Twist Bioscience Appoints Steffen Hellmold as Senior Vice President, Business Development, Data Storage

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ: TWST), a company enabling customers to succeed through its offering of high-quality synthetic DNA using its silicon platform, today announced the appointment of Steffen Hellmold to the newly created position of senior vice president, business development, data storage.

“We have made significant technological advances in our DNA data storage division and are now focused on laying the foundation for commercialization of this disruptive and important storage solution. The addition of Steffen to the team will help to define our commercialization strategy and build important relationships as we move towards more accessible DNA data storage solutions,” commented Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience.

Mr. Hellmold joins Twist from Western Digital where, as vice president of corporate strategic initiatives, he was responsible for identifying and leading disruptive innovation projects, with a focus on accessible and deep archive storage solutions.

Before joining Western Digital, Mr. Hellmold was vice president of marketing at Everspin Technologies. Prior positions include executive management roles at SandForce, Seagate Technology, Lexar Media, Samsung Semiconductor, Fujitsu and SMART Modular. He has been deeply engaged in various industry trade associations and standards organizations. He co-founded the DNA Data Storage Alliance as well as the USB Flash Drive Alliance. Mr. Hellmold holds an Economic Electrical Engineering degree (EEE) from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany.

“Twist has been at the forefront of leveraging DNA as a storage medium. I believe my background in identifying and developing solutions to address the growing need for long-term data storage will support the strategic business objectives of the DNA data storage division,” said Mr. Hellmold. “I’m excited to join Twist at this pivotal time with DNA data storage on the precipice of commercial availability.”

About Twist Bioscience Corporation

Twist Bioscience is a leading and rapidly growing synthetic biology and genomics company that has developed a disruptive DNA synthesis platform to industrialize the engineering of biology. The core of the platform is a proprietary technology that pioneers a new method of manufacturing synthetic DNA by “writing” DNA on a silicon chip. Twist is leveraging its unique technology to manufacture a broad range of synthetic DNA-based products, including synthetic genes, tools for next-generation sequencing (NGS) preparation, and antibody libraries for drug discovery and development. Twist is also pursuing longer-term opportunities in digital data storage in DNA and biologics drug discovery. Twist makes products for use across many industries including healthcare, industrial chemicals, agriculture and academic research.

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Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained herein, including but not limited to the commercial availability of DNA data storage, are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that may cause Twist Bioscience’s actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the risks and uncertainties of the ability to attract new customers and retain and grow sales from existing customers; risks and uncertainties of rapidly changing technologies and extensive competition in synthetic biology could make the products Twist Bioscience is developing obsolete or non-competitive; the retention of employees of acquired companies and the ability of Twist Bioscience to successfully integrate acquired companies and to achieve expected benefits, risks of third party claims alleging infringement of patents and proprietary rights or seeking to invalidate Twist Bioscience’s patents or proprietary rights; and the risk that Twist Bioscience’s proprietary rights may be insufficient to protect its technologies. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to Twist Bioscience’s business in general, see Twist Bioscience’s risk factors set forth in Twist Bioscience’s Quarterly Report Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 9, 2021 and subsequent filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Twist Bioscience specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.