Cradle was founded by Stef van Grieken, Eli Bixby, Jelle Prins, Elise de Reus in 2021.

Who are Cradle's investors?

Cradle's investors include Index Ventures, IVP (Institutional Venture Partners), Kindred Capital.

Where is Cradle headquartered?

Cradle is headquartered in Amsterdam, NL.

Cradle

Amsterdam, NL · Founded 2021 · 132 employees on LinkedIn · 3 known investors

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Cradle uses AI to help scientists design and engineer proteins, decoding and rewriting biology to develop new food sources, materials, and therapeutics. It serves research scientists and offers models validated in its own lab before delivery to customers.

AI & Machine Learning Biotech Deep Tech Enterprise Software

Founders & leadership

Cradle was founded in 2021 by Stef van Grieken, Eli Bixby, Jelle Prins, and Elise de Reus.

Stef van Grieken Co-Founder & CEOStef van Grieken previously worked as a Senior Product Manager for Google AI (Brain), leading large teams and projects across Europe and the United States with expertise in machine learning, mapping, operating systems, and transportation. He is the founder of Cradle, which combines AI and wet lab validation to help scientists design proteins for applications ranging from therapeutics to sustainable materials.

Eli BixbyCo-Founder and Senior ML Engineer

Jelle Prins Co-FounderJelle Prins previously worked on app design for Uber, Booking.com, and CataWiki before founding Cradle, which develops AI tools for protein design and engineering.

Elise de Reus FounderShe previously worked as a scientist in microbial development at Zymergen and contributed to fungal strain engineering at Perfect Day, alongside earlier stints in strategic planning at FrieslandCampina and research consulting at South Pacific Brewery. She also developed an edX course on technology for biobased products.

Board

Claus Fuglsang CroneChief Scientific Officer, Novonesis

Investors · 3

Index Ventures✓ confirmed by CradleSan Francisco · $540K – $10.8M

How we know: Index Ventures's portfolio page · the company's own site · techstartups.com · Not right? Tell us

IVP (Institutional Venture Partners)listed by IVP (Institutional Venture Partners)San Francisco · $15M – $75M

How we know: IVP (Institutional Venture Partners)'s portfolio page · s-ge.com · Not right? Tell us

Kindred Capitallisted by Kindred CapitalLondon

How we know: Kindred Capital's portfolio page · techstartups.com · Not right? Tell us

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

Undisclosed amountSeries BNov 2025
IVP (lead), Index Ventures, Kindred Capital
Source ↗
Undisclosed amountSeries ANov 2023
Index Ventures (lead), Kindred Capital
Source ↗

Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.

Founder mafia

2 people who came through Cradle went on to found or lead other companies.

Leila ZegnaBoard DirectorFounded Kindred Nick LentenAdvisor & InvestorFounded Ahead Health

Related companies · 2

Index VenturesNewCore is a security-focused identity platform built from the ground up to support humans, machines, and AI agents under a unified architecture. The platform addresses modern enterprise security by treating identity as the control plane rather than infrastructure, replacing legacy protocols designed for web app authentication with agent-native solutions and hardware-bound verification.

Until LabsThe company builds technology focused on improving patient outcomes in healthcare.

Companies working in the same space as Cradle.

In the news

Cradle Raises $5.5M in Fundingfinsmes.com · Nov 2022

Frequently asked questions

What does Cradle do?: Cradle uses AI to help scientists design and engineer proteins, decoding and rewriting biology to develop new food sources, materials, and therapeutics. It serves research scientists and offers models validated in its own lab before delivery to customers.
Who founded Cradle?: Cradle was founded by Stef van Grieken, Eli Bixby, Jelle Prins, Elise de Reus in 2021.
Who are Cradle's investors?: Cradle's investors include Index Ventures, IVP (Institutional Venture Partners), Kindred Capital.
Where is Cradle headquartered?: Cradle is headquartered in Amsterdam, NL.