--- title: 'General Application at Conception' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/general-application-conception-berkeley-1jmfarrzq6hn' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-08' --- # General Application at Conception - **Company:** Conception - **Location:** Berkeley, CA - **Employment:** full-time - **Posted:** 2023-05-02 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/Conception/81830ee5-9304-43bd-b8a0-d3fb9034468c/application > Conception is seeking a team member with a scientific background to join its mission of generating functional human eggs from induced pluripotent stem cells. The role involves executing experiments in a collaborative, dynamic environment focused on reproductive biology and genetic diversity. ## Job description ## About Conception Conception is pioneering the future of reproductive biology by generating functional human eggs from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Our mission is to unlock new possibilities for fertility, reproductive health, and genetic diversity. Successful development of our research could enable innovations such as removing age limits on motherhood, screening eggs for harmful genetic mutations, and enabling same-sex reproduction. We are building a world-class team at the intersection of stem cell biology, developmental biology, and synthetic biology to make this vision a reality. ## What we are looking for We are always looking for great teammates that are interested in joining our mission. You should have a solid scientific background with a reliable track-record in executing experiments is something we strongly care about. We value being able to thrive in a highly collaborative, dynamic, flexible and fast paced environment. While expertise is valued, we can provide training in areas of inexperience if you are passionate about our goal. While a big plus, there is no requirement for prior experience working on reproductive cells or iPSCs. We love it when people come to work with us from different backgrounds and bring new ideas and techniques to our lab. Come and work with us We are well funded and well connected in Silicon Valley. We offer competitive pay, company equity, and excellent healthcare benefits for these positions. ‍To learn more about the original mouse proof of concept to live birth that inspired us, see https://www.nature.com/articles/nature20104 To learn more about us, our mission, and approach you can read two features published by The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/04/24/the-future-of-fertility and MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/10/28/1038172/conception-eggs-reproduction-vitro-gametogenesis/. ## About Conception ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Conception is a biotechnology company developing in-vitro gametogenesis (IVG) technology to create functional human egg cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), aiming to expand reproductive options for people facing biological or medical fertility limits. - **Entity Type**: Private (Seed / Venture-backed) - **Headquarters**: Berkeley, California, United States - **Founded**: 2018 - **Founders**: Matt Krisiloff (CEO), Pablo Hurtado (CSO), Bianka Seres (COO) ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Biotechnology Research, Reproductive Medicine, Stem Cell Biology - **Target customers**: B2B / B2C (clinical); primarily focused on R&D and regulatory pathways toward eventual clinical application for individuals with fertility challenges (e.g., cancer survivors, age-related infertility, genetic disease carriers, same-sex couples) - **Mission or purpose statement**: "Advancing the future of fertility" — Conception combines stem cell biology and engineering to create new possibilities for having children. ## Products & Services - **In-Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG) Platform**: A proprietary technology platform that converts a patient’s blood or skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), then guides those cells through the stages of development to produce fully mature, functional human eggs. This involves: - **High-throughput genetic screens** to test conditions for cell development. - **Computer vision** for scoring cell quality and enabling rapid iteration. - **3D ovarian organoids** (mini-ovaries) that provide the biochemical cues needed for meiosis and follicle maturation. - **Regulatory & Ethical Framework**: The company is developing IVG as a medical therapy within existing regulatory frameworks, with a stated commitment to rigorous safety and efficacy data before any clinical use. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (conflicting reports on total funding; ~$20M per LinkedIn, ~$40M per NPR). The company is privately held. - **Key Metric**: Total Funding: $20M (LinkedIn) to ~$40M (NPR, 2023). Headcount: 42 employees (+17% YoY). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not publicly named in available sources, but the company has completed a Convertible Note (2019), Seed Round (2020), and a Venture Round (2021) with multiple investors. - **Growth Signals**: - Headcount grew 17% year-over-year (42 employees). - Claims to be the first in the world to create human ovarian follicles in mini-ovaries (as of July 2023). - Active job postings: 3 (as of mid-2025), with a 200% monthly increase in job postings. - Expanding from 30+ scientists to a team of over 40. ## Competitive Advantages - **Pioneering Technology**: Conception is one of the few companies globally (and claims to be the first) to demonstrate the creation of human ovarian follicles from stem cells, a critical step toward functional IVG. - **Interdisciplinary Approach**: Combines stem cell biology, developmental biology, tissue engineering (3D organoids), and computation (high-throughput screening, computer vision) — a rare breadth of expertise. - **Ethical Integration**: From day one, the company has built ethical safeguards into its research and actively engages with regulators, ethicists, and the public, positioning itself responsibly in a controversial field. - **Talent Pool**: R&D team includes experts from top institutions (UC Berkeley, Illumina, UPSIDE Foods, Pfizer, University of Pennsylvania) and top biotech companies. ## Strategic Focus - **Proof-of-Concept Eggs**: Near-term goal is to demonstrate that the follicles in their mini-ovaries can develop immature eggs into ones capable of being fertilized to make embryos (proof-of-concept human eggs). - **Peer-Reviewed Publication**: The company is expected to publish its results in a scientific journal to validate claims and build credibility. - **Regulatory Pathway**: Working within FDA and international regulatory frameworks to ensure safety and efficacy before clinical use. - **Scale & Automation**: Building capabilities to scale the IVG process for eventual commercial application. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-Driven**: Employees work on "one of the most ambitious problems in biology" — creating functional egg cells from stem cells, with the potential to reshape human reproduction and help millions of people. - **World-Class Team**: Join a team of scientists and engineers from top institutions (UC Berkeley, Illumina, UPSIDE Foods, etc.) solving hard problems in stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and computation. - **Growth Trajectory**: Rapidly growing startup (42 employees, +17% YoY) with significant funding and a clear, ambitious roadmap. - **Work Environment**: On-site in Berkeley, California (Berkeley, CA 94710). The culture emphasizes "work that outlasts a career" — tackling a long-term, fundamental challenge. - **Notable Perks**: Not explicitly listed, but the company offers roles across scientist, senior scientist, associate scientist, and operations levels, indicating a collaborative, hands-on lab environment. ## Sources 1. [conception.bio](https://www.conception.bio/) 2. [LinkedIn - Conception](https://www.linkedin.com/company/conceptionbio) 3. [NPR - Startup aims to make lab-grown human eggs](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/07/15/1184298351/conception-human-eggs-ivg-ivf-infertility) 4. [LifeScienceHistory.com - Conception Bio](https://lifesciencehistory.com/companies/conception-bio/) 5. [Jobs.ashbyhq.com - Conception](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/Conception) ## Other roles at Conception - [Part-Time Research Specimen Driver](https://feeny.ai/job/part-time-research-specimen-driver-conception-berkeley-71cw9z9yyjet) — Berkeley, CA - [Scientist, Stem Cell Biology](https://feeny.ai/job/scientist-stem-cell-biology-conception-berkeley-dd1b4mrmhn3z) — Berkeley, CA - [(Senior) Research Associate, Stem Cell Biology](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-research-associate-stem-cell-biology-conception-berkeley-6nkjfrjsjksc) — Berkeley, CA - [(Senior) Scientist, Stem Cell](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-scientist-stem-cell-conception-berkeley-7n00qrvrev2s) — Berkeley, CA - [Research Associate or Associate Scientist, Genome Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/research-associate-or-associate-scientist-genome-engineer-conception-berkeley-y8tgtsrjrfpj) — Berkeley, CA - [Senior Scientist, RNA Delivery](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-scientist-rna-delivery-conception-berkeley-2jhk55jwq3mw) — Berkeley, CA - [Senior Scientist, Organoid](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-scientist-organoid-conception-berkeley-4gja9rq9v90n) — Berkeley, CA - [General Application](https://feeny.ai/job/general-application-watney-san-francisco-6nk2g8aqqjr4) — San Francisco, CA - [General Application](https://feeny.ai/job/general-application-atom-computing-boulder-txp57rz50d1r) — Boulder, CO - [General Application](https://feeny.ai/job/general-application-bluecore-energy-long-beach-ztdma72g9qnw) — Long Beach, CA