Benchling joined the Unicorn Club on April 14, 2021, after raising a $200 million Series E funding round led by Sequoia Capital, Altimeter Capital, and Elad Gil. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, Benchling provides a cloud-based bioinformatics platform that accelerates biotech and life sciences research.
Its suite of tools supports molecular biology workflows, from CRISPR design to sequence alignment and cloning automation. Benchling also offers image analysis, protocol design, and real-time collaboration features, helping scientists streamline complex R&D processes in a single platform.
Keep reading to learn how Benchling became a $6.1B leader in life sciences data management and biotech innovation.
What Is Benchling and What Does It Do?
Founded in 2012, Benchling is a life sciences cloud platform built to modernize biotechnology research and development. It offers molecular biology design tools, data capture, and collaboration solutions for academic, industrial, and pharmaceutical research teams.
The platform integrates with laboratory instruments and third-party systems, enabling scientists to design, record, and share experiments in real-time. Benchling’s mission is to help researchers innovate faster by unifying data, people, and processes on a single digital platform.
How Much Funding Has Benchling Raised?
1. Series F Round
- Amount Raised: $100 million
- Date: November 18, 2021
- Valuation: $6.1 billion
- Lead Investors: Fidelity Investments, Lone Pine Capital
- Purpose: Expand R&D cloud adoption, enhance collaboration features, and scale global enterprise operations
2. Series E Round
- Amount Raised: $200 million
- Date: April 14, 2021
- Lead Investors: Sequoiacap.com, Altimeter Capital, Elad Gil
- Purpose: Advance product innovation and expand into new therapeutic research verticals
Total Funding Raised: ~$412 million
Latest Funding Date: November 18, 2021
Latest Known Valuation: ~$6.1 billion
Employee Count: 640 (as of December 31, 2023)
Key Investors
1. Fidelity Investments
- Details: One of the largest global investment firms managing a diverse portfolio across sectors and asset classes.
- Focus Areas: Biotechnology, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise software.
2. Lone Pine Capital
- Details: Global investment management firm supporting high-growth companies in technology and healthcare.
- Focus Areas: Life sciences, SaaS, and R&D technology platforms.
3. Sequoiacap.com (Sequoia Capital)
- Details: Leading venture capital firm known for backing transformational technology and healthcare startups.
- Focus Areas: Cloud platforms, biotech innovation, and data-driven life sciences.
4. Altimeter Capital
- Details: Technology investment firm focused on high-growth companies driving innovation in data and enterprise software.
- Focus Areas: Cloud software, biotech data management, and digital infrastructure.
5. Elad Gil
- Details: Entrepreneur and angel investor supporting frontier technology and biotech startups.
- Focus Areas: AI for life sciences, genomics, and bioinformatics.
Where Is Benchling’s Headquarters?
Benchling is headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, where its teams focus on product development, scientific research support, and enterprise operations.
What’s Next for Benchling?
Benchling is expanding its presence across global biotech hubs and refining its Life Sciences R&D Cloud to handle more advanced data types and workflows. The company aims to deepen integration with lab automation tools, enhance analytics for R&D teams, and support faster innovation cycles across therapeutics, agriculture, and industrial biotech.
By bridging the gap between scientific data and collaboration, Benchling continues to define the digital backbone for modern life sciences research.
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