Author: Sajith Wickramasekara
Happy 13th Birthday, Benchling!
When we started, if you had told me that one day, our software would be trusted by scientists around the world — at 1200 companies, 7500 universities, and counting — I wouldn’t have believed you. In fact, it took over a year to cross 100 scientists regularly using our platform. I often joke that starting Benchling was one of my most naive decisions. How hard could it be? It’s also been one of my best decisions.
Today, scientific progress is facing unprecedented challenges. The need for better and faster R&D feels more urgent than ever. I’m grateful to be building tools for the scientists working at the forefront of discovery.
That’s why, to celebrate Benchling’s 13th birthday, I want to give a gift back to the biotech community: stories. Because behind every breakthrough, behind every company, are real people making tough decisions — and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
Introducing Transcribed
Today we’re launching Transcribed, a new interview series about the humans of biotech and their decisions shaping modern biotech.
One of my favorite parts of running Benchling is that it’s my job to spend time learning from scientists and biotech leaders. I’ve seen firsthand how hundreds of different organizations, from scrappy startups to giant multinationals, navigate the complexities of research and development to create life-changing products. It’s an incredible vantage point, and I want to share what I’ve seen.
What to expect from Transcribed:
Real talk from leaders at the cutting edge of science
Candid stories, career pivots, and hard-won lessons
Honest takes on what’s worked — and what hasn’t — in biotech
These stories are for anyone trying to move scientific progress forward — whether you’re leading a global R&D org, managing a research team, or working at the bench. The people I talk to have shaped entire fields. Their insights can help others do the same.
My first interview is with Patrick Hsu, whom I first met over a decade ago when he was a grad student in Feng Zhang’s lab — and one of our earliest users. Today he’s the cofounder of Arc Institute. We talk about starting college at 15, how CRISPR saved his PhD, and why the biotech industry needs a culture shift for AI to truly transform science. Watch the interview here.
Coming up: conversations with Sara Kenkare-Mitra, John Tsai, Karen Akinsanya, Mathai Mammen, and Eric Kelsic.
It all comes down to community
I feel most at home where software and science intersect, as an observer and translator between the two. I've long admired how low the barriers to entry are in software. Could we do the same for biotech?
In Silicon Valley, it’s so easy to just do things. That’s structural: the next great software company can be started with a laptop and internet connection, whereas drug discovery requires significant experience and risk capital. But I believe it's also cultural. The tech world has a strong culture of sharing freely — lessons, strategies, and even failures get open sourced.
Biotech is moving in that direction, and I want to help accelerate it. Working together is how we all go further, faster.
Tune in to Transcribed monthly for Sajith’s latest conversations with biotech’s boldest leaders. Want to nominate someone to be interviewed? Email our team at transcribed@benchling.com.