Wednesday Business Showcase : Arcturus BioCloud

By @SimonCocking

Interview with Jamie Sotomayer CEO of @arcturusbio combining robotics, simple to use software platform, synthetic biology and AI to allow communities of awesome mad scientists to safely code biotechnology.

Describe the company – the elevator pitch …

Arcturus BioCloud is a Platform as a Service that provides the user an online interface for genetic engineering microorganism. Now you can design, build and analyse novel constructions in an affordable, fast and easy way.

Great explainer video

How are you different?

We allow our users to prototype functions in the microorganism by providing them an online platform for creating metabolic pathways of up to ten genes, we are now working to expand this size. Other companies don’t have an online platform or a user-friendly experience that allows the user to interact in an easy and fast way. The service of our competitors in the microorganism engineering market is similar to a black box from the user perspective; they don’t have interaction, control or understanding of the process. At Arcturus BioCloud, we strongly believe that providing our users with knowledge of the process, when the user knows what is happening through data at RNA and protein level, allows them to take faster decisions on their next design cycle.

Why will the company / product do well?

It has a strong focus on user experience when designing your new biological applications. We believe that providing a tool with a high level of abstraction makes it simpler for the user to experiment with new DNA combinations.

Where are you based? How long will you stay there?

We are based in Dogpatch, SF inside IndieBio. We will remain here until the end of February. We are a United States based company with strong relations to the North and Latin American market.

When was the company launched?

The company was established last August, but the launch of the beta was done late April 2015. Now we are preparing to launch the second version that will include all the basic data capabilities.

What have been your biggest wins to date?

Customer insight. It’s very important for a Startup to understand what are the things you can do that your users are craving for.

What type of people (market segment) are you trying to attract to your product?

We have a wide and international range:

• Universities and schools for educational purposes.
• Biotech Startups
• Research laboratories
• Biomaker community

Tell us about your team?

We have a diverse team that covers the required domains.

Founding Team:

• Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Jaime Sotomayor System engineer, serial entrepreneur, has been two times startup CEO. Former university professor at the Business and Engineering School, Universidad de Lima. Singularity University alumni (GSP14).
• Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) : Pedro Terra. Digital manufacturing consultant, with 12 years of experience building from sailboats to CNC machines. Has been 2 times startup CEO. Singularity University alumni (GSP14).
• Chief Scientific Officer (CSO): Andres Ochoa. Ph.D. in Biotechnology, with more than 12 years in genetic engineering. Former university researcher at Universidade de Sa?o Paulo. Former iGEM team leader and founder of syntechbio, first biohacker space in South America.
• Chief Technology Officer (CTO): Luis Silva. A serial entrepreneur, hacker and transhumanist. Singularity University alumni (EP10 & GSP14), founder of an investment holding focused on disruptive technologies, sits on the board of few fintech and healthcare companies.

What are you long term plans for your product / company?

We are focused on providing our customers with a “One Stop Shop for Genetic Engineering”. That means that we will provide in the future further services that could add value to their design process.

What are your favourite tech gadgets?

I don’t like owning many things; the fewer things I possess, the better. But I couldn’t live without my iPhone and MacBook.

What tech gadgets do you wish you could use to help you?

I’ll know when I see it.

How can people get in touch with you?

Our social media channels: www.facebook.com/arcturusbiocloud, https://www.youtube.com/user/ArcturusBioCloud & @arcturusbio (twitter)

If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.net or @SimonCocking