Organization and Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Organization and Basis of Presentation

Organization and Basis of Presentation

Business

The mission of Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (“Ginkgo” or the “Company”) is to make biology easier to engineer. The Company designs custom cells for customers across multiple markets. Since inception, the Company has devoted its efforts to improving its platform for programming cells to enable customers to leverage biology to create impactful products across a range of industries. The Company’s platform comprises (i) equipment, robotic automation, software, data pipelines and tools, and standard operating procedures for high throughput cell engineering, fermentation, and analytics (referred to collectively as the “Foundry”), (ii) a library of proprietary biological assets and associated performance data (referred to collectively as “Codebase”), and (iii) the Company’s team of expert users, developers and operators of the Foundry and Codebase.

With a mission to make biology easier to engineer, the Company has recognized the need to invest in biosecurity as a key component of its platform. The Company’s Biosecurity business is building a global infrastructure for biosecurity to empower governments, communities, and public health leaders to prevent, detect and respond to a wide variety of biological threats.

On September 16, 2021, Soaring Eagle Acquisition Corp. (“SRNG”) consummated a merger transaction pursuant to a merger agreement (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among SRNG, SEAC Merger Sub Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SRNG (“Merger Sub”), and Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. (“Old Ginkgo”), whereby Merger Sub merged with and into Old Ginkgo, the separate corporate existence of Merger Sub ceased and Old Ginkgo survived the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of SRNG (the “SRNG Business Combination”). In connection with the consummation of the SRNG Business Combination, SRNG changed its name to “Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc.” and, among other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the existing equity holders of Old Ginkgo exchanged their equity interests of Old Ginkgo for equity interests of Ginkgo. See Note 3 for additional information on the SRNG Business Combination.