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§ Private Profile · 65 Grove St Ste 203, Watertown, Massachusetts, 02472, United States
RootPath is a technology company.
RootPath is a synthetic biology company focused on drastically reducing the cost of gene synthesis. It employs proprietary technologies such as PathFinder DNA Assembly™ and Molecular Toothpick™ to achieve significant cost reductions for kilobase-long gene fragments and clonal genes. This technical approach aims to remove bottlenecks in various biological research fields.
The company was founded in 2017 by Cheryl Cui, Le Cong, and Yinqing Li. Their collective insight aimed at leveraging advanced molecular engineering to address fundamental limitations in gene function interrogation. This foundational idea led to the development of high-throughput methods to accelerate biological discovery.
RootPath's products and services cater to researchers and organizations engaged in synthetic biology, genome- and ORFeome-wide functional screening, and computational protein design. The company's overarching vision is to elevate the throughput of gene function interrogation by orders of magnitude, thereby enabling biology at scale for future scientific advancements.
RootPath has raised $18.0M across 2 funding rounds.
RootPath has raised $18.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
RootPath is a synthetic biology company founded in 2017 that develops advanced DNA fragment assembly technology to enable high-throughput gene function interrogation for life science researchers, drug developers, and synthetic biologists.[1][2][3] It offers products like rBlocks™ synthetic DNA, PathFinder DNA Assembly™, Nano Toothpick™, genes, mutagenesis libraries, antibodies, and TCRs, serving the life sciences and pharmaceutical research sectors by providing accurate, long synthetic genes and functional analysis at scale.[1][2] At Series C stage with $68M raised, RootPath demonstrates strong growth momentum, including the 2025 launch of the Megabase Spark program to donate up to 3 million base pairs of free synthetic DNA by 2026, addressing cost barriers in underfunded research.[1]
RootPath was founded in 2017 in Cambridge, Massachusetts (headquartered at 65 Grove Street, Watertown), by CEO and Co-Founder Xi Chen, who has presented on the company's platforms at events like the 2022 Built With Biology Conference.[1][2] The idea emerged from a focus on synthetic biology challenges, particularly enhancing gene function interrogation throughput via molecular programming-based DNA assembly, giving researchers unprecedented access to long synthetic genes and readouts.[2][3] Early traction built on competitive pricing for gene pools and screening services, evolving into initiatives like Megabase Spark in 2025 to support breakthrough discoveries amid high gene synthesis costs.[1][5]
RootPath rides the synthetic biology wave, accelerating gene editing and function analysis amid booming demand in biotech, medicine, and pharmaceuticals.[1][3] Timing aligns with persistent high costs of gene synthesis bottlenecking innovation, where RootPath's tech and free DNA initiatives like Megabase Spark empower preliminary data for funding, influencing the ecosystem by democratizing access.[1][5] Market forces favoring it include rising investments in synbio (e.g., $68M from investors like Sky9 Capital) and needs for scalable tools in drug development, positioning RootPath to shape faster discoveries in CRISPR-era biology.[1]
RootPath is poised to expand its Series C momentum by scaling Megabase Spark through 2026 and advancing cost-zero gene synthesis, potentially capturing more pharma partnerships.[1][4] Trends like AI-driven biology and cheaper synthesis will amplify its throughput advantages, evolving its influence from tool provider to ecosystem enabler in synbio breakthroughs. As a pioneer reducing barriers, RootPath ties back to its mission: fueling the next wave of life sciences innovation at unprecedented scale.[1][2][3]
RootPath has raised $18.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
RootPath's investors include Baidu Ventures, Hongshan Capital Group (Sequoia Capital China), Nest.Bio Ventures, Volcanics Venture, cyber Cao, Nest.Bio Labs, Suyang Zhang.
RootPath has raised $18.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $11.0M RootPath Genomics - Series A in January 2020.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 7, 2020 | $11M Series A | — | Baidu Ventures, Hongshan Capital Group (Sequoia Capital China), Nest.Bio Ventures, Volcanics Venture | Announced |
| Aug 1, 2018 | $7M Seed | Cyber CAO | Nest.bio Labs, Baidu Ventures, Suyang Zhang | Announced |