George Church Meets Vinod Khosla: an Epic Dialogue Between Two Legends

Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. is a global leader in analytical laboratory technologies. With more than 50 years of insight and innovation, our instruments, software, services, solutions and people provide trusted answers to our customers' most challenging questions. The company generated revenues of $4.20 billion in fiscal 2016 and employs about 13,000 people worldwide. Information about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com.

Amazon Web Services

For 11 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. AWS offers over 90 fully featured services for compute, storage, networking, database, analytics, application services, deployment, management, developer, mobile, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), security, hybrid, and enterprise applications, from 44 Availability Zones (AZs) across 16 geographic regions in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the UK. AWS services are trusted by millions of active customers around the world -- including the fastest growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies -- to power their infrastructure, make them more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit https://aws.amazon.com.

America’s Seed Fund

America’s Seed Fund is a program within the National Science Foundation. NSF is a federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, currently with a $7.5 billion budget. Through the merit review process, NSF funds the most innovative ideas in science and technology. Notable NSF-supported advances include Doppler radar, the Internet, web browsers, bar codes, magnetic resonance imaging, inkjet printers, computer-aided design systems, tissue engineering, and other technology-based innovations that spur economic activity and improve the quality of life for all Americans.

BGI Genomics

BGI Genomics is a part of BGI Group, one of the world’s largest genomics organizations. BGI Group was founded in 1999 with the vision of using genomics to benefit humanity and has since become the largest genomic organization in the world. With a focus on research and applications in the healthcare, agriculture, conservation, and environmental fields, BGI Group has a proven track record of innovative, high profile research, which has generated over 2,000 publications. BGI Genomics provides a wide range of commercial next generation sequencing services and a broad portfolio of genetic tests for medical institutions, research institutions and other public and private partners. BGI Genomics’ mission is to leverage its genomics expertise in order to advance life science research and to improve human health by providing high quality, affordable genomics powered health solutions that are available for everybody. BGI Genomics has particular strengths in prenatal screening, hereditary cancer screening, testing for rare disease and in aiding precision medicine research. Numerous scientific partners, healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies have come to rely on BGI Genomics’ world leading bio-informatics research and development, large scale computing infrastructure and proprietary sequencing platforms. BGI Genomics is headquartered in Shenzhen, China, with branches and medical laboratories in major cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhan, Shanghai and Guangzhou. BGI Genomics also has offices and laboratories located in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region.

Data Collective - DCVC

Data Collective (DCVC) is a venture capital fund that backs entrepreneurs applying deep tech to transform giant industries. DCVC and its principals have supported brilliant people changing global-scale businesses for over twenty years, helping create tens of billions of dollars of wealth while also making the world a markedly better place.

DCVC brings to bear a unique model that unites a team of experienced venture capitalists with more than 50 technology executives and experts (CTOs, CIOs, Chief Scientists, Principal Engineers, Professors at Stanford, Berkeley, and major technical universities) with significant tenures at top 100 technology companies and research institutions worldwide.

DCVC focuses on Seed and Series A companies, and growth stage opportunities within its own portfolio.

DCVC’s strong network, operational experience and technical background delivers unique value to entrepreneurs. We still read code. We understand chip architecture and when to run BLAST versus Bowtie. We've built supercompute racks ourselves, and we know that degrees of freedom doesn’t mean how often a robot escapes. We know that PyTorch isn’t something you use to make crème brulee. And we will be there at 3 am to cheer the new build or at 7 am to help land that new customer.

DuPont

DuPont has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit www.dupont.com.

GenScript

GenScript is the world leader in gene synthesis, and a peptide, protein, and antibody research partner for fundamental life science research, translational biomedical research, early stage biopharmaceutical development, and synthetic biology. Since its founding in 2002, GenScript has provided services and products to scientists in more than 100 countries worldwide. The company delivers biological research services encompassing gene synthesis and molecular biology, peptide synthesis, custom antibodies, protein expression, antibody and protein engineering, in vitro and in vivo pharmacology and industrial synthetic biology products. For more information, visit www.genscript.com.

Integrated DNA Technologies

Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) is the world leader in delivering custom nucleic acid products for the life sciences market in the areas of academic research, medical diagnostics, biotechnology, agriculture, and pharmaceutical development. The company's primary business is the production of custom oligonucleotides for molecular biology applications. IDT has developed proprietary technologies for genomics applications, such as next generation sequencing, CRISPR genome editing, qPCR, and RNA interference. Through its GMP services, IDT manufactures products used in diagnostic tests for cancer and most inherited and infectious diseases. For more information, visit www.idtdna.com.

M Ventures

We drive innovation and back entrepreneurs through equity investments and hands on support in fields that could impact the vitality and sustainability of our parent’s company (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) current and future businesses. We are the strategic, corporate venture capital arm of Merck. Our mandate is to invest in innovative technologies and products with the potential to significantly impact our parent company’s core business areas. From our headquarters in Amsterdam and offices in the US and Israel we invest globally in transformational ideas driven by great entrepreneurs. We take an active role in our portfolio companies and team up with entrepreneurs and co-investors to translate innovation towards commercial success. We have a significant focus on early stage investing and company creation including the creation of spin-offs to leverage Merck’s science and technology base.

Mintz Levin

The development of biologic therapeutics has entered a new age of competition following passage of a biosimilar law in the United States. The law is known as the Biologics Competition and Innovation Act, or "BPCIA." To give your company the best advantage in this market you need advice and counsel from professionals who know your industry. Professionals who give straightforward strategic and legal advice founded in real world experience. That’s the Mintz Levin team. Mintz Levin has built up a world class reputation in the Life Sciences space, with significant emphasis on biotechnology. Our attorneys understand the playing field and the players in the biologics and biosimilars space. We know and have navigated our clients through the complicated pathways to success through which your company and products must pass – FDA regulatory, transactional, and innovation protection.

Molecular Assemblies

Molecular Assemblies, Inc. is a San Diego-based company focused on developing an enzymatic DNA synthesis technology designed to power the next generation of DNA-based products. The company’s patented enzymatic method, based on making DNA the way nature makes DNA, produces long, high quality, sequence-specific DNA reliably, affordably and sustainably. Molecular Assemblies’ technology will enable the reading and writing of DNA for industries including industrial synthetic biology and precision medicine, as well as emerging applications of DNA for data information storage, nanomachines and bio-based electronics. For more information please visit molecularassemblies.com.

Synthetic Genomics

Synthetic Genomics is programming the operating system of life to create sustainable solutions for humankind’s most pressing issues, from the wellbeing of our population to the health of our planet. With an unmatched understanding of how DNA drives the function of cells — the basic biological units of all living organisms — Synthetic Genomics modifies and writes genomes to enable transformative products in the areas of vaccines, medicines, nutrition, and biotechnology research. In addition to designing novel organisms that overcome fundamental hurdles of scientific research and medicine, Synthetic Genomics pursues partnerships with organizations seeking to dramatically improve upon existing products in energy, health care and other sectors. Continuing its legacy of scientific firsts in genomics and synthetic biology, Synthetic Genomics is harnessing the power of nature to improve quality of life. More information is available at syntheticgenomics.com.