When Ankit Singhal (Columbia) arrived in New York City to begin his undergraduate studies, he wasn’t focused on startups or pitch decks. Instead, he viewed life through the lens of a researcher—curious, analytical, and deeply driven to improve the world through scientific discovery.
Today, Singhal is known less for his lab coat and more for his entrepreneurial accomplishments. His journey from Columbia’s campus to startup boardrooms was fueled by curiosity and a drive to create better technologies for human and planetary health.
The Possibilities of Proteins
Singhal’s interest in protein structure first emerged in high school and continued in a lab at Columbia, where he began tinkering with proteins and bacterial enzymes during a summer accelerator program.
“Being surrounded by other builders—many of them international students like me—was exhilarating,” said Singhal, who lived in Switzerland before coming to New York for college. “There was this urgency and energy, this shared sense that we could create something meaningful.”
In 2024, Singhal and two colleagues launched Anthrogen, introducing a novel process for designing new proteins. Their early work caught the attention of Y Combinator, which provided seed funding, as it had for Airbnb, Dropbox, and Reddit.
From Beakers to Breakthroughs
“I would not classify myself as ‘entrepreneur,’” said Singhal. “I came to Columbia as a Science Research Fellow, looking forward to doing interesting research.”
His life had always revolved around science.
“My dad is an organic chemist and my mom is a nephrologist,” he said. “It was talking science every day at the dining table, Olympiads all throughout school…I loved chemistry and biochemistry.”
At Columbia, he pursued an MD/PhD track while spending summers in labs studying protein structure and thermodynamic stability. That research eventually led him to a project on bacterial surfaceomes (proteins on the surface of bacteria). As the potential impact became clear, he began to see commercialization as more than an idea.
“It was more a ‘research forward’ origin story, and less an ‘I want to start a company,’” Singhal said. “I just wanted to figure out if this idea would even work.”
Designing Proteins
At its core, Singhal’s work is about designing proteins, the complex biomolecules largely responsible for the functioning of all life.
“Your DNA is like a blueprint with proteins being the actual functional structure your body is trying to build and use,” he explained.
Proteins play roles ranging from drug development to industrial use. The ability to design them for specific functions has vast potential but has been elusive to the scientific community. To overcome human limitations in design, Singhal and his team developed their own AI model capable of generating novel protein sequences and structures.
“It's where the name ‘Anthrogen’ comes from,” he explained. “Human-generated—these are the first of what will hopefully become the new standard for biological generation.”
A New Direction
After spending years in science-based studies, Singhal sees an “industry reset” driven by Artificial Intelligence.
“For 100 years, people relied on crystallography or experimental methods to define structure,” he said. “Now with tools like AlphaFold [an AI system that can predict protein structures], it’s a reset to ground zero, which favors younger people who know how to program and develop computational tools.”
After two years at Columbia, Singhal and co-founder Connor Lee took time off to advance their ideas.
“I always wanted to get paid to do research, and this was the perfect opportunity,” Singhal said. “Why wait six more years for a PhD?”
While Anthrogen had an innovative idea, so did many others. Singhal viewed those innovators as “collaborators” and not “competitors.”
“There are thousands of problems in human health alone; there is a huge amount of space to meaningfully discover new science,” he said. “The community is super collaborative, and I think there is a general understanding that a rising tide lifts all boats in that respect.”
Attracting the attention and interest of Y Combinator was the golden ticket for Anthrogen. Only a small sliver of applicants are approved to join the accelerator, and inclusion signals a company’s potential to its investors.
The significant infusion of capital helped Anthrogen navigate the start-up phase and allowed it to focus on methodically tackling problems, one step at a time.
“We figured out what’s the most achievable problem today…solve that, build a little trust, get more funding, then move to the next problem,” Singhal explained. “And over time, you reach the final goal.”
Their company culture mirrors this philosophy, and as a result, the success of Anthrogen.
“We hire people who are good at what they do, and there’s very little sense of hierarchy,” Singhal explains. “Everyone talks to each other — no managers, no bureaucracy.”
That formula for success was not something inherent to Anthrogen. It was the blueprint Singhal brought with him, based on his time in Sigma Nu.
Personal Reflections
Singhal credits Sigma Nu with shaping his approach to leadership and collaboration.
“Being a part of Sigma Nu was one of the coolest experiences I had in college. It gave me a support system immediately since I didn’t know anyone at Columbia,” he said. “My ‘big’ and all the upperclassmen were people I could talk to about research and life.”
Serving as Alumni Relations Chairman broadened his perspective.
“You get to talk to brothers five, 10, 30 years older and learn about their experiences,” he said. “That helped me gain perspective about the world after college.”
The chapter’s culture of equality and respect for all was also the model for Anthrogen’s “flat” organization structure.
“We’re all peers…there’s no bureaucracy…everyone contributes,” said Singhal.
Looking ahead, Singhal is focused less on tangible achievements and more on thoughtful decision-making.
“What matters most to me is that I don’t lose my decision-making framework,” he said. “I want to be a better decision-maker, actively making choices, controlling what happens to me, and having no regrets. I think, and perhaps this sounds a bit neurotic, but for me it’s ultimately about always being in the driver’s seat.”