SoftBank Plows $400 Million into Synthetic Bio Startup Zymergen

Joshua Hoffman has done plenty of experimentation at Zymergen Inc., the robot-powered microbe factory he founded and leads.

By building an army of AI-powered robots to genetically engineer more efficient microbes—the biological building blocks used to create all material— Zymergen revamped existing agricultural and industrial products sold by Fortune 500 companies and helped them increase profits.

But it’s the work it has done independently that compelled return investor SoftBank Group Corp.’s Vision Fund to lead a $400 million round in the five-year-old startup based in Emeryville, California. New backers include Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Hanwha Asset Management.

“They are ...