Participated · Equity · Jun 2017

Twist Bioscience develops a proprietary semiconductor-based synthetic DNA manufacturing process that synthesizes DNA on silicon to enable high-throughput production of genes, oligonucleotide pools and variant libraries. The platform replaces traditional 96-well plate synthesis, accelerating the design–build–test cycle for personalized medicines, pharmaceuticals, sustainable chemicals, improved agriculture, diagnostics and biodetection. The company is also developing technologies for large-scale DNA data storage. Twist intends to use the latest proceeds to grow its core gene-synthesis business and increase investment in drug discovery and DNA digital data storage verticals. The company is led by CEO Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., and is based in San Francisco, CA. To date Twist has raised substantial venture capital to scale its platform and product offerings. Twist Bioscience has developed a high-throughput DNA synthesis platform that uses silicon wafers with nanowells to manufacture up to 10,000 unique DNA strands per plate. Its process assembles DNA digitally and aims to produce custom DNA faster and cheaper than standard 96-well approaches. The company has an alpha platform and has shipped some 65 million base pairs to more than 100 customers via its high-throughput gene fabrication process. Twist is commercializing a beta version of the platform early this year and plans international commercialization. It works with customers in industrial chemicals and data storage and said it will announce new pharmaceutical partnerships in the coming months. Since its 2013 launch the company has raised $133 million in total capital, including $20 million in debt. Twist Bioscience has developed a proprietary semiconductor-based synthetic DNA manufacturing process built on a 10,000-well silicon platform that produces oligonucleotides, genes, pathways, chassis and genomes. The platform is positioned to accelerate applications across personalized medicine, sustainable chemical production, improved agriculture, in vivo diagnostics, biodetection and data storage. Led by CEO Emily Leproust, Ph.D., and COO Bill Banyai, Ph.D., the company emphasizes scaling its manufacturing capability and product breadth. Twist plans to use new funding to accelerate a beta commercial launch in the fall and to pursue strategic opportunities to add product capabilities and services to enhance user experience. Financially, the company completed a $37M Series C and has raised a total of $82.1M to date. An Illumina executive will join the Twist board as part of the financing. Twist Bioscience develops a semiconductor-based synthetic DNA manufacturing platform built on a 10,000-well silicon architecture. The platform produces synthetic biology tools including oligonucleotides, genes, pathways, chassis and genomes. The company says its technology can accelerate personalized medicine, sustainable chemical production, improved agriculture, and enable applications like in vivo diagnostics, biodetection and data storage. Led by CEO Emily Leproust, Ph.D., Twist is focused on advancing its platform and improving the user experience. The company plans to use newly available financing to further platform development and product experience enhancements. Twist Bioscience develops a proprietary semiconductor-based synthetic DNA manufacturing process using a 10,000-well silicon platform to produce synthetic biology tools such as oligonucleotides, genes, pathways, chassis and genomes. The platform is positioned to accelerate applications including personalized medicine, sustainable chemical production, improved agriculture, in vivo diagnostics, biodetection and data storage. The company plans to commercialize its process using proceeds from the financing. Twist also received a $5.1M contract from DARPA to fund development of its large-scale, high-throughput genetic design construction platform. Twist is based in San Francisco, CA and intends to hire 80 employees across informatics, hardware and software engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, sales and operations over the next 18 months. The leadership team includes CEO Emily Leproust, COO Bill Banyai and CTO Bill Peck.

Participated · Series C · Aug 2015

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Redwood City, CA, Carbon offers an integrated platform of Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) 3D printers, proprietary resins, and design/automation software that lets customers manufacture end-use polymer components at scale. The company’s technology is deployed across multiple industries, evidenced by millions of 3D-printed adidas footwear components, football helmet pads that have topped NFL/NFLPA safety tests for six consecutive years, and hundreds of thousands of cycling saddles for brands such as Fizik and Trek. In the dental market, customers print millions of custom parts per week, and Carbon printers have been ranked the most reliable by the National Association of Dental Laboratories for the past six years. Carbon continues to launch new hardware, materials, and flexible software tools, including a recently released flexible partial denture material. Management reports rising production volumes and efficiency gains that have the business on the verge of cash-flow-positive operations. The fresh capital will be used to expand manufacturing capacity and accelerate its product roadmap, reinforcing its position as a leader in digital manufacturing.

Participated · Series C · Apr 2011

Lashou.com is a China-based group-purchasing website that launched daily-deal offerings across several categories. Formally launched in March 2010 in Beijing, it has grown to be one of the largest group-purchasing sites in China. Early product offerings included "Many Groups Per Day", "Lunch Killer Deals by the Seconds", and "Hotel Channels". The company completed a $110M Series C, bringing total capital raised to $166M. Founder and CEO Bo Wu said the new capital will be used to establish and expand call centers, improve the logistics system, and increase customer experience and satisfaction. The company is focusing on scaling operations and customer service to support growth in its marketplace.