About Arzeda
Co-founded by Nobel Laureate David Baker, we've spent 15+ years turning computational protein design into commercial reality.
Our Heritage
From the Institute for Protein Design to industry scale
Arzeda was founded by David Baker (2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry), Alexandre Zanghellini, and colleagues from the Institute for Protein Design — one of the world's leading centers for computational biology. Together they set out to translate breakthrough science into products partners could actually use.
We have been a pioneer in computational protein design since 2008, when the field was still emerging. Arzeda was among the first to computationally design enzymes from scratch and carry them through to commercial-scale manufacturing — bridging the gap between algorithms and the real world.
Our Mission
To solve some of today's hardest problems through protein design. We create designer proteins that don't exist in nature and manufacture them at scale for partners across food, home care, materials, and pharma.
Open Science
OpenFold & advancing the field
Arzeda co-founded OpenFold, a non-profit consortium developing open-source AI and software for protein structure prediction and design. We believe shared tools and transparent science lift the entire ecosystem — from academia to industry.
Our commitment to open science complements the proprietary programs we run with partners: we invest in public infrastructure so the field moves faster, while delivering differentiated outcomes for customers who need reliability at scale.
Milestones
Key moments in our journey
- 2008
Founded from the Institute for Protein Design
- 2014
First computational enzyme designs published
- 2020
Co-founded OpenFold
- 2024
David Baker awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry; $38M funding round
- 2025
DARPA funding; doubled ProSweet production capacity
- 2026
NSF-funded cell-free biomanufacturing initiative