TickerTain
TickerTain
NewsroomShortsPortfolioConvergence
NewsroomShortsPortfolioConvergence
←
▶ 31:30 · $DNA · Ginkgo pivots to autonomous labs: selling robotic systems and cloud lab services
episode briefing
Sequoia Capital

How Autonomous Labs Will Transform Scientific Research: Ginkgo Bioworks’ Jason Kelly

2026-03-24 · 8 company · 10 thematic
sentiment
7 bull0 bear1 neu
speakers
jason kelly

Jason Kelly co-founded Ginkgo Bioworks in 2008 straight out of his MIT bioengineering PhD. He bootstrapped the company for six years before joining Y Combinator in 2014. He chaired the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotech and is a leading voice on autonomous labs, AI for science, and the future of biomanufacturing.

quote
“That's like one half of my business now is like I'll build you an autonomous lab. You know, Pacific Northwest National Lab, DOE or Merck or whoever. Does that make sense? And then the other half is what you said. I'll run my lab in Boston…”
—jason kelly

episode shorts · 1

AI Meets Biochemistry: Redefining the Lab with Robotic Experime…

now playing · $DNA
$CHAI-BIObullish· mediumjason kelly
Chai Bio's protein models secure major partnership with Eli Lilly
Chai Bio is a leading player in AI protein design and has already translated its models into a significant commercial deal with Eli Lilly, validating the near-term revenue potenti…
$ARC-INSTITUTEbullish· mediumjason kelly
Arc Institute releases Evo 2, a genomic foundation model for biology design
Arc Institute's Evo 2 model, trained on a trillion DNA bases, represents a major advance in genomic foundation models that can serve as a tool for reasoning models to design biolo…
$MADRAneutral· lowjason kelly
Madra pursues lab automation via robotic arms for high-mix workflows
Madra is attempting to automate the 'back end' of lab work using robotic arms, but the approach faces the same high-mix, low-volume integration challenges that have historically l…
$OPENAIbullish· highjason kelly
OpenAI reasoning models drive autonomous lab experiments, beating state-of-the-art by 40%
OpenAI's reasoning models can successfully design and iterate experimental workflows in a robotic lab, achieving a 40% improvement over the state-of-the-art in cell-free protein s…
$DNA···bullish· high· posjason kelly
Ginkgo pivots to autonomous labs: selling robotic systems and cloud lab services
Ginkgo is focusing on the 'back end' of biology — making physical experimentation cheaper and faster via autonomous robotic labs — and now sells both the hardware (reconfigurable…
$ISOMORPHIC-LABSbullish· mediumjason kelly
Isomorphic Labs best positioned to prove AI drug discovery at scale given DeepMind backing
Isomorphic Labs, with Alphabet/DeepMind's deep pockets and vertical integration, is the most credible candidate to validate AI-driven drug discovery through clinical candidates, o…
$ALPHACHIPbullish· mediumjason kelly
Sequoia backs AlphaChip team using AI to design superior semiconductors
The AlphaChip team from Google, now backed by Sequoia, demonstrates that AI can already achieve superhuman chip design — a 'Move 37' moment for semiconductors that signals pocket…
$COLOSSAL-BIOSCIENCESbullish· mediumjason kelly
Colossal Biosciences achieves dire wolf de-extinction, mammoth next
Colossal has demonstrated tangible progress in de-extinction (dire wolf) and is advancing toward the woolly mammoth, showcasing the expanding capabilities of genetic engineering b…