Jacob Becraft

Jake Becraft is working at the frontier of programmable life—developing a language to program living cells, much like early coders programmed computers. His groundbreaking work in mRNA enables therapies that can sense, decide, and act inside the body, transforming biology into adaptive, upgradeable software. While COVID vaccines were mRNA’s debut, Jake is building it as a platform—one that could rapidly respond to everything from cancer to autoimmune disease. As a founder, he’s faced the universal challenges of translating cutting-edge science into a scalable, venture-backed company—lessons that resonate far beyond biotech. Jake isn’t just following trends—he’s shaping what comes next. Jake also serves on the advisory board of Starlight Ventures, an early stage venture firm, and also serves on the Executive Board of Public Health United, a non-profit focused on helping scientists better communicate their research for maximum impact. Jake earned the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Award, the Andrew Viterbi Fellowship of MIT, Amgen Fellowship, and the Bristol-Myers Squibb 2018 Golden Ticket. Jake received his Ph.D. in Biological Engineering and Synthetic Biology from MIT and his B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign