bit.bio
bit.bio is a synthetic biology company that develops a platform for creating human cell types at industrial scale. It has raised $225M and employs 155 people.
The growth story
bit.bio grew from 184 to 155 employees between 2022 and 2026, raising $225M along the way, most recently a Series C in January 2026.
About
bit.bio sells a cell programming platform that converts induced pluripotent stem cells into specific cell types for research and drug discovery. Its opti-ox technology claims to be 10x faster than conventional methods and produces cells with high biological consistency.
The company has raised $225M, most recently in a Series C round in January 2026. Its 155-person workforce includes 57 researchers, with significant talent drawn from the University of Cambridge and Wellcome Sanger Institute.
Founders and leadership
bit.bio is led by a team with deep synthetic biology expertise. Its largest function is research, which accounts for 57 of its 155 employees. The company has a median tenure of 2 years.
The bit.bio org chart
Mark Kotter (Founder) leads 49 mapped leaders with 1 direct report. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Research 73 (-4% YoY), Operations 12 (-20% YoY), Sales 11 (+38% YoY), Information Technology 7 (-12% YoY), Business Development 7 (-30% YoY), Entrepreneurship 5 (0% YoY).
Talent flow
bit.bio recruits heavily from academic institutions, with 15 hires each from the University of Cambridge and Wellcome Sanger Institute. Its alumni frequently move to GSK and other biotech firms, with 4 joining GSK and 3 founding CellCodex.
Most common previous employers of bit.bio staff: University of Cambridge (15), Wellcome Sanger Institute (15), Axol Bioscience (9), GSK (6), Horizon Discovery (5), Abcam (4). Former bit.bio employees most often moved to GSK (4), CellCodex (3), SMC (3), University of Cambridge (3), Ncardia (2), Illumina (2).
Alumni worth knowing
The bit.bio mafia
bit.bio alumni have founded 13 companies, including Bunsen (26 staff), U-Ploid Biotechnologies (14 staff), and clock.health (11 staff). Several focus on biotech applications of synthetic biology.
13Ben Kellogg, was Communications Strategy until 2021Chloe Charalambous, was Scientist until 2024Joana Tavares, was Consultant until 2020Emmanouil Metzakopian, was Chief Scientific Officer until 2025Amy Rochford, was Academic Research Partner until 2021Eric Gornstein, was Senior Vice President BD & Cell Therapy Partnerships until 2025
Milad Alucozai, was Investor & Strategic Business Advisor until 2023
Majid Islam, was Interim COO / Head of Operations until 2021
Jackson Davis, was Strategy, Finance, New Ventures until 2022
Malak Kawan, PhD, was Academic Research Partner until 2023
David Hoffman, was Head of Intellectual Property until 2023
Adam Sidaway, was Senior Scientist until 2020
Marco Ortiz, was Scientist II, Translational Medicine until 2024Web traffic
Traffic mix: 0% direct, 0% search, 0% social, 0% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at bit.bio: Cell Culture (58), Molecular Biology (48), Cell Biology (46), Research Skills (44), Data Analysis (39), Microsoft Office (38), Communication (38), Western Blotting (37).
Where the team actually sits
bit.bio people are concentrated in England, United Kingdom (74), Greater Cambridge Area (22), United Kingdom (22), London Area, United Kingdom (2).
Search footprint
bit.bio attracts about 422 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $5K a month if bought through ads. It gained 121 ranking keywords and lost 85 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 3.80 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 3.60 / 5
- Senior management
- 2.20 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 2.90 / 5
Frequently asked
bit.bio has 155 employees as of September 2026.
bit.bio has raised $225M in total, most recently a Series C round in January 2026.
bit.bio was founded in 2016 by Mark Kotter.
Mark Kotter (Founder) sits at the top of bit.bio's reporting structure, with 1 direct report.
The most common previous employers of current bit.bio staff are University of Cambridge (15 people), Wellcome Sanger Institute (15 people), Axol Bioscience (9 people).
Former bit.bio employees most often move to GSK (4), CellCodex (3), SMC (3).
At least 13 companies have a founder who previously worked at bit.bio, including Bunsen, U-Ploid Biotechnologies, clock.health.
bit.bio attracts about 422 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $5K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among bit.bio staff are Cell Culture, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Research Skills, Data Analysis.
bit.bio staff are concentrated in England, United Kingdom (74), Greater Cambridge Area (22), United Kingdom (22).
bit.bio has about 73 people in Research, down 4% over the past year, as of September 2026.
bit.bio has about 12 people in Operations, down 20% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 126 current and 202 former bit.bio profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
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