TeselaGen

What TeselaGen does

TeselaGen Biotechnology, Inc. is a privately held US software company headquartered in Portola Valley, California, founded in 2012 by Nathan Hillson, Mike Fero, and Eduardo Abeliuk out of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI). The company builds Tesela AI, an AI-enabled operating system for biological R&D that uses autonomous agents to design DNA libraries, generate assembly protocols, optimize biomolecules, and analyze experimental data across the full Design-Build-Test-Learn (DBTL) cycle. Core technology centers on the patented Synthetic Evolution ML engine, an exclusive commercial license to the j5 gene assembly software, and a FAIR-data architecture that supports custom ML model training on each customer's proprietary experimental data.

The product portfolio spans the Tesela AI agentic platform (Library Designer, Library Construction Optimizer, Experiment Optimizer, Data Analyst, and Workflow Designer agents), a Python SDK and REST API, an MCP server for AI-host integration, a Community Edition (free), a Starter Edition ($150/month per user), a custom-priced Enterprise tier, an Electronic Lab Notebook, and an ELN/LIMS Connector Framework. Native integrations cover DNA synthesis providers (Twist Bioscience, IDT, Elegen), lab automation platforms (Tecan, Hamilton, Echo, Biomek, epMotion, Mosquito, Flowbot), and major ELN/LIMS systems, with SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and HIPAA-ready infrastructure.

TeselaGen monetizes through a hybrid of freemium product-led growth, per-seat subscriptions, usage-based AI-token allocations, and custom enterprise contracts. The customer base includes Fortune 50 pharmaceutical and biotech firms (Amgen, Dow AgroSciences), industrial biotechnology leaders (LanzaTech, Genomatica), DNA synthesis providers (Twist Bioscience), research institutions (Stanford, Harvard, MIT, UC Berkeley, UCSF, UPenn, Pasteur Institute), and government laboratories (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, JBEI, CSIRO, ABPDU, BioMADE). The company has secured over $1.55M in cumulative NSF SBIR grant funding, holds multiple issued AI patents, and spun off Built Biotechnologies in December 2023 to focus its software platform on biological R&D.

Name

TeselaGen

Legal name

TeselaGen Biotechnology, Inc.

Website

https://teselagen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TeselaGen builds Tesela AI, an AI-powered operating system for biological R&D using autonomous agents and the patented Synthetic Evolution ML engine to automate DNA library design, assembly protocols, and biomolecule optimization across the DBTL cycle for pharma and biotech customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Synthetic Biology Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

AI/ML Platforms for Drug Discovery & Experiment Optimization (HLAGAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Synthetic Biology & Genetic Circuit Design Platforms (pathway engineering, chassis development) (HLAAAIAD), Protein Engineering & Directed Evolution Platforms (enzyme/therapeutic protein optimization) (HLAAAIAC)

Keywords

• Synthetic biology software
• DNA design platform
• Biological R&D automation
• AI biotech platform
• Lab informatics software

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription - Community Edition: Free tier for individual researchers and students with basic agent access, simple library design, protocol generation, and API/SDK access. Serves as product-led growth entry point.
2. Subscription - Starter Edition: $150/month per user for biotech startups and research groups. Includes 10x more tokens, ELN/LIMS connectors, extended agents, and team collaboration features.
3. Subscription - Enterprise Edition: Custom pricing for pharma and large biotech organizations. Includes high-volume agent tokens, Synthetic Evolution access, custom integrations, and advanced security/SSO.
4. Usage-Based AI Tokens: AI agent usage tracked via tokens. Different tiers offer different monthly token allocations - basic for free users, 10x more for Starter, and high volume for Enterprise.
5. Enterprise Software Licensing: Licensing agreements for enterprise platforms including gene editing and engineering software. Multiple Fortune 50 clients utilizing beta platform with early revenue exceeding $1M matching grant.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TeselaGen develops and sells Tesela AI, an AI-enabled operating system for biological R&D that uses autonomous AI agents to design combinatorial DNA libraries, generate complete assembly protocols (including primer design, plate maps, thermocycler programs, and lab automation worklists), and predictively optimize biomolecules through a patented Synthetic Evolution® machine learning engine. The platform is offered as multi-tier cloud SaaS (Community Edition free, Starter Edition $150/month per user, Enterprise custom pricing) and is also accessible via REST API, Python SDK, and MCP server for computational biologists and enterprise biotech teams.

Product overview

TeselaGen offers an AI-enabled operating system for biological R&D built around a Design-Build-Test-Learn (DBTL) cycle architecture. The core product is Tesela AI, featuring specialized autonomous agents for library design, protocol generation, experiment optimization, and data analysis. The platform includes the patented Synthetic Evolution® ML engine for biomolecule optimization. The product portfolio spans Tesela AI (agentic co-scientist with Library Designer, Library Construction Optimizer, Experiment Optimizer, Data Analyst, and Workflow Designer agents), Python SDK, REST API, and MCP Server for developers, plus the Community Edition (free), Starter Edition ($150/month), and Enterprise Platform. An Electronic Lab Notebook and ELN Connector Framework enable lab integration. FAIR data infrastructure provides provenance tracking and interoperability. The platform demonstrates 10x increase in design/build speed, 10-fold reduction in development costs, and 2-fold increase in production rate and titer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tesela AI Platform Agentic co-scientist platform for biological R&D featuring autonomous AI agents that design DNA libraries, generate assembly protocols, optimize biomolecules via Synthetic Evolution®, and analyze experiments. Connected to existing tools via API, SDK, or MCP. Sold as multi-tier cloud SaaS (Community, Starter, Enterprise) to enterprise pharma, biotech startups, and academic researchers.
• Electronic Lab Notebook Standalone Electronic Lab Notebook integrated with the Tesela AI platform, providing enhanced UI, real-time collaboration, secure data management, and FAIR-compliant experiment records for biological R&D labs.
• Python SDK Full-featured Python SDK (`pip install tesela`) providing programmatic access to every Tesela AI agent capability, including design_library(), generate_protocols(), and analyze_experiment(), for scripting workflows and integrating biological intelligence into pipelines, notebooks, and applications.
• REST API Language-agnostic HTTP REST API providing endpoints to access every Tesela AI agent capability from any platform or programming language. Documented at api-docs.teselagen.com with free API keys available for individual researchers.
• MCP Server Model Context Protocol server (`pip install tesela-mcp-server`) that connects Tesela AI agents to Claude, ChatGPT, or any MCP-compatible AI host, enabling conversational AI tools to invoke biological design and protocol generation capabilities.
• Protein Optimization Toolkit Standalone toolkit for automated biotherapeutic drug design and development, including APIs and integration tools for designing combinatorial protein libraries and AI models for optimizing peptides and proteins.
• In-Fusion Cloning Primer Design Tool Free online primer design tool launched in partnership with Takara Bio USA, generating primer sequences and vector maps for In-Fusion Cloning experiments including multi-fragment cloning, mutagenesis, and general cloning workflows.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10x reduction in development costs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration18 records

AI capability10 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Built BiotechnologiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2023Spin-off from TeselaGen to revolutionize DNA manufacturing, specializing in advanced DNA workflows for cell and gene therapies.
• Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2023Five-year contract renewal through 2027 to develop renewable biofuels and bioproducts from nonfood plant materials. JBEI receives DOE funding with TeselaGen as institutional partner supporting biofuels and bioproducts research.
• BioMADEminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2022Contract to improve informatics infrastructure around fermentation-based biomanufacturing. Develops technologies to standardize data exchange and enable AI-enabled collaboration for US biomanufacturing.
• iGEM FoundationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 September 2021Partnership supports Design League competition in Latin America providing students access to TeselaGen's operating system for synthetic biology projects addressing local challenges.
• Agile BioFoundryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 August 2021Collaboration to deploy machine learning models on community-generated data to accelerate biomanufacturing. DOE-funded project to develop interoperability standard for fermentation process data exchange.
• Phycus BiotechnologiesminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 31 March 2021Collaboration and licensing agreement to accelerate production of biome-friendly glycolic acid for cosmetics. Phycus licenses TeselaGen's AI-enabled operating system for designing and optimizing industrial-scale fermentation workflows.
• Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2021Deployment of TeselaGen's AI-enabled operating system bridges research and large-scale fermentation-based production. ABPDU uses TeselaGen's data acquisition capabilities to organize complex datasets as workflows scale from early-stage processes to larger bioreactors.
• LanzaTechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 December 2020Five-year agreement extending partnership through 2025 for carbon remediation via biological processes. LanzaTech licenses TeselaGen's cloud-based informatics solution and collaborates to extend the platform with AI capabilities. TeselaGen supports LanzaTech's carbon-eating bacteria R&D for producing over 100 different molecules.
• Technical University of Denmark (DTU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2020DTU licensed TeselaGen's cloud-based platform to increase capabilities and speed up design-build-test-learn processes. Collaboration published in Nature Communications demonstrating combination of mechanistic and machine learning models for genotype-to-phenotype predictions.
• Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2020Ongoing collaboration on machine learning and synthetic biology optimization. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Joint BioEnergy Institute partnered with TeselaGen for automated DNA design and continues as key research partner.
• Arzeda/Twist Bioscience/Labcyte (Consortium)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2019Four-company partnership showcasing state-of-the-art DNA assembly platform for diverse applications including food/beverage sweeteners and plexiglass components. Demonstrates integrated workflow from design to build.
• Twist BiosciencemajorTechnology or Integration · 2 October 2018Partnership providing high-quality DNA fragments integrated with TeselaGen's BUILD app for automated DNA assembly design. Twist Bioscience API integrates with TeselaGen for seamless DNA ordering and longer DNA segment construction.
• ArzedamajorTechnology or Integration · 4 October 2017Arzeda licenses TeselaGen's cloud-based informatics solution to extend biological design automation platform. Partnership reduces time and cost for building genes encoding designed proteins through optimized information flow.
• Dow AgroSciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2017Expanded collaboration to produce state-of-the-art biological design automation platform for accelerating agricultural discovery. Initial collaboration yielded 10-fold increase in discovery leads. New phase builds on this with industrial-scale cloning module.
• RedbiotecminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2013Joint venture to build rapid design and prototyping infrastructure for Herpesvirus vaccine development library. Redbiotec contributes rePAX technology for VLP production; TeselaGen contributes Synthetic Evolution technology.
• GenomaticamajorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 9 July 2013Multi-year licensing agreement for TeselaGen's synthetic biology software to accelerate organism development from renewable feedstocks. Genomatica uses TeselaGen's technology for high-throughput strain development in chemical production.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Benchling: Benchling is a leading cloud-based informatics platform for biology R&D, providing ELN, LIMS, and molecular biology design tools. Directly comparable to TeselaGen on ELN/LIMS and registry functionality, with stronger general-purpose biology R&D positioning but less specialization on AI-driven DBTL automation.
• Arzeda: Arzeda uses computational protein design and AI for enzyme and protein engineering; a listed TeselaGen partner/integrator. Comparable as both operate in computational/AI protein and pathway design, though Arzeda focuses on proprietary protein design while TeselaGen provides the platform layer.
• Synthace: Synthace offers a cloud-based platform that combines experimental design, automation, and data analysis for biology R&D. Direct peer in software-driven DBTL automation with comparable emphasis on lab automation integration and experimental data infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Ginkgo Bioworks: Ginkgo Bioworks operates a large-scale synthetic biology platform with internal Codebase and software tools for organism engineering. Comparable as a broad incumbent in synthetic biology services, though much larger and vertically integrated into biomanufacturing rather than selling software licenses.
• Zymergen (now part of Ginkgo): Zymergen built automation and ML platforms for biology R&D and biomanufacturing. Comparable as a broader automation/ML-driven biology platform incumbent, though focused on full-stack biomanufacturing rather than software-licensed R&D tools.
• LabVantage Solutions: LabVantage is an established LIMS/ELN vendor serving pharma and biotech labs. Comparable as a broader incumbent in lab informatics, though legacy-oriented and less specialized in synthetic biology design automation.

Emerging players

• DNAnexus: DNAnexus provides a cloud platform for genomic and biomedical data analysis with strong enterprise pharma traction. Comparable as a cloud SaaS platform serving biomedical R&D, though more focused on genomic data analysis than molecular design and DBTL automation.
• Schrödinger: Schrödinger provides computational chemistry and molecular simulation software increasingly applied to biologics and protein design. Comparable as an AI/ML platform serving pharma/biotech R&D with adjacent (computational) capabilities, though primarily chemistry-focused.

Others

• OpenAI / Anthropic (foundation model providers): Foundation-model providers whose APIs TeselaGen already uses to power Tesela Copilot. Comparable as adjacent enablers of agentic biology R&D; potential competitive risk if general-purpose LLMs develop domain-specific synthetic biology capabilities.
• Labcyte / Beckman Coulter (Echo acoustic liquid handling): Beckman Coulter's Echo liquid handler is integrated into TeselaGen's automation ecosystem. Comparable as an enabling lab automation partner, with potential to develop competing software layers around their own instrumentation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/teselagen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teselagen

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds10 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TeselaGen