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Cradle

Category: AI in Healthcare

Cradle is a generative AI and synthetic biology platform that helps scientists design and engineer proteins faster and more cost-effectively. Cradle was founded in 2021. The company is led by Stef van Grieken. Based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Team size: 51-200. Total funding raised: $103 million. Latest round: Series A ($24M, Nov 2023 led by Index Ventures). Key investors include IVP, Index Ventures, Kindred Capital, Johnson & Johnson Innovation.

Founded
2021
Headquarters
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Team size
51-200
Total funding
$103 million

Value proposition

Significantly accelerate the protein engineering R&D process, reduce costly experiments by up to 90%, and increase the success rate of developing novel, high-performing proteins

Products and solutions

Web-based software platform for protein design and engineering, Access to proprietary generative AI models for protein sequence design, Integrated wet-lab services for high-throughput protein expression and testing

Unique value

Combination of a user-friendly, web-based generative AI platform with integrated, rapid wet-lab testing capabilities enabling a closed-loop, data-driven design-build-test cycle that shortens development timelines by 1.2-12x

Target customer

R&D teams and scientists at biotech, pharmaceutical, and chemical companies developing protein-based products

Industries served

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Food and Agriculture, Chemicals, Materials Science

Technology advantage

Proprietary generative AI models that design novel protein sequences with desired properties, plus delivery as an accessible digital service so customers can use advanced AI without in-house expertise

How they differentiate

Uses a generative AI platform combined with in-house wet lab capabilities to create proprietary datasets for training models, aiming to reduce experiments and shorten development timelines and costs by up to 90%

Main competitors

Ginkgo Bioworks, Arzeda, Profluent

Key partnerships

Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, Ginkgo Bioworks, Google Cloud, Novozymes, Twist Bioscience

Notable customers

Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, Ginkgo Bioworks, IFF, Grifols, argenx

Major milestones

Raised $73 million Series B funding round in November 2024, Platform launch in 2024 with rapid customer adoption, Won the Adaptyv Bio protein design competition with designs securing top 12 positions, Partnered with Ginkgo Bioworks as part of the Ginkgo Technology Network, Expanded to serve 21+ customers developing 31+ proteins

Growth metrics

Platform launched in 2024 with 21+ customers developing 31 proteins; customers report 8/10+ satisfaction ratings; 1.2-12x faster development timelines

Market positioning

Positioned as a high-end AI-driven biotechnology R&D platform targeting large pharmaceutical and biotech companies; established partnerships with major industry players underscore its innovator status

Geographic focus

Strong presence in Europe (Netherlands and Switzerland) with global client base and partnerships extending to North America and other markets

Patents and IP

Specific patent information is not publicly available; core technology may be protected as trade secrets

About Stef van Grieken

Previously, Stef van Grieken was a Senior Product Manager at Google AI (Brain) and Google X. He was part of the leadership team at Google Research & Machine Intelligence and co-led a Google X project. He also contributed to Google Maps and Android Auto.

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