Participated · Series A · Jul 2026

ZymeCO develops enzyme-based biological tools that break down turf thatch, algae and organic matter to support soil, crop and turf health. Its product portfolio includes ThatchZyme and other formulations produced via fungal fermentation and enzymatic discovery. The company combines enzyme discovery, fungal fermentation, biological formulation, agronomic insight and focused product development. ZymeCO serves growers, golf course superintendents, lawn care and sports turf managers and is expanding commercial reach in those markets. Management cited strong customer demand and rapid revenue growth leading up to the Series A. The company plans to scale manufacturing, accelerate field validation, broaden commercialization and expand R&D to address pest control and other customer needs.

Participated · Seed · Sep 2025

Synthesize Bio is a biotechnology startup developing biological foundation models capable of predicting the results of gene-expression experiments with high fidelity. Its inaugural Generate Expression Model-1 (GEM-1) was trained on one of the most deeply curated RNA-seq datasets assembled and can generate in-silico data directly from experimental design descriptions, including experiments that are currently infeasible in the lab. By augmenting or replacing wet-lab work, GEM-1 aims to help biopharma partners identify drug targets, assess safety and efficacy, and optimize clinical-trial design more quickly and cost-effectively. The company is actively engaging with pharmaceutical companies to integrate its models across the R&D pipeline and offers access to GEM-1 through web, R, and Python APIs. Founded by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center scientists Rob Bradley, PhD, and Jeff Leek, PhD, the Seattle-based venture positions itself at the intersection of AI and life sciences. The recently raised seed capital finances model enhancement and broader commercial access; no revenue or user metrics were disclosed.

Participated · Seed · Oct 2024

Archon Biosciences emerged from stealth to commercialize engineered protein "antibody cages" (AbCs) that scaffold and multiply the effective binding of antibodies to targets. The company uses a proprietary protein design platform built on generative design and simulation tools licensed from Baker Lab at the University of Washington. Archon couples that platform with rapid in-house manufacturing and testing to accelerate biologics development and believes AbCs can turn marginal antibody interactions into robust therapeutic effects. The work underpinning AbCs is documented in a paper published in Science and the startup was spun out as the first company from Baker Lab. Archon is led by co-founder and CEO James Lazarovits and is based in Seattle. Financially, the company announced a $20 million seed financing and has additionally received about $7 million in grants from various institutes and government agencies.

Participated · Series B · Aug 2024

Outpace Bio develops engineered T cell therapies using AI-powered protein design to program immune cells for improved function inside patients with solid tumors. The company is advancing an internal pipeline of programmed T cell product candidates, led by CEO and co-founder Marc Lajoie, PhD. Its lead program, OPB-101, is a mesothelin-specific CAR T cell enhanced by Outpace’s OUTSMART™, OUTLAST™, OUTSPACER™, and OUTSAFE™ technologies. OPB-101 is on track for IND clearance and first dosing in 2025 for patients with advanced platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer. Proceeds from the recent financing will be used to advance multiple candidates to early clinical proof-of-concept and to expand the company’s plug-and-play technology platform for future programs. The company is based in Seattle, WA. Outpace Bio is developing a platform to create next-generation smart cell therapies by applying protein design and synthetic biology. The company combines the design of improved biological functions with cellular control modalities to harness cellular biology's complexity and improve safety and efficacy of cell and gene therapies. Founded by Lyell co-founders Marc Lajoie and Scott Boyken and a scientific team spun out of Lyell Immunopharma, the team has spent the past two years addressing challenges facing anticancer T cell therapies. Outpace is expanding beyond T cells to bring its technology across the broader cell and gene therapy field. The company closed a $30m Series A financing and intends to use the funds to demonstrate proof of principle for its platform. It also entered a collaboration with Lyell Immunopharma for joint research and potential development and commercialization of an immune cell therapy for cancer.

Participated · Seed · Feb 2024

Insamo develops membrane-permeable, orally available cyclic peptides with antibody-like binding affinity using an integrated platform. The platform combines ML-driven molecular design, ultra high-throughput molecular biology, and parallel synthetic chemistry to rapidly identify preclinical candidates. The company says its automated design, synthesis, and testing workflow iterates using trillions of proprietary experimental data points to optimize pharmacological properties. Insamo aims to replace injected or infused biologics with easily administered oral cyclic-peptide formulations and to address previously intractable drug targets. The founding team trained in the labs of David Baker and Hiroaki Suga and operates research sites in Berkeley, CA and Sydney, Australia, with its US headquarters at UC Berkeley’s Bakar Labs. Insamo announced $12 million in seed capital to advance its platform and discovery programs.