Ginkgo Bioworks, a.k.a. “the organism company,” has notched many milestones in its 13-year history, Fortune magazine reports. Founded by four Ph.D. students in bioengineering and computer science at MIT with their professor, the synthetic biology business has partnered with Fortune 500 giants to develop custom strains of organisms used to make everything from fragrances to fertilizers. They have collaborated with Roche to hunt for natural antibiotics in soil. They’ve worked with startups to engineer probiotics to treat disease and to break down plastic pollution. They’ve designed lab-grown proteins that make faux meat taste real. Now they share the story of taking their company public via a SPAC.
The company in May announced a business combination with Soaring Eagle Acquisition that values the engineered biology company at a $15 billion pre-money equity valuation and is expected to provide up to $2.5 billion of primary proceeds. Read more.
What is it Really Like to Take a Company Public via SPAC? One Boston Biotech Shares its Journey
