Lygos: Biofuels Digest’s 5-Minute Guide

December 5, 2012 |

Address: 2929 7th Street, Suite 120 Berkeley, CA  94710

Year Founded: 2011

Company description: Lygos develops high-efficiency, novel processes to produce renewable chemicals by using our expertise in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. Lygos is a spin-off from the lab of Professor Jay Keasling, Director of the Joint BioEnergy Institute in Emeryville, CA

Major Investors: Pre-Series A

3 Top Milestones for 2009-11: Developed a crucial high throughput screen for initial products; established high throughput work flow and data management; and rapidly drove first product from proof of concept to optimization.

3 Major Milestone Goals for 2013-15: Current efforts focus on demonstrating biological and biological + chemical routes to several renewable products with significant commercial markets; developing key partnerships for feedstock, production, and marketing / distribution of renewable chemical products, and securing a first major round of investment.

Business Model: Commercial options range from technology licensing through JV’s to build / own / operate

Competitive Edge(s): Expertise in synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and high-throughput screening, plus strong licensed and internally-developed IP estate. Initial products have highly-favorable theoretical yields and ~100% selectivity of biological pathways, Lygos expects to produce many products with substantial economic advantages over petrochemical routes. As a result, these products will be commercially viable without mandates, subsidies, exorbitant crude oil prices, or “green premiums,” although of course those will provide even greater advantages where available.

Research, or Manufacturing Partnerships or Alliances: Under development / in negotiation 

Stage:  Bench

Website URL: www.lygos.com

Chief Executive Officer: J. (Clem) Fortman

 

 

Category: 5-Minute Guide

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