
Our Story
Synthetic Genomics, Inc. (SGI) is a leader in the genomics revolution. SGI was founded in 2005 by genomics pioneers Craig Venter, Ph.D., and Nobel Laureate Hamilton Smith, M.D., shortly after the completion of the Human Genome Project, which mapped the human genome for the first time. Since then, scientists and engineers have dramatically improved the accuracy and reduced the cost associated with reading the sequence of DNA code — the order of the As, Cs, Ts, and Gs that make up an organism’s genome.
In understanding how DNA serves as the universal operating system of life, our founders boldly envisioned we could then program cells to solve some of humanity’s largest challenges. Our innovations have incubated multiple technologies that are now being pursued in spin-out-companies or by our strategic partners.
Today, we build on our profound genomic expertise to address some of the largest challenges facing humanity: CO2 emissions, pollution and climate change. To combat impending environmental crises, we are redesigning algae to create scalable biofuels, ultimately providing sustainable transportation solutions with low environmental impact. In partnering with ExxonMobil and its proven record of breakthrough engineering products and large-scale deployment, we are able to build a platform that can make a meaningful difference in the world: scalable, sustainable low-carbon biofuels.