Wikipedia

BioCurious

BioCurious is a community biology laboratory and nonprofit organization located in Santa Clara, California,[1][2] cofounded by Eri Gentry, Kristina Hathaway, Joseph Jackson, Tito Jankowski, Raymond McCauley, and Josh Perfetto.[1][2][3] The company was originally funded through Kickstarter by 239 backers who raised $35,319.[4][3]

BioCurious
Formation2010
PurposeBiohacking, Hacking
Location
  • 3108 Patrick Henry Drive Santa Clara, California 95054 United States of America
Coordinates37°23′44″N 121°59′01″W / 37.3956°N 121.9837°W / 37.3956; -121.9837
ServicesBiosafety Level One lab (BSL-1, membership access
Websitebiocurious.org

The BioCurious website states that it is "a community biology lab" to encourage innovation and experimentation in biological sciences by increasing accessibility to professional-grade spaces.[4] The Kickstarter campaign to fund BioCurious began in 2010, and the lab first opened October 2011 in Sunnyvale, California.[1][5][6][7] Later, the lab moved to Santa Clara.

The BioCurious lab space was used by The Glowing Plant, a crowdfunded project attempting to engineer a bioluminescent tree with the goal to replace street lamps, which eventually shut down due to a lack of progress and insufficient funding.[8][9] The company was praised by Rob Carlsen, director of the carbon removal company Planetary Technologies, on his personal blog as a "a good foundation to build on."[10] In 2016, the University of California Santa Cruz cited the lab as an influential part of its alumnus Antonio Lamb's participation in synthetic biology. Lamb founded Microsynbiotix,[11] a company specializing in oral vaccines,[12] later acquired by the environmental consulting company Sundew.[13]

In 2013, cofounder Kristina Hathaway quit her position, stating "I’m seeing lots of political maneuvering and divisive finger pointing at a time when we should be banding together to turn things around. It’s sad, and it’s shameful," in her public resignation letter. The Scientific American covered her departure, claiming that BioCurious could not cover its monthly expenses of $6,000 to 8,000 USD.[14] As of May 2026, the board members listed on the company's website are Joe Bamberg, Maria Chavez, Eric Espinosa, Eri Gentry, Jay Hanson, Innokenti Toulokhonov, and Ulrike Pflückhahn.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 Välikangas, L.; Gibbert, M. (2015). Strategic Innovation: The Definitive Guide to Outlier Strategies. FT Press. pp. pt160–167. ISBN 978-0-13-398014-1. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Wohlsen, M. (2011). Biopunk: Solving Biotech's Biggest Problems in Kitchens and Garages. Penguin Publishing Group. p. pt636–4. ISBN 978-1-101-47635-2. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "BioCurious: A Hackerspace for . The Community Lab for Citizen Science". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  4. 1 2 3 "About Biocurious". Biocurious. Biocurious. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Alia (2012-02-16). "Sunnyvale's BioCurious is a haven for innovators". The Mercury News. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  6. ↑ Akst, Jef (February 1, 2013). "Biology Hacklabs". The Scientist. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  7. ↑ "BioCurious: A Hackerspace for Biotech. The Community Lab for Citizen Science — Kickstarter". kickstarter.com. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  8. ↑ "How hackers transform biology into building material". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  9. ↑ published, Lana Bandoim (2018-08-17). "Glow-in-the-dark trees could someday replace city street lights". The Week. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
  10. ↑ Robert (2011-12-12). "The National Bioeconomy Blueprint". synthesis. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
  11. ↑ "Biology grad wins seed funding for biotech startup company". UC Santa Cruz News. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  12. ↑ "MicroSynbiotiX". SOSV. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
  13. ↑ "Sundew acquires MicroSynbiotiX and completes €1.4 M financing". Sundew. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
  14. ↑ Grushkin, Daniel. "DIY Biotech Labs Undergo Makeovers". Scientific American. Retrieved 2026-05-05.

Further reading

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