For nearly two decades, the [tech revolution](https://a16z.com/2011/08/20/why-software-is-eating-the-world/) consumed nearly every industry [except biotech](https://www.baybridgebio.com/blog/young_founders_2.html). Biotech was too capital intensive, too conservative, and too time-consuming to be put on a trajectory similar to that of the software companies that defined the early 2000s — or so many thought. But while the funding structures and archetype of biotech companies remained shielded from change, the pace of innovation in the field picked up. Enabled by advances in computation and automation, the field of biotechnology has made immense strides in the last two decades. We have sequenced the human genome, watched the [costs of said sequencing](https://onezero.medium.com/the-price-of-dna-sequencing-dropped-from-2-7-billion-to-300-in-less-than-20-years-f5e07c2f18b4) drop from $2.7B to under $300, discovered precision engineering tools like CRISPR, developed entirely new treatment modalities such as CAR-T therapies, and have begun to trade scientist labor for machine intelligence to power drug discovery.  Costs of DNA sequencing have significantly outpaced Moore’s Law _(Source:_ [_NIH_](https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/DNA-Sequencing-Costs-Data)_)_ The very advancements in technology that have allowed for unprecedented biological innovation are **changing the archetype of biotech companies themselves, enabling a new pace of biological innovation**. Many refer to this new class of companies as “TechBio,” a term originally coined by [Artis Ventures](https://www.av.co/portfolio-techbio) to reverse the emphasis and signal that the tech revolution has finally arrived in bio. Rather than biotech, this is the age of bio _meets_ tech. # **What is TechBio?** So what do TechBio companies look like? These companies are: > [**Engineering First**](https://a16z.com/2018/11/12/how-to-engineer-biology/): concerned more with using our understanding of biology to program bio and design with bio rather than to search for individual assets. > > [**Founder-Led**](https://www.pillar.vc/news/the-future-of-biotech-is-founder-led/): started and operated by PhDs, engineers, and researchers often straight from university labs (which in turn has freed TechBio from the usual suspects: Boston-centric venture incubators.) > > [**More Capital-Efficient**](https://www.baybridgebio.com/blog/ipo_2018_q12019.html): able to leverage advances in technology to de-risk and bring products/services to market quicker, with funding rounds similar to that of software companies. > > [**Discovery Engines**](https://a16z.com/2021/01/08/bio-platform-companies/): focused on creating platform technologies that fuel the discovery and development of multiple asset classes. > > [**Interdisciplinary**](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/life-sciences/our-insights/the-bio-revolution-innovations-transforming-economies-societies-and-our-lives): influenced by advances across multiple fields including computing, mechanical and electrical engineering, manufacturing, chemistry, and biology. **TechBio is the direct application of engineering to biology**. While the portion of biology that we understand is still severely limited in scope, applying an engineering mindset to solving biological problems means we can still work with limited information. We see TechBio as being concerned with four main components: 1. Reading bio — understanding genetic information (DNA, RNA, proteins, etc.) _ex: next-gen sequencing_ 2. Writing bio — synthesizing DNA, RNA, and protein constructs. _ex: creating custom DNA oligonucleotides_ 3. Programming bio — manipulating genetic information or small molecules for therapeutic purposes. _ex: designing complex antibody drugs to treat metastatic cancer_ 4. Delivering bio — routing biological information to the correct tissues and cells. _ex: delivering RNA drugs to organ of interest_ Think of these as the tools through which TechBio innovation can occur. Therapeutic innovation is primarily focused with _programming_ bio. But in order to _program_ a therapeutic, you have to be able to _read_ bio to understand the molecular pathways and targets, _write_ bio to design and test constructs, and _deliver_ bio to get the drug to the right cells at the right time. https://medium.com/cantos-ventures/what-is-techbio-ef01cd61834d #wip