Core Value: Public Benefit
Fulcrum Genomics 10th Anniversary Series
Public Benefit is one of our core values.
Public Benefit has a global and a local component.
Public Benefit: Grounded by Good
At Fulcrum Genomics, Public Benefit isn’t just a principle—it’s our purpose. Each of us brings a deeply personal motivation to this work. Many of us have been touched by genetic disease, and that experience shapes not only the projects we choose, but how we choose to do them.
We want our work to matter. We want to create impact. We want to move science forward in a way that improves lives.
This value—Public Benefit—inspires the why behind our work. It fuels our drive to contribute to both basic research and human health, and it guides how we collaborate with clients. In every project, in every conversation, we stay mindful of the broader implications: What are we building, and who does it help?
We’re happier, more motivated, and more fulfilled when we know that what we’re doing is genuinely making a difference.
“Fix-Forward”: Small Acts, Big Impact
Public Benefit isn’t just about the big picture. It also shows up in the small choices we make every day. At home, many of us live by the simple rule: “tidy as you go.” Put things back where they belong, so the space works better for everyone. We bring that same mindset to the bioinformatics community.
A lot of open-source bioinformatics software is under-resourced, a bit rough around the edges. Being a good community member means noticing those rough edges—and choosing to smooth them out. Whether it’s submitting a bug report, contributing a pull request, improving documentation, or sharing a workaround that might save someone else an hour of frustration, we try to leave things better than we found them.
Could we fork the code privately and solve the problem for ourselves? Sure. But with a little more effort, we can solve it for everyone. And that’s the kind of scientist—and the kind of company—we want to be. If we can make even 1% of the world’s bioinformatics software 5% better, that’s a meaningful difference.
The Big and the Small
We see Public Benefit at two levels:
Capital-P Public Benefit: the big-picture commitment to working in biomedicine, pushing research forward, and improving human health.
Lowercase-p public benefit: the daily acts of generosity, responsibility, and craftsmanship that make the scientific ecosystem stronger for everyone.
Both matter.
We are part of a community, and we want to help it thrive. When you look for the helpers, we want you to see us—not quietly in the background, but out front, leading the charge.