Tom Baruch pioneered corporate venture capital at Exxon before founding CMEA Capital and later Baruch Future Ventures, becoming one of the earliest VCs to focus on synthetic biology with investments dating back to 1997 and a track record of never losing money in the category. He advocates for a DNA Economy vision where engineered biology becomes central to climate solutions by 2050, and emphasizes building billion-dollar companies in 10-year timeframes rather than the typical 20-year deep tech cycles.