Synthetic Design Lab Emerges with $20M to Advance Next-Generation ADCs
Summary
Company is led by cancer immunotherapy and protein engineering pioneer Daniel S. Chen, M.D., Ph.D. SYNTHBODY platform increases targeted payload delivery 10x compared to current ADCs; expects to enter the clinic in 2026 SAN FRANCISCO, April 23, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Synthetic Design Lab, a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) company advancing its novel SYNTHBODY therapeutic platform against a range of cancer indications, emerged from stealth today with $20 million in seed financing. "We believe our SYNTHBODY therapeutic platform will deliver on the full promise of ADC technology," said Daniel S. Chen, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Synthetic Design Lab. Playground Global is a deep tech venture capital firm with $1.2 billion in assets under management, backing early-stage startups solving fundamental challenges in next-generation compute, automation, energy transition, and engineered biology. We work closely with founders to sharpen strategic thinking, clarify company identity, and deepen understanding of key stakeholdersfrom customers, to partners, to talent. Through hands-on company building, recruiting, board leadership, and access to a powerful network of founders, advisors, operators, and investors, Godfrey Capital empowers startups to grow faster, smarter, and with lasting impact.