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§ Private Profile · London, United Kingdom
Biotech AI company builds AI foundation models for biology, designing novel proteins for biopharma and synthetic biology.
Founded in 2019 by Glen Gowers and Oliver Vince, Basecamp Research is a London AI and biotechnology company that builds foundation models trained on proprietary environmental DNA datasets to design novel biological systems. The startup has mapped global biodiversity to compile a massive dataset containing ten billion novel genes from over one million previously undiscovered species. These nearly ten trillion nucleotide tokens are utilized to train advanced AI architectures, such as the EDEN-28B model, for commercial applications spanning drug discovery, agriculture, and synthetic biology. Backed by approximately $85 million in total venture funding, the company recently secured a $60 million Series B round led by General Catalyst with additional participation from True Ventures. The firm also maintains a strategic research collaboration with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to discover new programmable genetic medicines.
Basecamp Research has raised $80.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Basecamp Research has raised $80.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Basecamp Research has raised $80.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $60.0M Series B in October 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2024 | $60M Series B | Singular | Blume Ventures, Kima Ventures, Nokia Growth Partners, True Ventures, Walden Catalyst Ventures, Didier Valet | Announced |
| Dec 1, 2022 | $20M Series A | Systemiq Capital | Blume Ventures, Hummingbird Ventures, Nokia Growth Partners, True Ventures, Walden Catalyst Ventures | Announced |
Basecamp Research is a London-based biotechnology company founded in 2019 that builds an AI-powered platform for biodesign, leveraging the world's largest database of biological protein sequences—over 9.8 billion novel sequences from more than one million newly discovered species—to design proteins and biological systems for applications in pharma, food, agriculture, diagnostics, and bioremediation[1][2][3][5]. It serves R&D teams at top biopharma companies, trailblazing labs, and partners like the Broad Institute's Liu Laboratory, solving the challenge of limited biological data that constrains AI's ability to innovate beyond known biology by creating a comprehensive knowledge graph that enables generative biology with superior controllability, novelty, and performance[1][3][4][5]. The company has raised $85 million total, including a $60 million Series B in 2025 led by Singular, signaling strong growth momentum amid rising demand for AI-driven biotech solutions[2][4].
Basecamp Research was founded in 2019 by CEO Glen Gowers and a team focused on digitizing nature's biodiversity to overcome biology's "data wall," transforming biological materials into data via DNA sequencing to expand the known tree of life tenfold beyond public databases[1][3][5]. Gowers, emphasizing a broader AI approach than experiment-limited methods used by peers, built partnerships with 15 companies—including three large drugmakers—early on, while hiring key executives like Chief Commercial Officer Anupama Hoey from Sutro Biopharma and Second Genome[4]. Pivotal moments include completing a $60 million Series B in 2025, backed by investors like Roche's André Hoffmann and ex-Unilever CEO Paul Polman, and launching a multi-year collaboration with David Liu's lab at the Broad Institute to develop programmable genetic medicines using novel fusion proteins[2][4].
Basecamp Research rides the convergence of AI and biodiversity in biotech, timing perfectly with the generative biology boom where massive, nature-sourced datasets fuel foundation models akin to those revolutionizing language and images[3][5]. Market forces like surging demand for novel therapeutics—amid gene editing advances and climate-driven bioremediation needs—favor its approach, as public databases lag far behind nature's scale, limiting competitors[1][4]. By partnering with Microsoft, NVIDIA, and elite labs, it influences the ecosystem through accessible insights, local capacity-building, and breakthroughs like programmable genetic medicines, accelerating biotech from discovery-constrained to design-driven innovation[4][5].
Basecamp's trajectory points to dominance in generative biology, with its data moat and cloud-AI stack positioning it for rapid platform evolution—expect deeper pharma integrations, expanded agriculture applications, and potential IPO as Series B fuels global sequencing[2][3][5]. Trends like multimodal AI and biodiversity conservation will amplify its edge, evolving its influence from data provider to ecosystem shaper for sustainable biotech. This biodesign pioneer, born from nature's untapped vault, is set to redefine life's engineering possibilities[1][4].
Basecamp Research has raised $80.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Basecamp Research's investors include Singular, Blume Ventures, Kima Ventures, Nokia Growth Partners, True Ventures, Walden Catalyst Ventures, Didier Valet, Systemiq Capital, Hummingbird Ventures.