Synthego
Synthego sells CRISPR technology and services to accelerate life science research and drug development. The biotech company has raised $460M, most recently in a Series E round in February 2022.
The growth story
Synthego grew from 300 to 176 employees between 2021 and 2026, raising $460M along the way, most recently a Series E in February 2022.
About
Synthego provides CRISPR-based tools and services for life science research, focusing on cell and gene therapy development. Its offerings support researchers from discovery through clinical trials, including licensing and regulatory guidance.
The company has scaled to 176 employees, with engineering being its largest function. Its $460M in funding, including a 2022 Series E, positions it as a well-capitalized player in the CRISPR space.
Founders and leadership
Engineering is Synthego's largest function, with 18 employees. The company has a median tenure of 2 years, suggesting moderate turnover.
The Synthego org chart
Craig Christianson (President and CEO) leads 60 mapped leaders with 4 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Research 44 (-8% YoY), Engineering 20 (+5% YoY), Operations 20 (+5% YoY), Quality Assurance 19 (+6% YoY), Sales 11 (+22% YoY), Business Development 11 (+38% YoY).
Talent flow
Synthego hires heavily from established biotech firms like Thermo Fisher Scientific and Promega. Alumni frequently move to CRISPR-focused startups, with EditCo Bio attracting the most former Synthego employees.
Most common previous employers of Synthego staff: Thermo Fisher Scientific (8), Promega (7), Twist Bioscience (5), Genentech (5), MilliporeSigma (3), UCLA (3). Former Synthego employees most often moved to EditCo Bio (11), Mission Bio (4), Ansa Biotechnologies (3), Thermo Fisher Scientific (3), Twist Bioscience (3), Cellares (3).
Alumni worth knowing
The Synthego mafia
Synthego alumni have founded 21 companies, including Cellares (333 staff) and Saronic Technologies (1262 staff). Several startups focus on biotech and life sciences.
24Fabian Gerlinghaus, was Chief Innovation Officer until 2019Omar Kurdi, was VP Operations until 2018Brandon Rice, was Director of Product, Functional Genomics until 2020Jun Axup Penman, was Scientist, Biology Lead until 2015Robert Betancort, was Senior Marketing Manager until 2020Nick Clare, was Head of Sales (Europe) until 2023
Harrison Waid, was Sr. Director, Revenue Operations & Customer Success until 2023
Sammy Datwani, Ph.D, was Sr. Vice President Of Development & Advisor until 2023
Andrew Chang, was Senior Machine Learning Engineer until 2020
Rich Stoner, was Chief Science Officer until 2019
Pedro Mendez, was Associate Director, Analytical R&D until 2023
Abizar Lakdawalla, was Director, New Products until 2020
Duncan Liew, PhD, was Senior Director, GMP CRISPR Gene Editing until 2022
Benjamin Stevenson, MBA, FMA, was Director, Facilities until 2023
James Misselbrook, Ph.D., was Staff Scientist (GMP Oligonucleotide) until 2022
Arne Vandenbroucke, was Sr. Director, Automation, Process and Systems Engineering until 2023
Eleanor Kolossovski - PhD, MBA, was Vice President of Product Management and Marketing (CRISPR Editing) until 2024
Keith Horwood, was Engineer until 2016
Josh Benhamou, was Director of Software Engineering until 2020
Tristan Matthews, was VP Engineering, Software & Systems until 2020
Matthew Titcomb, was Clinical Sales Consultant until 2023
Colton Hicks, was Analytical Chemist until 2014Web traffic
Traffic mix: 27% direct, 58% search, 0% social, 0% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at Synthego: Microsoft Office (62), Research Skills (52), Microsoft Excel (49), Leadership (48), Biotechnology (45), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) (43), Data Analysis (42), Customer Service (40).
Where the team actually sits
Synthego people are concentrated in California, United States (66), San Francisco Bay Area (31), United States (8), Washington, United States (3).
Search footprint
Synthego attracts about 28,849 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $70K a month if bought through ads. It gained 1,744 ranking keywords and lost 1,421 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 3.10 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 3.20 / 5
- Senior management
- 2.80 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 3.40 / 5
Frequently asked
Synthego has 176 employees as of September 2026.
Synthego has raised $460M in total, most recently a Series E round in February 2022.
Craig Christianson (President and CEO) sits at the top of Synthego's reporting structure, with 4 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current Synthego staff are Thermo Fisher Scientific (8 people), Promega (7 people), Twist Bioscience (5 people).
Former Synthego employees most often move to EditCo Bio (11), Mission Bio (4), Ansa Biotechnologies (3).
At least 21 companies have a founder who previously worked at Synthego, including Saronic Technologies, Cellares, Weave Bio.
Synthego attracts about 28,849 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $70K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among Synthego staff are Microsoft Office, Research Skills, Microsoft Excel, Leadership, Biotechnology.
Synthego staff are concentrated in California, United States (66), San Francisco Bay Area (31), United States (8).
Synthego has about 44 people in Research, down 8% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Synthego has about 20 people in Engineering, up 5% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 132 current and 285 former Synthego profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
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