capabilities with BASF's industrial manufacturing scale.

Senti Biosciences collaborated with Roche's cell therapy division for next-generation CAR-T controls, providing access to clinical development expertise and potential acquisition pathways. These partnerships demonstrate how startups leverage corporate relationships to accelerate commercialization while reducing development risks.

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What trends or projections do experts see for synthetic biology startup investment and innovation in 2026?

Five major trends will reshape synthetic biology investment and innovation patterns through 2026.

Consolidation of automation and AI-enabled design platforms appears inevitable as major venture capital exits emerge through IPOs and M&A activity. Companies like Ginkgo Bioworks and Synthace represent prime acquisition targets for technology giants seeking biotechnology capabilities, with valuations potentially reaching $50+ billion for market leaders.

Bio-manufacturing hubs will expand rapidly across Asia and the European Union, driven by carbon-neutral production targets and government incentives. Singapore, Germany, and the Netherlands are establishing dedicated synthetic biology industrial parks with tax incentives and regulatory streamlining to attract international companies.

Synthetic biology therapeutics will advance significantly, with in vivo gene writing and advanced cell therapies reaching clinical trials. Experts project 15-20 synthetic biology-derived therapeutics entering human trials in 2026, compared to fewer than 5 in 2024, representing a potential market expansion worth tens of billions.

Alternative protein markets will expand beyond dairy and meat into egg proteins, collagen, and specialty ingredients, with cellular agriculture companies targeting $200+ billion in traditional animal agriculture markets. Annual synthetic biology venture capital investment is projected to reach $10-12 billion by end-2026, fueled by corporate venture arms targeting decarbonization and precision medicine applications.

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Conclusion

Sources

1. Scispot - Top 20 Innovative Synthetic Biology Companies
2. Seedtable - Best Synthetic Biology Startups
3. Scispot - Top 20 Investors for Industrial Bio Companies
4. SynBioBeta - Investors Webinar Report 2024
5. SynBioBeta - 2024 Investment Report
6. iGEM - Alumni Startups Funding Insights
7. StartUs Insights - Synthetic Biology Trends
8. Seedtable - Best Biology Startups