San Francisco, CA, USA, 16th September 2015 / Sciad NewswireToday, SynBioBeta announced that it will be hosting a special event called the Blue Sky Bio Competition, during the SynBioBeta SF 2015 Conference on Nov. 4th, 2015 at The Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco, CA.

The Blue Sky Bio Competition allows startups, industry and academia a chance to submit their big ideas to win over $500k in prizes. SynBioBeta, with the support of its sponsors, established this event to help cultivate the bioeconomy by providing inspiring minds with the chance to get extra resources to help fund their projects. Prizes up for grabs include; $100k in Synthetic DNA (from Twist Bioscience), $100k in outsourced experiments (from Science Exchange), $78k in startup grants and lab space at Imperial College London (from SynbiCITE), $120k in Cloud Computing (from Microsoft), 6 Months of Lab Bench Space in Sunnyvale, CA (from Molecular Medicine Research Institute),  Free Office Hours with Orrick Startup Lawyers, Free Startup in a Box (from QB3), an Accelerator Banking Package (from Silicon Valley Bank), and exclusive interviews at Y Combinator and Indie Bio.

“What makes this competition exciting is that it’s positioned to truly help facilitate innovators in the synthetic biology industry” said John Cumbers, Founder of SynBioBeta. ”The $100k in DNA (which equates to about a million base pairs) will give a boost to anyone designing novel biological systems, the platform credit at Science Exchange will help those without a lab to start a virtual biotech, or if they are in need of lab space, then they have the ability to win space in the UK or the US”. John continued, “The contest is meant to help bring big ideas to fruition that might not be funded elsewhere”.

The rules of the competition are simple; in order to become eligible you must submit an application by October 2nd. All applications will be reviewed by a panel of judges prior to the event and three candidates will be picked to move onto the live round on November 4th. During the event, the final three will pitch their ideas on stage at SynBioBeta SF 2015, and the audience will vote live to decide the big winner.  The awards ceremony will be hosted by angel investor Esther Dyson.

For more details on the Blue Sky Bio Competition, including how to submit an application for entry go to http://synbiobeta.com/conferences/synbiobeta-sf2015-blue-sky-bio/. If you would like more information on becoming a sponsor, attending SynBioBeta SF 2015, or getting a press pass please contact Brittney Norris, Director of Marketing for SynBioBeta by phone at +1 650-933-5455, or by email at Brittney.norris@synbiobeta.com.

About SynBioBeta

SynBioBeta is the leading community of entrepreneurs, investors, policy makers and enthusiasts devoted to the responsible growth of the synthetic biology field. It hosts international synthetic biology conferences and events that bring the entire community together several times each year, giving anyone the opportunity to meet with the bright minds building and shaping the bioeconomy.

SynBioBeta also offers a highly specialized weekly industry e-digest, news blog and educational courses in addition to providing companies in the industry with opportunities for advertising, exhibition and sponsorships for promotion.

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