Benjamin Kim

Amber Bio is a biotechnology company pioneering new gene editing modalities using multi-kilobase edits to reach previously undruggable patient populations. The current paradigm in genetic medicine relies on developing independent therapies for each separate mutation in the patient population. Founded by pioneers in the CRISPR field from leading institutions for gene editing research, the company is developing a first-of-its-kind RNA writing platform capable of editing thousands of diverse mutations across patients with a single product.

Atomic AI is a well-funded, early-stage biotech company transforming the rational design of molecules and medicines through the cutting-edge fusion of artificial intelligence and structural biology. Atomic’s unique R&D platform, based on research featured on the cover of Science (doi.org/10.1126/science.abe5650), provides new strategies to treat or cure previously-undruggable diseases by targeting RNA structure. We are an interdisciplinary team working across computational and experimental biology and believe that our strongest asset is our people. Were hiring! https://boards.greenhouse.io/atomai

Treating human disease with truly human therapeutics.

Outpace is creating cell therapies with curative potential through protein design and cellular engineering. With an initial focus on solid tumors, Outpace is developing technologies that overcome the barriers to efficacy and safety by programming cells to make the right decisions inside patients. Outpace’s suite of technologies drive persistent activity of the cell therapy (OutLast™), recruit a productive immune response in the tumor microenvironment (OutSmart™), and achieve the potency (OutSpacers™), specificity (Co-LOCKR™), and safety (EGFRopt™) necessary to unlock diverse cancer indications. Outpace’s internal and partnered pipeline approach is optimized for rapid clinical validation of its technologies across diverse cell types and manufacturing processes. At Outpace Bio, we believe that the highest performing teams include people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences who respectfully challenge each other. We are committed to building an open, diverse, and inclusive culture for all employees.

Manifold Bio is a therapeutics company with an unprecedented advantage in engineering precision biologics. We have developed the world’s first high-throughput in vivo drug design platform, enabled by a novel protein barcoding technology and other innovations at the interface of molecular biology and compute. Our mission is to make the best life-saving drugs available to patients as quickly as possible. We’ve brought together a team with unique expertise in library-guided protein engineering combining DNA synthesis, sequencing, and advanced bioinformatics and machine learning. We’re growing and we’re looking for those who are excited about the potential of our novel approach to engineering biology.

Lassogen is developing a new therapeutic modality based on lasso peptides that we are programming to treat difficult diseases such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. Lasso peptides are naturally produced by bacteria and represent a unique, vast, untapped source of novel molecular diversity for drug discovery and development. The distinctive lasso fold and 3D topology of lasso peptides engender these scaffolds with beneficial properties (protease, low pH, heat stability) and potent biological activity against challenging targets such as G protein-coupled receptors. Lasso peptides also display an increasingly wide range of mechanisms of action, such as intracellular enzyme inhibition, extracellular protein binding, biosynthesis intermediate binding, and cell-surface receptor modulation. Lassogen’s proprietary cutting-edge platform enables high throughput production and optimization of our innovative lasso-based therapeutics. Our founding team has developed a genome mining algorithm using machine learning, which has revealed the extreme prevalence of highly diverse lasso peptides across most bacterial phyla. Thus, millions of lasso peptides in nature serve as excellent starting points for Lassogen as we advance this new class of therapeutics. Our first products are targeting GPCRs for immuno-oncology applications. For example, LAS-103 is a potent and selective antagonist of endothelin type B receptor (ETB). Blocking ETB opens up tumors to infiltration of lymphocytes and turns "cold" tumors "hot" in cancers that overexpress ETB. Combinations of LAS-103 with other immunotherapies thus represents a new approach for treating challenging malignancies such as ovarian cancer and triple negative breast cancer.

Amber Bio is a biotechnology company pioneering new gene editing modalities using multi-kilobase edits to reach previously undruggable patient populations. The current paradigm in genetic medicine relies on developing independent therapies for each separate mutation in the patient population. Founded by pioneers in the CRISPR field from leading institutions for gene editing research, the company is developing a first-of-its-kind RNA writing platform capable of editing thousands of diverse mutations across patients with a single product.

Playground Global is an early-stage deep tech venture capital firm investing in technical founders to transform ambitious ideas into high-impact businesses. We help build companies at the earliest stages, leveraging our engineering expertise and commitment to founders taking scientific and technological risks. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, Playground invests in areas like next-generation computing, automation, energy transition, and engineered biology. Our portfolio includes pioneering companies such as PsiQuantum, MosaicML (acq. by Databricks), d-Matrix, Agility Robotics, Ultima Genomics, and Strand Therapeutics. Learn more at www.playground.vc

Atomic AI is a well-funded, early-stage biotech company transforming the rational design of molecules and medicines through the cutting-edge fusion of artificial intelligence and structural biology. Atomic’s unique R&D platform, based on research featured on the cover of Science (doi.org/10.1126/science.abe5650), provides new strategies to treat or cure previously-undruggable diseases by targeting RNA structure. We are an interdisciplinary team working across computational and experimental biology and believe that our strongest asset is our people. Were hiring! https://boards.greenhouse.io/atomai

Treating human disease with truly human therapeutics.