BenchSci

Last month, we recently hosted our third company-wide hackathon, bringing together teams from Engineering, Product, and Science. The goal? To push the boundaries of #GenAI and its potential in advancing scientific research. We're committed to leveraging the latest technologies to solve complex and challenging problems scientists face. Our hackathons provide a great opportunity for our team to gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge tools and drive innovation. Curious about the outcomes? Head over to our latest blog post, authored by Yan Liu, SVP of Technology. She shares the highlights of the hackathon, including the ideas that won awards for creativity, impact, and biggest learning. https://lnkd.in/gSKRzh9C

This year, we were honored to kick off our Scale Up talks with Steve Hitchcock, a seasoned leader in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With a wealth of experience as the former Chief Scientific Officer at Takeda and his current roles as founder and CEO of Implexsys Bioscience and Venture Partner at 5AM Ventures, Steve brings a unique perspective on the role of artificial intelligence in pharmaceutical R&D. In our conversation, Steve shared his insights on AI's transformative potential in R&D, including: ✔ AI's next frontier: Unraveling disease biology ✔ Scientists AI = Improved efficiency and decision-making ✔ Long-term vision is key in the AI race Read our latest blog post to hear more from Steve.  https://lnkd.in/eDJTBZX9

We’re proud to announce that BenchSci is featured in the new book, The Bonfire Moment: Bring Your Team Together to Solve the Hardest Problems Startups Face. Since 2015, co-authors Martin Gonzalez and Joshua Yellin have worked with startups globally through Google for Startups and the Effective Founders Project. In their book, they share the principles needed to effectively build an extraordinary team and achieve ambitious goals. In 2018, Google’s Gradient Ventures fund invested in BenchSci’s Series A round. This connection allowed us to collaborate with Martin and Joshua. When Liran Belenzon (he/him) shared our unique approaches to culture and people, they were inspired by some of Liran’s philosophies, including our ‘paid to part ways policy.’ A big thank you to Martin and Joshua for including us in this milestone. Check out The Bonfire Moment to hear more from Liran on why investing in your people pays off in the long run, hear from other founders, and access the workshop that they conduct through Google for Startups. https://lnkd.in/dPYGxWwA

Off-the-shelf foundation models have undoubtedly revolutionized industries across the board, yet when it comes to their integration into preclinical R&D, a distinct set of challenges emerge. In our newest blog post, Liran Belenzon (he/him) examines some of the limitations of current off-the-shelf LLMs, including their struggle with messy data, scientific reasoning, and personalized user needs. He also highlights why the future of AI in preclinical R&D hinges on specialized solutions tailored to the complexities of drug discovery. You can read more here: https://lnkd.in/eDjtE3pk #AI #LLMs #DrugDiscovery #PreclinicalResearch #BenchSci

Mental Health Awareness Month may be over, but our commitment to prioritizing well-being remains strong at BenchSci. We recently hosted a panel discussion, "Mind Your Mind: Open Conversations for a Mentally Strong Workplace," where we heard powerful insights from Fernando José Suarez Saiz, Kari Sulenes, and Kim Foster Yardley, on how to navigate mental health at work, create a supportive community, and prioritize your well-being. Read about this inspiring panel discussion, with key takeaways, and more from Diane Bell, BenchSci’s Manager of Talent Management and Senior Human Resource Business Partner, who moderated the conversation: https://lnkd.in/ebVZQ7aQ #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth

We are proud to be featured as a part of Generation Investment Management’s Growth Equity Fund! Generation advised us on measuring our climate impact, producing a measurement of carbon avoided by our clients for the first time. This was a significant advancement in how we think about our impact – covering not just people health, but planetary health – and our initial work has received a strong positive reception from our clients. We have a long way to go on our journey, but we have many people to thank for helping us reach this milestone, including Liran Belenzon (he/him), Bryn Knox, Arnab Kundu, Christopher Guest, and your teams for your commitment to a sustainable future!

We're thrilled to be recognized as a 2024 Best Workplace™ for Mental Wellness by Great Place to Work® Canada! 🎉 As we celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, it's more important than ever to prioritize mental well-being in the workplace. At BenchSci, we're committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. To celebrate this recognition, our Director of Translational Initiatives and mental health advocate, Fernando José Suarez Saiz, shares more on how we champion mental health initiatives in the workplace: https://lnkd.in/etin6kwa #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #BestWorkplaces #EmployeeWellbeing #GreatPlaceToWork

We’re excited to announce that BenchSci has been recognized as a Best Workplace in Canada once again! This achievement reflects the passion, creativity, and collaboration of our talented team. Our exceptional team not only drives our success but also shapes the unique culture that defines BenchSci. A heartfelt thank you to our team for their dedication and for making our workplace environment truly special and inclusive. Thank you to Great Place to Work® Canada for counting us among Canada's top workplaces. We’re eager to continue championing a culture of innovation at BenchSci, where every employee feels valued and inspired to make a difference. https://lnkd.in/epmn4crk #GreatPlaceToWork #BenchSci #GPTWcertified #CompanyCulture #Innovation

BenchSci's 2023 Impact Report is now available. This year’s impact report showcases our progress in building a thriving, inclusive workplace and a more sustainable future. Highlights include: ✔ We maintained gender parity company-wide (49%) while identifying an opportunity to increase the representation of women in leadership roles. ✔ We invested in partnerships with organizations like The Knowledge Society and the Black Professionals in Tech Network. ✔ We launched two new ERGs (QueerSci and Black@BenchSci) and a Chapter Program to connect BenchSciers. ✔ We are enhancing Total Rewards and conducted a compensation fairness analysis. ✔ We donated to local organizations through BenchSci Gives Back. ✔ We are implementing an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework with the support of Generation Investment Management. We're proud of our progress but remain committed to continuous improvement in 2024. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/gn_VTRmA

New website, same BenchSci! We’ve undergone a website redesign to better showcase our vision for the future and the remarkable progress we’re making. Visit www.BenchSci.com to discover how we’re revolutionizing pharma R&D with our disease biology GenAI platform, ASCEND.