What FGen does

FGen AG was a Switzerland-based biotechnology company founded in 2011 and headquartered in Basel. The company specialized in proprietary strain development and optimization technologies aimed at industrial and sustainable biotechnology applications, working with biological strains to improve performance for downstream biotech use cases. Its primary customer segment was biotechnology companies requiring strain engineering services, with a hybrid segmentation approach that combined direct technical engagement with capability licensing potential.

FGen operated as a small R&D boutique with 1-10 employees and minimal disclosed commercial infrastructure. The company was funded through a combination of small equity and non-dilutive instruments: a 2010 seed round from Venture Kick (~$17,974), a 2019 grant from EISMEA (~$81,868), and a 2021 round from Technology Fund. No product pricing, customer logos, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed, and the company's go-to-market appears to have been primarily project-based R&D services rather than a scaled software or productized offering.

In March 2023, FGen was acquired by US-based Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), terminating its independent operations. The acquisition was part of Ginkgo's stated strategy to strengthen capabilities in strain development and optimization, and FGen's competencies were integrated into Ginkgo's autonomous labs platform. Following the transaction, FGen AG operates as a subsidiary of Ginkgo Bioworks rather than as an independent commercial entity.

Name

FGen

Legal name

FGen AG

Website

https://fgen.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FGen AG was a Basel-based biotech boutique founded in 2011 that developed proprietary strain development and optimization technologies for industrial biotechnology customers, and was acquired by Ginkgo Bioworks in March 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Biotechnology / Strain Engineering

akta.pro primary industry

Enzymes & Industrial Biotechnology Inputs (Enzymes, Microbial Strains, Fermentation Aids) (EUAAAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Formulation R&D, Scale-Up & Tech Transfer Services (AFABAIAJ)

Keywords

• Strain development
• Strain optimization
• Industrial biotechnology
• Microbial engineering
• Bioprocess consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Core offering

FGen AG is a Swiss biotechnology company specializing in strain development and optimization. The company develops proprietary technologies and products across different biotechnological areas, focused on microbial and cellular strain engineering to support industrial biotechnology applications. Its work centers on helping customers improve microbial production strains for industrial bioprocesses.

Product overview

FGen was a Swiss-based biotech startup that developed sustainable technology solutions through strain development and optimization. The company operated as an independent entity before being acquired by Ginkgo Bioworks in March 2023. Following the acquisition, FGen's capabilities in strain optimization were integrated into Ginkgo's autonomous labs platform to strengthen their biological engineering infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strain Development and Optimization Services End-to-end strain development and optimization services for industrial biotechnology customers, covering microbial and cellular strain engineering to improve production organisms used in industrial bioprocesses.
• Proprietary Biotechnology Products Proprietary biotechnological products and technologies developed across multiple biotechnological areas, supporting industrial and research applications for biotech customers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Gevo: Gevo develops low-carbon-intensity fuels and chemicals through proprietary yeast strain engineering for alcohol-to-jet and other bioproducts. Its strain development and optimization work is directly comparable to FGen's core capability.
• Carbios: Carbios develops enzyme-based bioprocesses, including engineered enzymes and microbial strains for plastic depolymerization and biorecycling. Its strain engineering work for industrial enzymes is comparable to FGen's microbial optimization capabilities.
• Bota Bio: Bota Bio is a synthetic biology company focused on precision fermentation and strain engineering for sustainable biomanufacturing. It offers comparable capabilities to FGen in microbial strain optimization, particularly for industrial biotechnology applications.
• Amyris: Amyris pioneered yeast strain engineering for industrial-scale production of ingredients and chemicals. Despite its financial restructuring, its strain engineering methodology and tooling remain directly comparable to FGen's capabilities in microbial optimization.
• Codexis: Codexis is a specialist in enzyme and protein engineering for pharmaceutical and industrial biotech applications. Its CodeEvolver platform for strain and enzyme optimization is the closest functional peer to FGen's strain development offering.
• Zymergen (now part of Ginkgo Bioworks): Zymergen was acquired by Ginkgo Bioworks in 2022 for its automated strain engineering and genomics capabilities. Prior to and following acquisition, it represented one of the most direct comparables to FGen's strain optimization services.
• LanzaTech: LanzaTech engineers proprietary gas-fermenting microbes for carbon capture and conversion to fuels and chemicals. Its core competency in microbial strain development and optimization for non-traditional feedstocks closely parallels FGen's strain engineering focus.

Broad incumbents

• Ginkgo Bioworks: Ginkgo Bioworks is the parent company that acquired FGen in March 2023. It operates an autonomous labs platform serving 130+ customers across pharma, agriculture, and industrial biotech with strain engineering, enzyme development, and cell programming capabilities — directly incorporating FGen's strain optimization technology.
• Novozymes: Novozymes is a global leader in industrial enzymes and microbial solutions, with extensive in-house strain engineering and fermentation optimization capabilities. As a much larger incumbent, it competes in adjacent applications to FGen's strain engineering focus.

Emerging players

• Inscripta (now part of Element Biosciences): Inscripta developed a CRISPR-based genome editing platform (Onyx) for high-throughput strain engineering. Its tooling-focused approach to microbial strain development overlaps with the downstream applications of FGen's strain optimization services.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 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 FGen