iGEM

What iGEM does

iGEM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2003 at MIT that operates the world's largest synthetic biology community, competition, and platform. Its core offering is the annual iGEM Competition, in which 400+ multidisciplinary student teams from 66 countries design, build, and test synthetic biology projects, culminating in the Grand Jamboree — a flagship event hosting 5,000+ participants across 500+ sessions at the Paris Convention Centre. Supporting the Competition is a four-pillar ecosystem: Education (Competition and High School programs), Technology (the open Registry of Standard Biological Parts with 84,000+ documented parts and 9,000+ annual contributions, plus annual DNA Distribution), Responsibility (human practices, safety, biosecurity), and Innovation (Venture Foundry supporting startups — 350+ startups founded, $3B+ raised, 2,000+ jobs created). Additional programs include iGEM Villages (15 topic-centered community hubs, launched 2025), iGEM Community (alumni engagement for 100,000+ iGEMers), iGEM Design League (regional competitions since 2020), and iGEM Academy (online learning platform since 2021).

Revenue is generated primarily through tiered corporate sponsorships (Platinum, Partner Plus, Partner, Gold), Grand Jamboree ticket/booth/kiosk fees, and Competition registration fees — while keeping Technology, Community, Responsibility, and Startups programs free for participants. Sponsors include IDT, Twist Bioscience, Ginkgo Bioworks, Asimov, GenScript, Benchling, Anthropic, Revive & Restore, and MathWorks, with IDT alone providing nearly $1M/year in in-kind DNA synthesis. The organization operates from Cambridge, MA (registered US entity) and Paris, France (operational HQ since 2022, via wholly-owned iGEM Europe SAS founded in 2019), with ~25 staff distributed across 16 countries. GTM is primarily community-led and event-driven: mobilizing 10,000+ annual participants, 1,000+ volunteers, and a multi-channel presence (newsletters, social media, blogs, events) to engage students, researchers, startup founders, and industry sponsors in the synthetic biology ecosystem.

Name

iGEM

Legal name

iGEM Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://igem.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

iGEM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs the world's largest synthetic biology competition (400+ teams from 66 countries annually), the annual Grand Jamboree (5,000+ attendees), and the open Registry of Standard Biological Parts (84,000+ parts), serving students, researchers, startup founders, and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships and Partnerships: iGEM generates revenue through tiered sponsorship programs including Platinum Partner, Partner Plus, Partner, and Gold Sponsor levels. Sponsors receive booth presence at Jamboree, newsletter features, social media announcements, logo visibility on website and printed materials, and engagement opportunities with participants across all iGEM programs.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue from Grand Jamboree ticket sales, exhibitor booths, kiosk rentals, satellite events, and customization packages for sponsors and participants.
3. Competition Registration Fees: Teams pay registration fees to participate in the annual iGEM Competition, which includes access to the Jamboree, judging processes, and program resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

iGEM is a nonprofit synthetic biology organization that runs the annual iGEM Competition (global student team competition with 400+ teams across 66 countries), the annual Grand Jamboree (world expo of synthetic biology with 5,000+ attendees), and the open iGEM Registry of Standard Biological Parts (84,000+ documented parts). It also operates the Innovation Program (Venture Foundry for biotech startups), Community Program for alumni engagement, Responsibility Program for safety/ethics, Villages (topic-focused hubs), Design League (regional competitions), and Academy (online learning platform).

Product overview

iGEM is a nonprofit organization that operates primarily as a platform for synthetic biology education, competition, and community building. The core offering is the iGEM Competition (annual student competition) paired with the Grand Jamboree (world expo event). Supporting programs include: the Technology Program providing the iGEM Registry (84,000+ standardized biological parts) and Distribution services; the Innovation Program with Venture Foundry supporting biotech startups; the Community Program for alumni engagement; the Responsibility Program for safety and ethics; iGEM Villages (2025, topic-focused hubs); and iGEM Design League (2021, regional competitions). Together these form an ecosystem where students, researchers, and innovators collaborate on synthetic biology projects from competition through to commercialized startups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• iGEM Competition The flagship annual global synthetic biology competition where multidisciplinary student teams design, build, test and present projects tackling pressing real-world problems. Active since 2004 with 400+ teams per year from 66 countries. Target audience: university and high school student teams worldwide.
• iGEM Grand Jamboree Annual world expo of synthetic biology bringing together researchers, industry, startups, investors, policymakers, and the public. Features presentations, exhibitions, and networking across 500+ event sessions. Target audience: synthetic biology community, industry sponsors, investors, and the public.
• iGEM Technology Program (Registry and Distribution) Supports the competition and research community through the iGEM Registry (standardized biological parts) and iGEM Distribution (annual DNA synthesis kit). Contains 84,000+ documented parts with 9,000+ annual contributions. Target audience: synthetic biology researchers, competition teams, and academic labs globally.
• iGEM Innovation Program (Venture Foundry) Accelerates bioinnovation by connecting breakthroughs to markets and communities. Supports startups through the Venture Foundry, helping transform synthetic biology visions into products and services. Target audience: biotech startup founders, bioinnovators, and synthetic biology entrepreneurs.
• iGEM Community Program Ongoing support and resources for the iGEM alumni community, helping define career pathways and providing opportunities for lifelong growth in synthetic biology. Supports 100,000+ iGEMers. Target audience: iGEM alumni (former competition participants and global community members).
• iGEM Responsibility Program Ensures safe and responsible development of synthetic biology through human practices guidance, safety policies, and engagement with societal implications. Target audience: iGEM teams, researchers, and policy stakeholders concerned with bioethics and biosafety.
• iGEM Villages Specialized topic-centered hubs that advance synthetic biology achievements through workshops, projects, and networking. Focused on 15 key areas where the global community addresses interconnected global challenges. Target audience: synthetic biology researchers and community members organized around thematic topics.
• iGEM Design League Regional league competition launched in 2020 starting in Latin America with 25 teams. Allows teams to compete regionally with winners advancing to the main iGEM Competition. Target audience: regional student teams seeking lighter-weight competition entry.
• iGEM Academy Online synthetic biology learning platform launched in 2021, providing educational resources and training for participants across the global synthetic biology community. Target audience: learners and educators seeking structured synthetic biology education online.

Quantifiable outcome

• 350+ startups founded by iGEMers operating in 40+ countries
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartneriGEM began as a course during MIT's Independent Activities Period in 2003, where students designed biological systems to make cells blink. iGEM 'graduated' from MIT in 2013 when the iGEM Foundation became an independent nonprofit organization. MIT is the origin institution of the synthetic biology competition format that iGEM pioneered.

Scale indicators22 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BioBricks Foundation: BioBricks Foundation is a public-benefit nonprofit that promotes open and standardized biological parts — the same conceptual basis as iGEM's Registry. It is a direct peer in the open-source synthetic biology infrastructure layer.
• SynBioBeta: SynBioBeta is the leading synthetic biology community and conference organizer, hosting the Global Synthetic Biology Conference and related ecosystem events. It is the closest direct comparator to iGEM's Jamboree and Innovation programs.
• BioBuilder Educational Foundation: BioBuilder is a nonprofit focused on synthetic biology education in high schools and universities, operating training programs and curricula that overlap with iGEM's Education and High School program missions.

Broad incumbents

• Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO): BIO is the largest US biotech industry trade association, representing companies across therapeutics, industrial biotech, and synthetic biology. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with iGEM's industry-facing Innovation and sponsorship activities.

Emerging players

• IndieBio: IndieBio is a biology-focused accelerator that has incubated dozens of synthetic biology startups. Its accelerator model partially overlaps with iGEM's Venture Foundry Innovation Program.
• Mass Challenge: Mass Challenge is a global startup accelerator that has run biotech tracks and engages corporate sponsors similarly to iGEM. Comparable as a startup-support and sponsorship-driven nonprofit platform.

Regional players

• FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology): FIRST runs large-scale STEM competitions (FRC, FTC) for students globally with a sponsor-driven nonprofit model. It is comparable as a global student STEM competition and sponsorship platform, though focused on robotics rather than biology.
• Science Olympiad: Science Olympiad is a US-centric K-12 STEM competition organization. Comparable in operating student science competitions, but with narrower geographic reach and no synthetic biology specialization.

Others

• LabCentral: LabCentral is a biotech coworking and incubator operator that supports early-stage biology startups. It overlaps thematically with iGEM's Innovation program infrastructure for biofounders.
• Asimov (synthetic biology tools): Asimov is a synthetic biology design platform and iGEM Platinum sponsor. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler providing tooling infrastructure for the same community iGEM organizes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/igem
• Facebookfacebook.com/kitwa.ng.988
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/igem-competition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 iGEM