Bo Jing

Bo Jing founded ONI in 2016 and led the company until 2023 as CEO, raising over $110m to revolutionize scientific discovery. It sounds like science fiction:

“We make microscopes that empower our customers to see individual molecules in living cells and take 10 nanometer photos of cells, 30 times sharper than before. This enables them to unlock the secrets of diseases, helps them develop novel treatments and offers a clearer picture of how life works at the most fundamental level.”

ONI employs over 100 people in San Diego and Oxford. The company was given the “Business Start-up Award” by the Institute of Physics, UK and it’s a “Disruptor to Watch” according to Fast Track 100. Bo has also been recognized as “Innovator of the Year” by UK’s BBSRC. “In Star Trek, biological samples were placed on a feature-less table and the computer was told to zoom-in until individual molecules became visible”. The power and extreme ease-of-use of this imaginary technology resonated with Bo and he decided to make it real. ONI’s microscope is the size of a toaster, costs a fraction of conventional microscopes despite its power and has smart software that non-experts can use.

At ONI, Bo has been very passionate about democratizing access to science. His next adventure is with a company called Foldscope which makes $1 microscopes. Foldscope has already brought hands-on science to 2 million customers, half of them are kids in the developing world.

Bo was born in China, grew up in Germany, studied Mathematics, Biology and Physics at ETH Zurich in Switzerland and went to Oxford, UK to pursue a PhD. He now lives in San Diego.