Ansa Biotechnologies Secures Funding to Revolutionize DNA Synthesis

Funding announcements in biotech are more than business headlines—they're signals of scientific momentum and bets on transformative technologies that could reshape entire industries.

These moments offer a glimpse into where science is headed, what investors are prioritizing, and how breakthrough innovations are making their way from the lab to commercial reality.

In this series, we're covering early-stage biotech companies that recently raised capital, spotlighting the ideas—and the science—behind them. Next up: Ansa Biotechnologies.

Ansa Biotechnologies' Bold Mission: Replace Chemical DNA Synthesis with Enzymatic Innovation

Ansa Biotechnologies, an Emeryville, California-based biotech company, is emerging as a pioneer in next-generation DNA synthesis with a clear focus: to develop enzymatic DNA manufacturing that surpasses traditional chemical methods in speed, accuracy, and environmental sustainability.

It's an ambitious effort aimed at a massive opportunity—synthetic DNA is foundational to biological research, therapeutics development, agricultural innovation, and biomanufacturing, yet the industry has relied on essentially the same chemical synthesis method since the 1980s, over 40 years.

Why DNA Synthesis Needs a New Approach

The current industry standard for DNA synthesis relies on phosphoramidite chemistry, a chemical process that uses harsh, hazardous reagents and is fundamentally limited in the length and complexity of sequences it can produce. Traditional chemical methods can typically synthesize only about 200 base pairs directly, requiring error-prone assembly steps to create longer gene-length constructs.

These chemical processes damage DNA molecules during synthesis, leading to higher error rates and making certain complex sequences—those with extreme GC content, tandem repeats, or secondary structures—difficult or impossible to produce reliably. The method also generates significant chemical waste, raising environmental and safety concerns.

For researchers working on cutting-edge applications like CRISPR gene editing, mRNA vaccines, cell therapies, and synthetic biology, these limitations create critical obstacles. Scientists often wait weeks for DNA constructs that may not even work when they arrive.

Ansa Biotechnologies is aiming to eliminate these constraints by developing a fully enzymatic synthesis method that mimics how nature builds DNA—without the damaging chemicals.

A Novel Technology Platform: TdT-dNTP Conjugates

Ansa Biotechnologies has developed a proprietary enzymatic DNA synthesis technology based on TdT-dNTP conjugates, a breakthrough approach first published in Nature Biotechnology by the company's founders. This innovative method enables rapid and controlled single-base additions to DNA molecules, allowing for direct synthesis of sequences over 1,000 bases long.

The technology works through a simple two-step cycle. First, a TdT enzyme with a single tethered nucleotide (dNTP) extends a DNA primer by exactly one base. The enzyme remains attached after addition, blocking further extensions and ensuring precision. Second, a different enzyme cleaves the linker, releasing the TdT and exposing the DNA end for the next addition cycle.

This fully aqueous, enzymatic process offers several key advantages:

• Longer sequences: Direct synthesis of DNA fragments up to 600 bp commercially available, with early access programs offering constructs up to 50 kb without assembly
• Complex sequence capability: Successfully synthesizes sequences with extreme GC content, tandem repeats, and secondary structures that challenge chemical methods
• Higher accuracy: Native-like nucleotide substrates enable extremely fast reactions that go to completion, reducing errors
• Environmental benefits: Fully enzymatic process eliminates harsh chemicals and reduces hazardous waste

Ansa has developed highly multiplexed, custom-built instruments optimized for speed and reliability, orchestrated by proprietary informatics software. All sequences undergo biosecurity screening following industry best practices.

Leadership & Expertise

Ansa Biotechnologies transitioned from founder-led innovation to commercial-stage leadership in February 2024, positioning the company for its next growth phase. The leadership team combines deep scientific expertise with proven commercial experience:

• Jason T. Gammack, Chief Executive Officer: A life sciences industry veteran, Gammack joined Ansa to lead the transition from early access programs to full commercial operations. His extensive expertise in commercializing life sciences tools and services positions the company for long-term growth.
• Daniel Lin-Arlow, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder: Lin-Arlow received his PhD from UC Berkeley working in Professor Jay Keasling's lab and co-developed the foundational TdT-dNTP conjugate technology at Lawrence Berkeley Lab's Joint BioEnergy Institute. He served as founding CEO before transitioning to CSO.
• Sebastian Palluk, PhD, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder: Palluk joined JBEI for his PhD work and partnered with Lin-Arlow to develop the first practical enzymatic de novo DNA synthesis method. As CTO, he oversees continued technology advancement and platform development.
• Jeremiah Hanes, PhD, Senior Vice President of Research & Development: A proven leader with over 13 years at PacBio developing long-read sequencing technologies, Hanes brings cross-disciplinary expertise and holds 32 US patents.

The company was founded in 2018 as a UC Berkeley spinout, built on pioneering research from the university's synthetic biology programs.

Funding & Strategic Backing

Ansa Biotechnologies has secured over $122 million in funding across two major rounds, demonstrating strong investor confidence in enzymatic DNA synthesis.

The company closed an oversubscribed $68 million Series A in April 2022, led by Northpond Ventures with participation from RA Capital, Blue Water Life Science Advisors, Altitude Life Science Ventures, Fiscus Ventures, PEAK6 Strategic Capital, Carbon Silicon Ventures, Codon Capital, and existing investors including Mubadala Capital, Humboldt Fund, Fifty Years, and Horizons Ventures.

Most recently, in September 2025, Ansa announced a $54.4 million Series B financing round, of which $45.2 million has closed with the remaining $9.2 million in committed capital. The round was led by Cerberus Ventures, with new investors including Fall Line Capital, AIM13, and Black Opal Ventures, alongside continued participation from Blue Water Life Science Advisors, Altitude Life Science Ventures, and other existing backers.

As part of the Series B, Chenny Zhang (Director at Cerberus Ventures) and Yanniv Dorone, PhD (Senior Vice President at Fall Line Capital) joined Ansa's board of directors, bringing diverse industry experience and technical expertise to support long-term strategic goals.

This substantial funding will enable Ansa to scale manufacturing capacity in the United States, enhance customer experience, and continue developing strategic partnerships and technological innovations. The investment supports the company's mission to transition the industry from genome reading (DNA sequencing) to genome writing (DNA synthesis).

Commercial Products & Service Offerings

Ansa Biotechnologies launched its first commercial products in July 2024 following a successful early access program that served researchers worldwide. The company now offers:

• Ansa Clonal DNA: Sequence-perfect clonal genes up to 7.5 kb, delivered in a format ready for immediate experimental use. This product provides researchers with the highest accuracy for applications requiring perfect fidelity.
• Ansa DNA Fragments: Sequence-verified linear double-stranded DNA fragments up to 600 bp, offering faster turnaround for researchers who need reliable DNA quickly. These fragments are synthesized as complete, contiguous oligonucleotides without requiring assembly—a capability unique to Ansa.
• 50 kb Ultra-Long DNA (Early Access): Launched in May 2025, this program offers constructs up to 50 kb in under four weeks, enabling advanced applications in genomics, agriculture, and cell and gene therapy. The pilot program has already served prestigious laboratories including those of George Church at Harvard Medical School and Jay Shendure at the University of Washington.

Market Position & Competitive Landscape

The enzymatic DNA synthesis market is experiencing rapid growth, with projections suggesting expansion from approximately $355-371 million in 2025 to over $1.1-3.9 billion by 2030-2035, reflecting compound annual growth rates exceeding 26%. This growth reflects increasing demand from synthetic biology, therapeutics development, vaccine production, and agricultural biotechnology.

Ansa competes in a dynamic landscape that includes both enzymatic innovators and established chemical synthesis providers. Key enzymatic competitors include DNA Script (benchtop enzymatic printers), Molecular Assemblies (Fully Enzymatic Synthesis technology), Twist Bioscience (high-throughput DNA products), Telesis Bio (Gibson SOLA platform), and others.

However, Ansa's approach offers distinct competitive advantages. The company's TdT-dNTP conjugate technology is fundamentally different from other enzymatic methods, enabling unique capabilities. Ansa is currently the only provider capable of synthesizing complete, contiguous DNA oligonucleotides up to 600 bp without assembly, and is pushing boundaries with 50 kb constructs.

The company excels at sequences that challenge traditional methods, which are found in critical genomic elements like promoters, untranslated regions, and inverted terminal repeats. Ansa also distinguishes itself with an industry-first guaranteed on-time delivery service, addressing a longstanding pain point where researchers routinely experience delays from traditional DNA synthesis providers. Chenny Zhang of Cerberus Ventures noted, "We believe Ansa's guaranteed approach fills a huge unmet need, and should become the new standard for DNA synthesis."

Notable partnerships validate Ansa's technology, including work with the Innovative Genomics Institute founded by Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna, where researchers use Ansa's products for microbial gene transfer and community research.

Looking Ahead

Ansa Biotechnologies is positioned at the forefront of a fundamental shift in how scientists access synthetic DNA. By combining proprietary enzymatic synthesis technology with the ability to tackle sequences other providers cannot, the company is addressing critical unmet needs across biological research, therapeutics development, and industrial biotechnology.

The company's technology roadmap demonstrates ambitious scaling, moving from 600 bp commercial products in 2024 to 50 kb constructs in 2025, with plans for full commercialization of ultra-long DNA synthesis. This progression opens new possibilities for synthetic genomics, metabolic engineering, agricultural research, and next-generation cell and gene therapies—applications that require DNA lengths previously unattainable through direct synthesis.

As the Series B funding enables expanded manufacturing capacity and strategic partnerships, Ansa is well-positioned to accelerate scientific progress for customers in synthetic DNA manufacturing. The company's focus on reliability, complexity handling, and guaranteed delivery could establish new standards for the industry, transforming DNA synthesis from a constraint into an enabler of rapid innovation.

With growing demand for sustainable, accurate, and scalable DNA manufacturing processes across medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology, Ansa Biotechnologies holds credible potential to become a defining company in the enzymatic DNA synthesis revolution.