5 ms·

I'm currently looking seriously at creating a synthetic biology software startup. Like a poor mans ginkgo. These guys are MASSIVE in the space. Think Google ba

I'm currently looking seriously at creating a synthetic biology software startup. Like a poor mans ginkgo. These guys are MASSIVE in the space. Think Google back in the day. I predict this will be a hot stock. Edit: if you're also interested in starting synthetic biology startup please get in touch.

cybernautique 5y ago
I'm interested, but in the it's-something-I-aspire-to-some-day-when-I'm-not-so-incompetent sense. However! I'd love to engage with you to hear about what's up! Is your inbox open to general curiosity, or would you rather keep emails limited to serious takers currently?
- kilroy123 5y ago
  Happy to chat with anyone. :)
cinntaile 5y ago
At this point they're massively overvalued if you ask me, that seems to be the case for every synthetic biology company but this one takes the cake.
- kilroy123 5y ago
  I totally agree, but it seems like everything with a good story is overvalued these days.
  - cinntaile 5y ago
    Yeah that's a fair point. I do believe there is value in synthetic biology, so I try to keep up with what happens a bit at least :)
koeng 5y ago
I’m a major contributor to a synbio software package https://github.com/TimothyStiles/poly https://github.com/TimothyStiles/poly and I also do quite a lot of robotics in the space (have a full DNA foundry running in my house, that took a lot of software). Already starting something in the space, but I’d be happy to talk!
- cybernautique 5y ago
  That's very cool! I'll be reading your blog for the next few days; I very much like your view of innovation and liberty. I've only had a quick scan so far, but it seems absolutely dripping of the fun proteases we love to mouth-pipette. If I may ask, how did you get started? What would your advice be for the motivated amateur? I started in a microbiology degree, transitioned to math, and now I'm about to graduate with my compsci. It's always seemed that there are much deeper connections than was revealed during my courses. I once told my biology professor that my dream was to innovate in lab technologies. He told me, point-blank, to squash that; the field is oversaturated and we've got as good as we're likely to have for a few decades, so he said. Do you agree? If not, what do you think are the most glaring market inefficiencies?
  - koeng 5y ago
    I got a virology textbook in 6th grade that I fell in love with, and then started doing at home biotech stuffs with a GFP transformation kit from BioRad that my teacher let me take home in 7th grade. Bit unconventional! For an amateur, I'd recommend 2 things: go to as many conferences as possible (I'm not sure in other fields, but in biotech I think it is important) and get somebody else to pay for you hands on biotech experience. Don't listen to your biology professor; he's probably part of the problem. There are a ton of market inefficiencies. Ginkgo, for example, mainly uses metabolic engineer's knowledge to create challenging new products. What if we could automate the job of metabolic engineering? Though in the end case, it all comes down to if you can make money by solving that market inefficiency, which in biotech, is not always true. You also have to be in the treacherous middle ground of "not doing bullshit" but also "doing shit". Talk to lots of people to figure out where that is. Happy to call if you'd like!
hsuduebc2 5y ago
Sounds interesting. Maybe this question would sound weird but how do you get an idea for a product? I mean in synth biology. Like. I think that I can produce this chemical with bacteria more simply/cheaply?

cybernautique 5y ago

I'm interested, but in the it's-something-I-aspire-to-some-day-when-I'm-not-so-incompetent sense. However! I'd love to engage with you to hear about what's up! Is your inbox open to general curiosity, or would you rather keep emails limited to serious takers currently?

kilroy123 5y ago
Happy to chat with anyone. :)

cinntaile 5y ago

At this point they're massively overvalued if you ask me, that seems to be the case for every synthetic biology company but this one takes the cake.

kilroy123 5y ago
I totally agree, but it seems like everything with a good story is overvalued these days.
- cinntaile 5y ago
  Yeah that's a fair point. I do believe there is value in synthetic biology, so I try to keep up with what happens a bit at least :)

koeng 5y ago

I’m a major contributor to a synbio software package https://github.com/TimothyStiles/poly https://github.com/TimothyStiles/poly and I also do quite a lot of robotics in the space (have a full DNA foundry running in my house, that took a lot of software). Already starting something in the space, but I’d be happy to talk!

cybernautique 5y ago
That's very cool! I'll be reading your blog for the next few days; I very much like your view of innovation and liberty. I've only had a quick scan so far, but it seems absolutely dripping of the fun proteases we love to mouth-pipette. If I may ask, how did you get started? What would your advice be for the motivated amateur? I started in a microbiology degree, transitioned to math, and now I'm about to graduate with my compsci. It's always seemed that there are much deeper connections than was revealed during my courses. I once told my biology professor that my dream was to innovate in lab technologies. He told me, point-blank, to squash that; the field is oversaturated and we've got as good as we're likely to have for a few decades, so he said. Do you agree? If not, what do you think are the most glaring market inefficiencies?
- koeng 5y ago
  I got a virology textbook in 6th grade that I fell in love with, and then started doing at home biotech stuffs with a GFP transformation kit from BioRad that my teacher let me take home in 7th grade. Bit unconventional! For an amateur, I'd recommend 2 things: go to as many conferences as possible (I'm not sure in other fields, but in biotech I think it is important) and get somebody else to pay for you hands on biotech experience. Don't listen to your biology professor; he's probably part of the problem. There are a ton of market inefficiencies. Ginkgo, for example, mainly uses metabolic engineer's knowledge to create challenging new products. What if we could automate the job of metabolic engineering? Though in the end case, it all comes down to if you can make money by solving that market inefficiency, which in biotech, is not always true. You also have to be in the treacherous middle ground of "not doing bullshit" but also "doing shit". Talk to lots of people to figure out where that is. Happy to call if you'd like!

hsuduebc2 5y ago

Sounds interesting. Maybe this question would sound weird but how do you get an idea for a product? I mean in synth biology. Like. I think that I can produce this chemical with bacteria more simply/cheaply?