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Science Exchange

AcquiredYC S11

San Francisco, US · Founded 2011 · 50 employees · 15 known investors

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Science Exchange provides operational infrastructure for life sciences R&D, connecting organizations, suppliers, and workflows to streamline contracting, compliance, onboarding, and financial coordination across the research ecosystem.

Also known as theBench Inc.

BiotechEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechSaaSHealth TechEnterpriseUnited States of AmericaAmerica / CanadaFully Remote

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S11)

Science Exchange was founded in 2011 by Elizabeth Iorns and Dan Knox.

EIElizabeth Iorns
Elizabeth IornsCEO & Co-founder2011–2025Elizabeth Iorns earned a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from the Institute of Cancer Research (UK) and served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine, where she conducted research on breast cancer development and progression. She is the founder of Science Exchange, a platform providing operational infrastructure for life sciences R&D, and has co-founded or been involved with several therapeutics companies.
DKDan Knox
Dan KnoxCo-Founder & COO2011–2025Dan Knox co-founded Science Exchange, a platform connecting research organizations with outsourced scientific services, and is a co-founder of Familiar, an animal health biotech developing therapeutics for companion animals. He holds an EMBA from MIT Sloan and completed Y Combinator.
MLMark Layden
Mark LaydenCEO & Chairman
NM
Nichola MenteExecutive Assistant To Chief Executive Officer
RA
Ryan AbbottFounder2011–2013
OK
Omid KarkoutiVice President of Sales2015–2017
SG
Scott Gilfoil
DM
Debby Meredith
JE
John Ellis
RF
Ron FischerVice President Engineeringformer

Investors · 15

Index Ventureslisted by Index VenturesSan Francisco · $540K – $10.8M

How we know: Index Ventures's portfolio page · fiercebiotech.com · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Lerer Hippeaulisted by Lerer HippeauNew York · $500K – $2M

How we know: lererhippeau.com · Not right? Tell us

Norwest Venture Partnerslisted by Norwest Venture PartnersMenlo Park · $10M – $30M

How we know: a partner's Signal profile · funding news · fiercebiotech.com · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Spider Capitallisted by Spider CapitalSan Francisco · $500K

How we know: Spider Capital's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us

Union Square Ventures (USV)listed by Union Square Ventures (USV)New York · $1M – $8M

How we know: Union Square Ventures (USV)'s portfolio page · company funding news (hacker news) · fiercebiotech.com · the VCSheet dataset · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Venture Investment Associateslisted by Venture Investment AssociatesPeapack

How we know: viafunds.com · Not right? Tell us

Windham Capital Partnerslisted by Windham Capital PartnersNew York · $1M – $5M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Y Combinatorlisted by Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K

How we know: the Y Combinator directory · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

Brainchild Holdingsreported

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Emerson Collective InvestingreportedPalo Alto · $100K – $1M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Maverick VenturesreportedSan Francisco · $3M – $10M

How we know: funding news · the VCSheet dataset · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

OATVreportedSan Francisco

How we know: fiercebiotech.com · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Also in the syndicate · 2

Maverick Capital Venturesthe YC Continuity Fund

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

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

Founder mafia

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

Elizabeth IornsPresident \u0026 CEO; Chairman of the BoardFounded Transcripta BioGuru SinghDirector of MarketingFounded Scispot

Related companies · 6

Synthio LabsSynthio Labs develops AI-powered synthesis and clinical interpretation systems for pharmaceutical interactions, offering text, voice, and video interfaces designed for healthcare professionals and patients that integrate FDA labels, drug mechanisms, and clinical literature.
ScientistScientist.com operates an online marketplace and platform for life science research, helping scientists find providers, scope projects, compare proposals, manage compliance, and track spend. The platform incorporates AI and expert support to coordinate outsourced research workflows across the research lifecycle for life science organizations.
QuinnQuinn is an AI research service that synthesizes biological, clinical, and competitive evidence from published literature and databases to answer drug development questions for biotech companies. It delivers structured, traceable evidence packages for decisions across target validation, indication prioritization, biomarker strategy, and trial design.
Maven BioMaven Bio provides software for biotech investment firms to accelerate due diligence and thesis development, automating screening, competitive analysis, and clinical data review to compress research timelines from days to hours.
Baseline AIBaseline AI provides AI-powered automation for generating clinical trial documentation and data management artifacts from study protocols, including data collection forms, database schemas, validation rules, statistical code, and data mappings—reducing the manual effort typically required across multiple teams at pharmaceutical companies.
Pirouette PharmaPirouette develops OnePush, a fully automatic hidden-needle auto-injector platform paired with drug programs across chronic and rescue care indications. The company is advancing clinical-stage programs in naloxone, epinephrine, promethazine, and methotrexate while scaling U.S. automated manufacturing and securing IP protection through 2045.

Companies working in the same space as Science Exchange.

Legal entities · 2

corporate structure
Science Exchange, Inc.
theBench Inc.

In the news

Science Exchange (YC S11) Raises $28M in Series C Fundingblog.scienceexchange.com · Jun 2017Science Exchange (YC S11) Announces $25M in New Fundingblog.scienceexchange.com · Mar 2016Science Exchange (YC S11) Raises $3M in Series A Financingblog.scienceexchange.com · Apr 2013

Frequently asked questions

What does Science Exchange do?
Science Exchange provides operational infrastructure for life sciences R&D, connecting organizations, suppliers, and workflows to streamline contracting, compliance, onboarding, and financial coordination across the research ecosystem.
Who founded Science Exchange?
Science Exchange was founded by Elizabeth Iorns, Dan Knox in 2011.
Who are Science Exchange's investors?
Science Exchange's investors include Collaborative Fund, Index Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, Norwest Venture Partners, Spider Capital, Union Square Ventures (USV), Venture Investment Associates, Windham Capital Partners and 5 more.
Where is Science Exchange headquartered?
Science Exchange is headquartered in San Francisco, US.