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cytena has raised $4.6M across 2 funding rounds.
Key people at cytena.
cytena has raised $4.6M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Cytena is a Freiburg, Germany-based biotechnology company that develops and provides high-precision instruments for isolating, dispensing, imaging, and analyzing biological cells. The organization manufactures automated laboratory equipment, including single-cell printers, liquid handlers, and microplate washers, to streamline complex workflows in stable cell line development, high-throughput screening, and drug discovery. Following its corporate acquisition, the enterprise experienced a 600% increase in personnel and a 500% expansion in physical workspace to support its rapidly scaling global manufacturing operations. Cytena currently operates as a subsidiary of the life sciences conglomerate BICO, formerly known as CELLINK, and supplies its proprietary cell-handling technology to more than 200 academic and pharmaceutical laboratories worldwide. The biotechnology company was officially founded in 2014 as an academic spin-off from the University of Freiburg and the Hahn-Schickard research institute by three unnamed scientific entrepreneurs.
cytena has raised $4.6M in total across 2 funding rounds.
cytena's investors include Lena Krzyzak, High-Tech Grunderfonds.
cytena has raised $4.6M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $3.4M Series A in March 2019.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 26, 2019 | $3.4M Series A | — | Lena Krzyzak | Announced |
| May 4, 2015 | $1.2M Seed | — | High Tech Grunderfonds | Announced |
Key people at cytena.
Cytena is a biotechnology company specializing in high-precision instruments for isolating, dispensing, imaging, analyzing, and handling biological cells, particularly through its patented single-cell dispensing technology.[3][5] It serves academic labs, pharmaceutical companies, and research institutes by automating workflows in areas like stable cell line development, single-cell omics, high-throughput screening, and drug discovery, addressing labor-intensive processes in cell culture and bioprocessing to accelerate therapy development.[1][3][4] As part of the BICO Group (formerly CELLINK), a lab automation leader, Cytena has over 70 employees, 1000+ customers across 6 continents, and products like C.STATION for cell line development and C.WASH PLUS for microplate washing, driving growth in the life sciences sector.[1][5][7][8]
Cytena was founded in 2014 as a spin-off from the University of Freiburg, Germany, building on patented single-cell dispensing technology developed from microsystems engineering expertise to enable gentle, 100% reliable single live cell isolation.[3][4] The founders identified needs for automated, efficient cell line development instruments, akin to inkjet printing with laser fluorescence imaging for real-time cell verification using CMOS cameras and software.[4] Early traction came from first-generation dispensers for sorting by size/shape, evolving to fluorescent markers for viability and protein assessment; acquisition by BICO in 2019 fueled 500% workspace expansion, 600% personnel growth, and adoption in 200+ global labs.[4] A subsidiary, Cytena Bioprocess Solutions (Cytena BPS), launched in 2018 in Asia to focus on microbioreactors like S.NEST for cell line development (CLD), leveraging BICO resources.[2]
Cytena rides the bio-convergence wave, automating life sciences labs amid rising demand for faster biotherapeutics like monoclonal antibodies amid global health challenges (pandemics, chronic diseases).[1][5] Timing aligns with CLD bottlenecks—labor-intensive, costly processes—where microfluidics and AI-driven monitoring cut development timelines, enabling scalable protein manufacturing.[2][4][7] Market forces like BICO's unicorn growth and pharma's shift to automated workflows favor Cytena, influencing the ecosystem by standardizing single-cell precision in omics/screening, lowering research barriers globally, and partnering (e.g., ExcellGene for CHOExpress integration).[1][7] This positions it as a key enabler in the "lab of the future," accelerating therapies via 1000+ customers.[1][3]
Cytena will expand C.STATION/C.WASH deployments and Asian R&D for high-throughput screening with robotics, big data prediction, and real-time analytics, targeting biopharma's CLD needs.[2][7][8] Trends like AI automation and personalized medicine will amplify its role, potentially via more BICO synergies for global scale. Its influence may evolve from niche dispenser leader to comprehensive bioprocess platform, sustaining momentum in healthcare innovation as seen in its post-acquisition surge. This builds on Cytena's core strength: revolutionizing cell handling to make advanced research accessible and efficient.[1][4]
