Syntax
Chicago, US · Founded 2021 · 17 employees on LinkedIn · 6 known investors
Find your way into Syntax
638 people in our graph share verified history with the Syntax team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Noubar Afeyanunlockedknows Niko Balanis, PhD · together at Sana Biotechnology (overlapped)
×2knows the team · via UCLA
knows the team · via Brown University
knows the team · via TechCrunch
knows the team · via Queen's University
knows the team · via University of Illinois College of Medicine
Syntax Bio develops a discovery platform that accelerates stem cell-derived therapies by using its proprietary Cellgorithm technology to control and direct cell differentiation. The platform enables biopharma companies to speed up cell therapy development, reduce manufacturing costs, and expand their pipeline of potential treatments.
Founders & leadership
Syntax was founded in 2021 by Ryan Clarke, Niko Balanis, PhD, Brad Merrill, PhD, and Matt MacDougall, MD, PhD.
RC
Ryan ClarkeinCo-Founder, Chief Scientific OfficerHe cofounded Syntax Bio in 2021, serving first as chief executive officer and later as chief technology officer before moving into the scientific leadership role, and has been a board director throughout. He was previously a scientist at Sana Biotechnology, completed his PhD at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and worked as a research assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a stint contributing to TechCrunch.
NB
Niko Balanis, PhDinCo-Founder, Chief Technology OfficerNiko Balanis holds a PhD and has authored and co-authored multiple peer-reviewed publications on cancer biology and cell differentiation, including work in Science and Cancer Cell. He is the Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Syntax Bio, which develops cell differentiation control technology for stem cell-derived therapies.
BM
Brad Merrill, PhDCo-Founder, Head of Innovation
MM
Matt MacDougall, MD, PhDinScientific Cofounder, Immunology Physician, Stanford UniversityMatt MacDougall completed his MD and PhD at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is conducting postdoctoral training in immunology at Stanford University. His research focuses on stem cell differentiation and CRISPR-based synthetic biology, including work identifying calcium signaling in embryonic stem cell fate decisions and developing methods for sequential gene editing.
JC
John Craighead, PhDChief Executive Officer
Investors · 6
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements$28.8M disclosed across 2 rounds · 2026
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Competitors · 5
by search overlap
Senti Biosciences11 shared keywordsSenti Bio develops cell and gene therapies for cancer and difficult-to-treat diseases using synthetic biology and engineered Gene Circuits to enhance precision, control, and selectivity in targeting tumor cells. The company is a clinical-stage biotech firm leveraging proprietary platform technology across multiple cell types and modalities.
Thumbnail for SyntheX10 shared keywordsSyntheX develops the ToRFLEx platform, a first-in-class drug discovery technology that enables screening for compounds that modulate protein-protein interactions and targeted protein degradation for previously inaccessible drug targets identified by geneticists. The company builds an internal oncology pipeline and partners with external organizations to expand adoption of its platform.
Abiologics9 shared keywordsAbiologics uses computational design tools to create protein-inspired molecules called Synteins, engineered to avoid the vulnerabilities of natural protein medicines while retaining biological function. The company develops these molecules as a new class of therapeutics with the aim of advancing candidates toward clinical development.
Synthesize9 shared keywordsSynthesize develops generative AI models that simulate human tissue responses to drugs and diseases for clinical trial design. The company helps biotech and pharmaceutical development teams de-risk trials, identify biomarkers, and extend early-phase data by generating synthetic patient cohorts.
Synlogic8 shared keywordsSynlogic develops synthetic biology-based biotherapeutics that use engineered living organisms to treat diseases. The company applies synthetic biology approaches to design programmable therapeutic candidates for patients.
Companies competing with Syntax for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
In the news
Frequently asked questions
- What does Syntax do?
- Syntax Bio develops a discovery platform that accelerates stem cell-derived therapies by using its proprietary Cellgorithm technology to control and direct cell differentiation. The platform enables biopharma companies to speed up cell therapy development, reduce manufacturing costs, and expand their pipeline of potential treatments.
- Who founded Syntax?
- Syntax was founded by Ryan Clarke, Niko Balanis, PhD, Brad Merrill, PhD, Matt MacDougall, MD, PhD in 2021.
- Who are Syntax's investors?
- Syntax's investors include Astellas Venture Management LLC, DCVC (Data Collective), DCVC Bio, Draper Associates, Illumina Ventures, Portal Innovations.
- How much funding has Syntax raised?
- Syntax has disclosed $28.8M raised across 2 rounds.
- Where is Syntax headquartered?
- Syntax is headquartered in Chicago, US.