Shiru alternatives
TL;DR: 12 companies doing similar work to Shiru in Healthcare, ranked by how closely they match what Shiru actually does — not just by category.
How this list was built: every company here is Y Combinator-backed and shares at least one category with Shiru. They are scored on how closely their own description overlaps with Shiru's, and all facts shown come from the YC company records — nothing is estimated.
What are the best alternatives to Shiru?
| Alternative | What it does | Batch | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Future Fields | We make unmakeable proteins with radical advanced biomanufacturing. | Summer 2020 | 34 | Active |
| TwentyTwo | AI infrastructure for biosecurity | Summer 2025 | 3 | Active |
| Ginkgo Bioworks | Our mission is to make biology easier to engineer. | Summer 2014 | 641 | Public |
| Kern Systems | Using DNA to store data. | Summer 2019 | 3 | Active |
| Current Foods | Impossible foods of seafood. | Summer 2020 | 18 | Acquired |
| Shiok Meats | Shiok Meats is a cell-based clean shrimp company, the first of its… | Winter 2019 | 9 | Acquired |
| Volumetric | Volumetric builds living multicellular tissues with a focus on the… | Winter 2020 | 5 | Acquired |
| Solugen | Decarbonizing the chemicals industry. | Winter 2017 | 200 | Active |
| Ansa Biotechnologies | Next-generation DNA synthesis using enzymes | Winter 2020 | 72 | Active |
| Lygos | Lygos (W16) built and commercialized sustainable, high-performance… | Winter 2016 | 55 | Active |
| Volta Labs, Inc. | Unlocking the utility of genomics for the world. | Winter 2019 | 50 | Active |
| Culture Biosciences | We grow cells for biotech companies. | Winter 2018 | 40 | Active |
Is Shiru still active?
Shiru is still operating, so switching is a choice rather than a forced migration. Compare on fit and price rather than urgency.
How was this list put together?
Every company here is Y Combinator-backed and shares at least one category with Shiru. They are then ranked on how closely their own description overlaps with Shiru's, so the closest matches come first rather than whoever happens to share a tag.