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The problem / why now
AI is making it easier to engineer biology. Frontier models now outperform expert virologists at troubleshooting wet-lab experiments (virologytest.ai). Open-source tools can predict which mutations let a pathogen escape existing immunity (evescape.org). As models become more biologically capable, the number of bad actors able to cause harm with biology will rise dramatically.
Fortunately, anyone designing a threat must still gain access to biological material and equipment. Experts see securing access to synthetic DNA as the most promising chokepoint to defend. This idea has widespread support from the CEOs of frontier AI labs, the DNA synthesis industry, broader biotech, and the policy community, who have recently signed an open letter calling for mandatory customer screening (screendna.org). Regulation has been proposed in the US (S.3741) and the EU (Biotech Act).
Progress so far
safely.bio is building Verify, software that runs know-your-customer checks on the biologists placing DNA orders ahead of this regulation. Our software identifies whether they are legitimate researchers or bad actors. We recently ran a study showing Verify outperforms the public state-of-the-art customer screening tool for biosecurity; the preprint will be released shortly.
We are three months in, incorporated as a UK Ltd, have spoken to 30+ potential customers, and are currently sprinting to sign design-partner pilots with DNA synthesis companies.
Concrete output over the next four months:
Preprint published showing Verify outperforms the public state-of-the-art customer screening tool for biosecurity
Pilots signed with 3+ DNA synthesis providers
Regulatory engagement in the UK and EU ahead of incoming mandatory KYC requirements (EU Biotech Act, US S.3741)
Please find our budget here.
We’re two full-time co-founders:
Phil Palmer holds a Cambridge PhD in computational biology, worked on biosecurity safeguards at CLTR and the Nuclear Threat Initiative, and was a visiting researcher in Kevin Esvelt's group at MIT.
Joey Bream is a third-time founder and software engineer who worked on customer screening with the former White House NSC Director for Biodefense and Pandemic Preparedness at Sentinel Bio.
The main risk is adoption. DNA synthesis providers currently see customer screening as cost without commercial upside, so without regulation they may not adopt it. If we cannot get paying customers or secure further funding, then our runway will run out before we reach sustainability. However, we think regulation is likely, given active proposals in the US (S.3741) and EU (Biotech Act) and an industry open letter calling for mandatory screening.
A second risk is that screening slows legitimate research. The Centre for Long-Term Resilience examined this trade-off and concluded the benefits of screening greatly outweigh the costs (cost-benefit analysis).
The likely outcome of failure is a controlled wind-down: we would have a validated tool, a published preprint, and customer relationships, which either fold into another provider or inform whoever builds this next. The infrastructure and evidence would not be wasted.
grantmaking.ai Launch Round grant: $50,000 (this round)
BlueDot Rapid Grant: $7,640 (May 2026)
We have also been accepted onto the Surplus programme, which includes seed investment, but this is not yet in our account, so we don't count it as raised.
There are no bids on this project.