Swaminath Srinivas

About Swaminath Srinivas

I\'ve closed multi-million dollar partnerships bringing Ginkgo Bioworks\' synthetic biology platform to pharma and industrial biotech companies—combining 7+ years of hands-on organism engineering with strategic deal-making to accelerate commercialization of everything from food proteins to biotherapeutics.WHAT I DO:I lead business development for Ginkgo\'s pharma services (RNA, protein expression, AI-enabled strain engineering) and industrial biotech partnerships. I\'ve:→ Closed deals across technology licensing, strain partnerships, and preclinical asset out-licensing→ Built Ginkgo\'s technology out-licensing program from zero to 10+ active partnerships in less than 9 months→ Led technical due diligence for M&A targets and acquisition opportunities in fungal platforms and multiplexed screening technologiesUNIQUE BACKGROUND:Unlike most BD professionals, I spent 5 years as an organism engineer at Ginkgo, where I:→ Managed a $20M portfolio producing commercial yeast and bacterial strains for food ingredients and biotherapeutics→ Co-invented 3 patents underpinning Ginkgo\'s protein production platform (valued at $100+M)→ Led transformation initiatives that reduced sales cycles by 50% and supported 30% YoY revenue growthI also hold a PhD in Biochemistry from UIUC with 28 peer-reviewed publications (h-index: 19) in metabolic engineering and synthetic & hl=enThis technical-commercial fluency enables me to: Evaluate scientific feasibility during early-stage partnerships Structure deals balancing R&D risk with commercial value Bridge conversations between research teams and executive decision-makersCORE EXPERTISE: Technology licensing & out-licensing | Pharma & biotech partnerships M&A technical due diligence | Platform & corporate development Strain commercialization & scale-up (E. coli, S.cer, Pichia to 100kL) Regulatory strategy (FDA GRAS Notices, ATCC deposits) Let\'s connect if you\'re:→ A pharma R&D leader exploring synthetic biology for biologics development→ A biotech CEO seeking strain engineering or protein expression partnerships→ An investor evaluating synthetic biology or biomanufacturing opportunities

Experience

1. Director of Sales and Business Development

   Ginkgo Bioworks

   Jan 2024 — Present · Boston, MA, US

   Leading business development and strategic partnerships for Ginkgo\'s pharma services (RNA therapeutics, protein expression, AI-enabled strain engineering) and industrial biotech platforms.Key Achievements:→ Closed multi-million dollar licensing and partnership agreements across pharma, CROs, and industrial biotech → Built technology out-licensing program generating significant revenue from strain and platform licensing agreements→ Structured preclinical asset out-licensing deals for microbial therapeutic candidates→ Led technical due diligence for 3 M&A targets (fungal expression platform, multiplexed screening technology) supporting a healthy corporate development pipeline→ Supported 30+ partnership evaluations from initial technical assessment through contract negotiation

Education

• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Biochemistry and Microbiology

  2009 — 2018

• Anna University Chennai

  B. Tech, Industrial Biotechnology

  2005 — 2009

• Army Public School

  High School, Biology, General

  2003 — 2005