Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks builds AI-driven autonomous laboratories, with applications spanning drug discovery, protein synthesis, agriculture, and beyond.
Challenge
How does a synthetic biology pioneer reframe its story for investors, scientists, and the public at a pivotal moment of strategic transformation?
Approach
Thermal partnered with Ginkgo to build and execute a communications strategy positioning the company as the defining infrastructure player in autonomous lab technology. Together, we:
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- Established the autonomous lab as a category: Developed core positioning and messaging that frames Ginkgo as a horizontal infrastructure company, the equivalent of what cloud computing became for software.
- Orchestrated a landmark AI collaboration launch: Managed media strategy for Ginkgo’s partnership with OpenAI, in which GPT-5 autonomously ran 36,000 protein synthesis experiments and achieved a 40% improvement over the state-of-the-art benchmark at lower cost. Secured broad outreach across biotech, tech, and general science press.
- Drove the Ginkgo Cloud Lab launch: Supported the commercial launch of Ginkgo Cloud Lab, opening a fleet of 70+ autonomous lab instruments to external researchers via web browser. Developed pitches and follow-up strategy targeting reporters covering frontier AI, robotics, and biotech.
- Launched open science media angles: Developed pitching strategy around Ginkgo Datapoints and the Virtual Cell Pharmacology Initiative (VCPI), framing open-source data releases as a scientific milestone for AI drug discovery, and as proof of the autonomous lab flywheel in action.
Impact
Through our partnership, Ginkgo has:
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- Secured tier-one business, tech, and science media coverage: Earned coverage from outlets including Scientific American, Nature, and TBPN, establishing Ginkgo as the defining company in AI-driven autonomous labs.
- Captured in-depth coverage in trade and life sciences publications: Reporting included a two-part In Vivo autonomous lab feature series, a Drug Discovery & Development conference recap naming the GPT-5 announcement “the week’s most concrete proof point for AI-driven discovery,” and more.
- Elevated Jason Kelly as a voice on U.S. biotech competitiveness: Secured media and content opportunities for Ginkgo’s CEO to make the case that autonomous labs are a national competitiveness imperative in the geopolitical biotech race, including an op-ed in the Boston Globe.
