About Us

Solt DB is a public benefit company building a high-quality, open-source database tracking biotech companies. Our mission is funded by subscriptions to investment research and price targets for biotech stocks.
A logo of Gouldy the Finch, one of Solt DB's mascots.

We grew tired of the hype, so we gave tech bros the bird.

Solt DB is a public benefit company exploring the business of biotech with data, context, and nuance. The finch helps investors learn about science and scientists learn about business.

Subscriptions to investment research ensure our platform has long-term sustainability. That strong foundation allows us to create value for the public benefit.

The finch publishes free, objective analyses of the bioeconomy. We combine clear writing and data visualizations to make nerdy technical concepts accessible, so you can go beyond the headlines on a noisy internet. We're also developing high quality, open source data assets such as the Solt DB Biotech Company Database, which provides the most granular historical record of global biotech companies. Our unique business model means our incentives are never tied to advertising, clickbait, or corporate sponsors.

We're doing things differently.

No
ads, sponsors, or cheerleading
6%
of revenue donated
Free
high-quality databases

See the bioeconomy more clearly.

We don't tell you about biotech. We show you.

Solt DB leverages interactive data visualizations to discuss and analyze living technology in vivid detail. From individual company insights to broad trends across competitive landscapes, the finch helps you objectively understand the bioeconomy -- even when trends don't match the headlines.

Click or hover these charts to view data labels.

Insights into today's trends, down to the cell.

Solt DB uses the same illustration tools as scientists publishing in the world's top journals -- a first in finance.

The combination of simple language and clear visuals allows investors of all backgrounds to more deeply understand the biotech stocks they own, while scientists can gain a better grasp of the business of biotech.

An illustration showing differences in the lipid nanoparticles used for two drug candidates from Verve Therapeutics.

Is that biotech stock a buy?

Our premium subscription to investment research doesn't tell you every stock is a buy. Sometimes good businesses and promising technologies platforms are overvalued -- and it's okay to admit that.

Solt DB Invest quantifies written research with a real-time margin of safety, which shows how much stocks need to rise or fall to reach our modeled fair value.

This chart is interactive, too.

Solt DB has an unmatched data advantage.

27
Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) requests
>700
Pages of documents
received
7
Synthetic biology
companies

Our founder's hype-busting track record includes critical reporting of:

A logo of industrial biotech company Solazyme.
Solazyme's manufacturing miscues (2014), which weren't transparently communicated to investors. A careful analysis of the company's bioprocess metrics and downstream processing hurdles shed light on the problems. The company pivoted multiple times, changed its name to TerraVia, and eventually declared bankruptcy.
A logo of biotech conglomerate company Intrexon.
Intrexon's financial irregularities (2016), which were detailed in regulatory filings and tips from high-level employees. The company sent our founder a cease and desist letter in an attempt to stop his work. Shortly after an investigation from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Intrexon restructured into separate entities. The cease and desist is framed in our office.
A logo of industrial biotech company Amyris.
Amyris' chronic mismanagement (2018+) and destruction of shareholder value. The synthetic biology pioneer underdelivered on financial targets for nearly a decade, abused partnerships, and misused Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans intended for small businesses. An article from Solt DB in late 2022 preceded the removal of the longtime CEO, bankruptcy, and delisting from the Nasdaq.
A logo of contract research organization Ginkgo Bioworks.
Ginkgo Bioworks' low foundry success rate (2022), which was discovered through a routine Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A document revealed the company had only commercialized three of over 21 flavor and fragrance ingredients from 2016 through 2022, which helps to explain the pivot toward pharma. An article from Solt DB in late 2022 detailed the findings.

Let's build a better world -- and a better internet.

Information technology is built using joules and bits. Living technology is built using joules, bits, and atoms. That creates additional responsibility.

Biology is an inherently unique technology that requires careful stewardship, thoughtful application, and decentralized access to optimize value creation for all stakeholders and build public trust.

We think those responsibilities extend to information distribution, too.
An icon image of Gouldy the Finch sliding on Izzy the Tortoise.