ABSTRACT
This chapter explains four of these companies: Sapphire Energy, Solazyme, Amyris Biotechnologies, and LS9. Amyris proved its technology platform in an earlier nonprofit project to reduce the production cost of artemisinin, an anti-malarial drug. Amyris moved rapidly to commercialize production in Brazil starting in 2011, beginning with mills it owns or controls. In the race to commercialize biofuels and chemicals, Synthetic Genomics, Inc. (SGI) faces a number of competitors that use one of two feedstocks: algae or sugarcane. Like SGI and ExxonMobil, Solazyme also sought to take advantage of Chevron's know-how in getting fuel produced in bulk and distributed to consumers. The new funding, the bulk of which came from VantagePoint Venture Partners, enabled Solazyme to boost its production capabilities and begin to attract customers, initially the United States Navy. Solazyme has also received funds from federal government grants and an oil giant, Chevron.
