Zephyrus Biosciences is a technology company.
Zephyrus Biosciences has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round.
Zephyrus Biosciences has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Zephyrus Biosciences was a life science research tools company that developed innovative instruments for single-cell protein analysis, addressing limitations in traditional methods like western blotting.[1][2] Its flagship product, the Milo (later Z1™ System), was a benchtop instrument enabling researchers to analyze proteins in up to 1,000 individual cells simultaneously, providing high-throughput insights into cellular heterogeneity in cancer, stem cells, neurology, and human disease.[1][2][3] The company served academic researchers, biopharma, and clinical institutes in the burgeoning single-cell analysis market, solving the problem of studying protein variability at the single-cell level for the first time, which revolutionized fields like oncology and drug discovery.[1][2][4][5] Founded as a UC Berkeley spinout in 2013, it raised $1.85M, secured SBIR funding, and achieved early recognition before being acquired by Bio-Techne in 2016, marking strong initial growth momentum.[1][2][3][4]
Zephyrus Biosciences emerged from UC Berkeley's bioengineering department, founded in 2013 by Kelly Gardner, a PhD student, and Professor Amy Herr, who co-developed the core technology in Herr's lab.[1][2] The idea for the Milo instrument originated during Gardner's work on advancing western blotting to single-cell resolution, a breakthrough named the #1 Innovation of 2016 by The Scientist Magazine.[1] Early traction included affiliations with QB3, StartX, CLSI/BayBio, and Berkeley SkyDeck, plus a 2014 Phase I SBIR award of $349,917 from NIH for microfluidic disposables and the single-cell western system.[2][4] Key inventors included Todd Duncombe, Alex Hughes, and others from the Herr lab, humanizing the venture as a direct translation of academic innovation to commercial tools.[1]
Zephyrus rode the explosive rise of single-cell genomics and proteomics in the 2010s, a trend shifting biology from population averages to individual cell insights amid advances in cancer immunotherapy, personalized medicine, and regenerative therapies.[1][2][5] Timing was ideal: post-2010 sequencing booms created demand for protein-level single-cell tools, positioning Zephyrus against players like 10x Genomics and Fluidigm in a market favoring high-resolution heterogeneity analysis.[3][5] Market forces like NIH funding for lab-to-market tech and biopharma's push for companion diagnostics amplified its impact, influencing the ecosystem by pioneering single-cell westerns now integrated into Bio-Techne's portfolio for heterogeneous samples.[2][4] Its Berkeley spinout model exemplified how university IP accelerates biotech tools, paving the way for subsequent single-cell innovations.
Post-2016 acquisition, Zephyrus's technology endures within Bio-Techne, likely evolving with proteomics trends like multi-omics integration and AI-driven analysis to tackle complex diseases.[2] Next steps could involve scaling Z1 for clinical diagnostics or combining with spatial biology, shaped by booming single-cell markets projected to grow with genomics investments.[3][5] Its influence may expand indirectly through Bio-Techne's global reach, reinforcing single-cell protein tools as staples in precision oncology and cell therapy, tying back to its origins as a game-changing Berkeley innovation that democratized high-resolution biology.[1][2]
Zephyrus Biosciences has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Zephyrus Biosciences's investors include ACME Capital, Amplify Partners, Bling Capital, General Catalyst, Genoa Ventures, Harrison Metal, Heavybit, MTech Capital, Night Ventures, Operator Collective, RRE Ventures, Y Combinator.
Zephyrus Biosciences has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in September 2014.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2014 | $2.0M Seed | ACME Capital, Amplify Partners, Bling Capital, General Catalyst, Genoa Ventures, Harrison Metal, Heavybit, MTech Capital, Night Ventures, Operator Collective, RRE Ventures, Y Combinator, Cory Ondrejka, Greg Kidd, Josh Abramowitz, Shervin Pishevar |