# Will Cao

> Will (Yangxiaolu) Cao is the co-founder and CEO of Pando Bioscience (YC W23), a Watertown, Massachusetts company using generative AI and ultra-high-throughput screening to engineer better enzymes for pharmaceutical manufacturing and life-science tools. A Ph.D. scientist who switched from mechanical engineering to engineering bacteria, she published first-author papers in Cell and Nature Biotechnology and was an early employee at Ginkgo Bioworks before starting Pando in 2022.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Pando Bioscience
- **Organizations:** Pando Bioscience, Ginkgo Bioworks, Duke University, Bain & Company
- **Nationality:** United States
- **Education:** Postdoctoral researcher, Duke University, Ph.D., Ph.D. (synthetic biology / bioengineering)
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads Pando Bioscience (YC W23), First-author scientific papers in Cell and Nature Biotechnology, Early employee at synthetic biology unicorn Ginkgo Bioworks

## Career timeline

- **2016** — Advance Into Consulting invitee at Bain & Company
- **2017** — Postdoctoral researcher at Duke University
- **2018** — Joined Ginkgo Bioworks as an early employee (Biological Engineer, later Senior Design Engineer)
- **2022** — Co-founded Pando Bioscience
- **2023** — Pando Bioscience joined Y Combinator's Winter 2023 batch
- **2024** — Raised seed funding for Pando Bioscience
- **2026** — Speaker at SynBioBeta 2026 and the ChinaBio Partnering Forum

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads Pando Bioscience (YC W23)
- First-author scientific papers in Cell and Nature Biotechnology
- Early employee at synthetic biology unicorn Ginkgo Bioworks
- Built an ultra-high-throughput screening platform that evaluates roughly 1,000x more enzymes, 75% faster and 80% cheaper than traditional methods
- Developed Saiyan-Phi29, a high-fidelity polymerase engineered to surpass market leaders on thermostability and activity with low GC bias

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Featured speaker at SynBioBeta 2026 on integrated design-screen-optimize platforms for therapeutic enzymes
- **2024-04** — Pando Bioscience raised seed funding

## Links

- Website: https://pando.bio
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/willcao

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/will-cao
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-31