OEN NewsMicroscopic movements, big impact: How SynPlexity is scaling innovation
As a kid growing up in Grants Pass, Oregon, DNA sequencing and synthetic biology weren’t necessarily at the forefront of Craig Stolarcyzk’s mind; some of his rural classmates didn’t have electricity. Stolarcyzk joined the Navy after high school, an experience he describes as “relatively enjoyable” with one caveat:
“I’m a bit anti-authoritarian,” he jokes. “I like to be the shot caller.”
Stolarcyzk then started his higher education path, first in medicine and then pivoting to biochemistry, where he discovered an unexpected love for math. Now decades into his career, Stolarcyzk says he still aims to spend 30 minutes a day studying mathematical concepts. These daily micro study blocks ensure he’s still moving forward and learning.
“In 30 minutes a day, you can chip away at a concept bit by bit,” he explains. “Something that seems challenging becomes less so when you sit down each day and work on it.”
That approach has served Stolarcyzk well in his career path, too. Beginning in the world of railroad products, leading research and development of high-performance polymer systems.
“That imprinted in me what was possible,” he says.
Stolarczyk literally shifted in engineering scale, moving from locomotive scale in railroad products to work in bio tech and DNA sequencing leveraging quantum dots. This line of work met a personal goal of Stolarcyzk’s to do work that has positive impact on people’s lives. Biotech is “high stress and high reward work,” he says. Through a company acquisition and then a move to the Bay Area, Stolarcyzk worked on a single cell analysis project from the ground up and began moving into leadership programs and positions. After joining a startup right before their Series A funding, Stolarcyzk was accepted into the Stanford Ignite program and gained even more leadership experience. A relocation back to Eugene, OR kicked off a process that eventually led Stolarcyzk to his co-founder for a new startup in the biotech space: SynPlexity.
SynPlexity aims to revolutionize synthetic biology by addressing a longstanding bottleneck in the field: a way to offer synthesis of DNA at a scale and price that is applicable for machine learning. SynPlexity’s platform enables the creation of multiplex gene libraries to innovate therapeutics, biomanufacturing, agriculture and climate solutions. Access to these microscopic pieces of material is critical to new breakthroughs in these industries.
“Synplexity is a conduit between biology and machine learning,” Stolarcyzk explains. “Biology is complex; we only know about 1%-5% of that there is to know. To expand our understanding, we need to be able to get data quickly and as inexpensively as possible.”
Stolarcyzk sees ample opportunity in Eugene for the biotech space and has been quickly expanding SynPlexity’s team. “I would not be here without this team,” Stolarcyzk says. “I get the chance to partner with one of the smartest people I’ve met with my co-founder, and I couldn’t ask for better team foundations.”
At least one team member at SynPlexity comes from a nontraditional educational background like Stolarcyzk; neither have a PhD in their field, and bring smarts and dedication cultivated in different fields to emphasize a multidisciplinary approach towards building a successful team. Stolarcyzk sees opportunity to pushback against the idea that a certain background and education is required for this field, and that the right mindset and dedication to taking things one step at a time is instead what’s needed.
“What’s most important to me is building an organization drives meaning through trust,” Stolarcyzk says. “Whether partners, investors, team members, or my own family, we move forward through relationships and trust.”
Produced by A.wordsmith for OEN
