Ginkgo BioWorks Finalizes $9M In Funding, Opens Foundry
BOSTON (CBS) -- One of Boston's most unusual manufacturers is ramping up production after finalizing some $9 million in its first round of funding.
Ginkgo BioWorks has opened what it calls a state-of-the-art foundry to design and manufacturer organisms based on biology robotics and advanced software.
Co-founder Reshma Shetty tells me the foundry is called "BioWorks1." She says it's similar to foundries that Intel has for making computers.
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She says these organisms, or engineered microbes, produce all sorts of cultured ingredients, such as fragrances, flavors and nutritional ingredients.
"To be honest, the process for making these ingredients is very similar to growing beer," Shetty says. "Depending on the yeast and the type of hops you use, you can get a different aroma profile for the beer that you brew, it's the same thing for us: By changing the organism we use, changing what we feed in, we can get a different ingredient produced."
Shetty says about 25 people work at Ginko BioWorks, and that number is expected to double.
Reshma Shetty says she first came to Boston to go to grad school at MIT and decided to stick around.
