When ZYMVOL launched in 2017, the Barcelona-based startup carved a niche in computational enzyme discovery by dramatically accelerating and de-risking enzyme R&D for clients around the world. Now, it’s ready for its next chapter—and it's bringing in biotech veteran John Nicols to help write it.
“The opportunity to add John to our board arrived just at the right time,” said Maria Fátima Lucas, CEO and co-founder of ZYMVOL. “Our company is now ready to expand and to tackle new challenges that need to be steered in the right direction. With John’s guidance, we’re confident we can make our shared vision for reliable enzyme innovation a reality.”
ZYMVOL’s announcement this spring that Nicols, the former CEO of Codexis, would join its board of directors signals more than just a governance update. It’s a strategic turning point: after six years of helping clients design better enzymes, the company is now preparing to launch its own products—and with them, a new cultural and operational model.
John is also Chair of the Chemicals & Materials Track at next week's SynBioBeta: The Global Synthetic Biology Conference, where he assembled an array of engaging sessions and will be joining a panel to discuss “Infrastructure Investments for Accelerating the Bioeconomy.”
“In 2023 we decided it was time to start building our own product,” said Lucas. “That comes with a complete shift in company culture. John’s deep experience in bringing products to market is already helping us move faster and more confidently toward launch.”
Nicols is no stranger to the complexity of scaling enzyme businesses. At Codexis, he oversaw a dramatic turnaround and led the company into new verticals including pharmaceuticals, food, and life science tools. During his tenure, enterprise value jumped from under $50 million to over $1 billion, while revenue quintupled.
“After an extensive advisory engagement with the Zymvol team, it has become increasingly clear to me that its suite of computational platform technologies is uniquely positioned to enable enzyme discoveries and advancements that will bring significant value to a range of the world’s most important industries and companies,” Nicols said. “I am super excited to be a part of making that happen.”
Nicols' strategic instincts are already being put to use. As ZYMVOL transitions from a service-based model to one with a defined product portfolio, he is helping the team understand how to best serve clients unfamiliar with biocatalysis—companies who are just beginning to explore enzymes as alternatives to traditional chemistry.
“That’s a whole different challenge,” said Lucas. “John is helping us understand where to focus and how to shape our internal product roadmap to set us up for success.”
ZYMVOL’s mission is grounded in making enzyme engineering more accessible, predictable, and scalable—especially for companies wary of the risks.
“How many times have you seen companies throw massive resources—time, money, talent—at a process that never makes it out of the lab?” Lucas asked. “Our approach starts with assessing the problem. That way, we can estimate the likelihood of success before you even step into the lab.”
That pragmatic approach to innovation is also what drew Nicols to the company. He recently launched Organicols, an advisory firm focused on mission-driven enterprises aiming to benefit both people and planet.
“This is a team that lives and breathes sustainability,” he said. “And they’re using enzymes as the vehicle to deliver that. Zymvol, sustainability, enzymes—near and dear to my heart.”
For both Lucas and Nicols, this partnership is about more than developing breakthrough biocatalysts. It’s about establishing trust in computational methods and showing that enzyme discovery doesn’t have to be a scientific gamble.
“The bigger challenge is getting more companies to the table,” Lucas said. “We need to show that developing enzymes isn’t the risky bet it used to be.”
Looking ahead, ZYMVOL is positioning itself not just as a vendor, but as a long-term innovation partner. “Our goal over the next five years is to become a true partner to companies adopting biocatalysis, not just a solution provider,” Lucas emphasized.
Nicols echoed the sentiment: “Today, Zymvol and their leading AI capabilities are casting a wide net. Longer term, we'll choose our most strategic target sectors.”
That strategy may be bold—but with one of enzyme engineering’s most accomplished leaders in their corner, ZYMVOL is betting smart.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adip elit. Donec posuere dolor massa, pellentesque aliquam nisl facilisis sed.
When ZYMVOL launched in 2017, the Barcelona-based startup carved a niche in computational enzyme discovery by dramatically accelerating and de-risking enzyme R&D for clients around the world. Now, it’s ready for its next chapter—and it's bringing in biotech veteran John Nicols to help write it.
“The opportunity to add John to our board arrived just at the right time,” said Maria Fátima Lucas, CEO and co-founder of ZYMVOL. “Our company is now ready to expand and to tackle new challenges that need to be steered in the right direction. With John’s guidance, we’re confident we can make our shared vision for reliable enzyme innovation a reality.”
ZYMVOL’s announcement this spring that Nicols, the former CEO of Codexis, would join its board of directors signals more than just a governance update. It’s a strategic turning point: after six years of helping clients design better enzymes, the company is now preparing to launch its own products—and with them, a new cultural and operational model.
John is also Chair of the Chemicals & Materials Track at next week's SynBioBeta: The Global Synthetic Biology Conference, where he assembled an array of engaging sessions and will be joining a panel to discuss “Infrastructure Investments for Accelerating the Bioeconomy.”
“In 2023 we decided it was time to start building our own product,” said Lucas. “That comes with a complete shift in company culture. John’s deep experience in bringing products to market is already helping us move faster and more confidently toward launch.”
Nicols is no stranger to the complexity of scaling enzyme businesses. At Codexis, he oversaw a dramatic turnaround and led the company into new verticals including pharmaceuticals, food, and life science tools. During his tenure, enterprise value jumped from under $50 million to over $1 billion, while revenue quintupled.
“After an extensive advisory engagement with the Zymvol team, it has become increasingly clear to me that its suite of computational platform technologies is uniquely positioned to enable enzyme discoveries and advancements that will bring significant value to a range of the world’s most important industries and companies,” Nicols said. “I am super excited to be a part of making that happen.”
Nicols' strategic instincts are already being put to use. As ZYMVOL transitions from a service-based model to one with a defined product portfolio, he is helping the team understand how to best serve clients unfamiliar with biocatalysis—companies who are just beginning to explore enzymes as alternatives to traditional chemistry.
“That’s a whole different challenge,” said Lucas. “John is helping us understand where to focus and how to shape our internal product roadmap to set us up for success.”
ZYMVOL’s mission is grounded in making enzyme engineering more accessible, predictable, and scalable—especially for companies wary of the risks.
“How many times have you seen companies throw massive resources—time, money, talent—at a process that never makes it out of the lab?” Lucas asked. “Our approach starts with assessing the problem. That way, we can estimate the likelihood of success before you even step into the lab.”
That pragmatic approach to innovation is also what drew Nicols to the company. He recently launched Organicols, an advisory firm focused on mission-driven enterprises aiming to benefit both people and planet.
“This is a team that lives and breathes sustainability,” he said. “And they’re using enzymes as the vehicle to deliver that. Zymvol, sustainability, enzymes—near and dear to my heart.”
For both Lucas and Nicols, this partnership is about more than developing breakthrough biocatalysts. It’s about establishing trust in computational methods and showing that enzyme discovery doesn’t have to be a scientific gamble.
“The bigger challenge is getting more companies to the table,” Lucas said. “We need to show that developing enzymes isn’t the risky bet it used to be.”
Looking ahead, ZYMVOL is positioning itself not just as a vendor, but as a long-term innovation partner. “Our goal over the next five years is to become a true partner to companies adopting biocatalysis, not just a solution provider,” Lucas emphasized.
Nicols echoed the sentiment: “Today, Zymvol and their leading AI capabilities are casting a wide net. Longer term, we'll choose our most strategic target sectors.”
That strategy may be bold—but with one of enzyme engineering’s most accomplished leaders in their corner, ZYMVOL is betting smart.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adip elit. Donec posuere dolor massa, pellentesque aliquam nisl facilisis sed.
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