Ansa Biotechnologies, an emerging leader in the field of DNA synthesis, has announced the closing of a $45.2 million funding round. This financing also includes additional commitments totaling $9.2 million, positioning it as an oversubscribed Series B round. The funding was spearheaded by Cerberus Ventures, with strong participation from Blue Water Life Science Advisors and Altitude Life Science Ventures, as well as other existing investors. The company also welcomed new investors, including Fall Line Capital, AIM13, and Black Opal Ventures.
As part of this funding initiative, Chenny Zhang, who serves as Director at Cerberus Ventures, and Dr. Yanniv Dorone, the Senior Vice President at Fall Line Capital, have joined Ansa’s board of directors. Their appointments bring valuable industry experience and a high level of technical expertise in key sectors, which will significantly contribute to Ansa’s long-term strategic goals. Their involvement is expected to enhance Ansa’s capacity to navigate the complexities of the biotechnology landscape.
The funding raised will enable Ansa to broaden its manufacturing capacity within the United States. This expansion is crucial as it will enhance the company’s focus on improving customer experience and foster new strategic relationships. Ansa is committed to driving technological innovation that allows it to introduce novel applications in the rapidly evolving field of DNA synthesis. These efforts aim to help customers accelerate their scientific progress at unprecedented speeds, effectively facilitating the industry’s evolution from merely reading genomes to actively writing them.
Chemical DNA synthesis has been historically the foundation of the DNA-reading era in biology. However, as the industry transitions into the DNA-writing era, it faces significant limitations. The inability to reliably synthesize complex sequences or produce longer DNA strands has impeded advancement at a time when scientific opportunities abound. Ansa aims to address these shortcomings by redefining the capabilities of DNA synthesis.
At the heart of Ansa’s progress is its proprietary enzymatic platform. This innovative technology enables the design and assembly of critical DNA constructs at scale, providing the necessary length and complexity. Unlike traditional chemical synthesis, Ansa’s sustainable enzymatic approach avoids the use of harsh chemicals, which helps to preserve DNA integrity and enables the creation of longer, more complex sequences.
This capacity opens up previously inaccessible areas of the genome, empowering scientists to develop new pathways, engineer innovative systems, and enhance discoveries in fields such as gene and cell therapy, vaccines, agrigenomics, and synthetic biology.
For decades, DNA synthesis has been confined to producing short and relatively simple constructs, which has left significant portions of the genome out of reach for scientific exploration. These constraints have effectively limited scientists’ ability to design at scale and achieve the precision necessary to propel the field of biology into its next phase of development.
Ansa is now able to deliver clonal DNA sequences of up to 50 kilobases, achieving these results in industry-leading turnaround times. By overcoming the dual challenges of length and complexity, Ansa equips researchers with the tools necessary to design and assemble large DNA sequences that legacy providers struggle to deliver reliably.
The demand for Ansa’s innovative services has skyrocketed during its first year of commercialization. Responding to this surge, the company has recently launched the Ansa On-Time Guarantee. This commitment ensures that all customer orders will be shipped in full and on time, with the assurance that if they are not, the entire order will be free of charge.
Additionally, Ansa has revamped its pricing framework for low-complexity DNA sequences, implementing a competitive pricing structure that ensures customers have access to high-quality DNA without compromising on complexity or turnaround time. This customer-focused approach positions Ansa as a formidable contender in the rapidly advancing DNA synthesis market.
KEY QUOTES:
“Ansa is leading a fundamental shift in DNA synthesis. For decades, the market has been limited by an unreliable and outdated process. Ansa’s management team has done an excellent job demonstrating that scientists can finally get what they need, when they need it. We believe Ansa’s guaranteed approach fills a huge unmet need, and should become the new standard for DNA synthesis.”
Chenny Zhang
“Our first year of commercialization proved what we already believed: reliability wins. When you can deliver 50 kb of clonal DNA in 24 days or less, when you’re the only company bold enough to guarantee entire orders, and when you keep innovating on behalf of customers instead of protecting the status quo, you don’t just compete, you reset the rules. This financing is fuel for the next phase of our mission: to make DNA something scientists can count on, every single time.”
Jason T. Gammack, Chief Executive Officer of Ansa Biotechnologies
