Absci CEO and founder Sean McClain rings the closing bell on the NASDAQ on Thursday with his team as the Vancouver, Wash.-based biotech company went public. (Absci Photo)
Biotech CEOs tend to have advanced degrees and multiple academic credentials under their belt. But Sean McClain started Absci as a freshly minted grad from the University of Arizona at age 22, living with his parents and working out of a basement lab.
Fast forward a decade later, and McClain is now leading the latest Washington state company to go public.
Absci ended the day with shares up 35% from its opening price on the company’s first day on the NASDAQ. The Vancouver, Wash.-based drug development platform company has a market capitalization of nearly $2 billion.