StemInov
StemInov is a French clinical-stage biotech developing WhartSep, an off-the-shelf Wharton's Jelly mesenchymal stem cell therapy targeting severe pneumonia, septic shock, and related inflammatory diseases in hospital ICU patients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersVandoeuvre-lès-nancy, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What StemInov does
StemInov SAS is a French clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2019 and headquartered in Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, Grand Est region. The company is developing WhartSep, a large-scale, off-the-shelf cell therapy based on Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells (WJ-MSC) derived from umbilical cord tissue. WhartSep is engineered around a "1 Drug, 3 Actions" platform: direct and indirect antibacterial activity (via antimicrobial peptides and mitochondrial transfer to macrophages), adaptive immunomodulation (MSC1/MSC2 phenotypic switching that restores balanced inflammation rather than blanket suppression), and organ protection through lung-tropic migration and tissue repair. The lead indication is severe pneumonia in ICU patients, with planned Phase Ib/IIa clinical trials in partnership with CHU de Nancy; the broader scientific positioning also targets septic shock and related inflammatory diseases.
The business is pre-revenue and pre-commercial. StemInov's revenue model is positioned around future licensing and royalty streams once a therapy is approved; until then, the company funds industrialization and clinical development through equity financing and public grants, having raised €10.6M in 2024, a €5.2M France 2030 grant jointly with CHU de Nancy, and a ~$12.36M round in September 2025 from a syndicate of French and regional business angels. The GTM motion is enterprise-focused and clinical: targeting hospital ICUs for a life-threatening indication with no approved specific treatment, anchored to a small team of founders and CMC/GMP specialists and supported by an ecosystem of academic (Université de Lorraine, Institut Lorrain, CNRS), regional (Grand Est Region, Sayens), and public (BPI France) partners.
The commercial moat is built on proprietary WJ-MSC biology, a patented process, non-invasive and scalable umbilical cord sourcing with cost and homogeneity advantages over adult MSC sources, and an early GMP manufacturing footprint for this specific cell type. Risks include single-indication clinical exposure, heavy dependence on CHU de Nancy as both clinical and manufacturing partner, no disclosed pricing or commercial channel strategy, and a 1-10 person team that will need to scale significantly to execute Phase Ib/IIa and beyond.
StemInov firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- StemInov
- Legal name
- StemInov SAS
- Website
- https://steminov.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- StemInov is a French clinical-stage biotech developing WhartSep, an off-the-shelf Wharton's Jelly mesenchymal stem cell therapy targeting severe pneumonia, septic shock, and related inflammatory diseases in hospital ICU patients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
StemInov industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cell Therapy / Biotechnology
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Stem Cell Therapies (MSC/iPSC/HSC-derived) (HLAAABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Stem Cell–Based Regenerative Therapies (HLAAAGAA)
Keywords
Where StemInov is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vandoeuvre-lès-nancy
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
StemInov business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Future therapeutic product revenue: Pre-revenue clinical stage biotech company developing WhartSep for severe pneumonia treatment. No commercial revenue yet as product is in phase Ib/IIa clinical trial preparation.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Marketing channels1 record
StemInov product offering
Product offeringCore offering
StemInov develops WhartSep, a large-scale, off-the-shelf cell therapy candidate based on Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells (WJ-MSCs) sourced from umbilical cord tissue. The therapy employs a triple mechanism of action — anti-bacterial effects, adaptive immunomodulation, and lung-tropic organ protection — to treat severe pneumonia and related inflammatory/septic conditions such as ARDS in hospital ICU patients. The product is currently preparing for Phase Ib/IIa clinical trials.
Product overview
StemInov is developing WhartSep, a single large-scale, off-the-shelf drug candidate based on Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells (WJ-MSC), utilizing a '1 DRUG 3 ACTIONS' platform approach. The product targets severe pneumonia through three complementary mechanisms: anti-bacterial effects (direct secretion of antimicrobial peptides and indirect effects via macrophage interaction), immunomodulation (adaptive pro-inflammatory MSC1 or anti-inflammatory MSC2 phenotype), and organ protection (lung tropism with trophic properties for tissue repair). The company is preparing a phase Ib/IIa clinical trial in severe pneumonia patients.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- WhartSep Large-scale, off-the-shelf allogeneic cell therapy candidate based on Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells (WJ-MSCs) with a triple mechanism of action (anti-bacterial, immunomodulation, organ protection) targeting severe pneumonia and related inflammatory/septic conditions in ICU patients.
- WJ-MSC (Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells) Platform Adult mesenchymal stem cells derived from umbilical cord Wharton's jelly serving as the foundational cell platform with pro/anti-inflammatory adaptive behavior, direct and indirect antibacterial effects, and tissue-repair migration capabilities for use in severe infectious and inflammatory diseases.
Quantifiable outcome
- Phase Ib/IIa clinical trial preparation for severe pneumonia treatment
Companies that use StemInov
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
StemInov technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
StemInov partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- CHU de Nancy (Nancy Regional University Hospital)coreClinical trial partner for phase Ib/IIa trial. Joint recipient with StemInov of €5.2 million funding as part of France 2030 'Innovations in Biotherapies and Bioproduction' call for projects to develop the first GMP clinical platform for mesenchymal stem cells derived from the umbilical cord.
- Université de LorrainecoreAcademic research partner supporting StemInov's R&D activities in stem cell therapy development
- Institut LorrainsupportingRegional research institute partner supporting stem cell research and innovation
- SayenssupportingResearch and innovation partner supporting technology transfer and development
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
StemInov competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- SanBio: SanBio develops regenerative cell therapies (SB623, MSC-derived) for neurological and inflammatory conditions. Comparable as an established MSC-derived allogeneic platform with hospital-channel commercialization experience.
- TiGenix (Takeda): TiGenix (acquired by Takeda) commercialized an allogeneic MSC therapy (Cx601/Alofisel) for inflammatory conditions. Comparable as an established allogeneic MSC product, now operating as part of Takeda's broader portfolio.
Direct peers
- Athersys: Athersys (MultiStem) developed an allogeneic, off-the-shelf cell therapy for ARDS, directly overlapping with StemInov's severe pneumonia/ARDS positioning and ICU hospital channel.
- Mesoblast: Mesoblast is an MSC-based cell therapy developer with allogeneic, off-the-shelf products (e.g., remestemcel-L) targeting inflammatory conditions including ARDS. Closest direct peer given shared WJ-/bone-marrow-derived MSC platform and ICU/inflammatory indications.
- Celltex Therapeutics: Celltex is an MSC-based cell therapy company developing autologous and allogeneic MSC products for inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, including ICU-adjacent indications. Comparable development-stage peer with shared MSC focus.
- Cynata Therapeutics: Cynata develops iPSC-derived MSC therapies (Cymerus platform) for inflammatory diseases including ARDS and septic complications. Comparable allogeneic, scalable MSC manufacturing approach targeting similar ICU indications.
- Stemedica Cell Technologies: Stemedica develops allogeneic, ischemia-tolerant MSC therapies for inflammatory and ischemic conditions. Comparable off-the-shelf MSC platform with hospital-channel distribution ambitions.
- Pluristem Therapeutics: Pluristem develops placenta-derived, off-the-shelf cell therapies (PLX cells) targeting inflammatory and ischemic conditions. Highly comparable as an allogeneic, placenta-derived MSC platform pursuing severe inflammatory indications.
Emerging players
- Hope Biosciences: Hope Biosciences develops autologous and allogeneic MSC therapies focused on inflammatory and immune disorders, including sepsis-related indications. Comparable emerging MSC peer with similar therapeutic positioning.
Regional players
- Bone Therapeutics: Bone Therapeutics is a Belgian cell therapy company developing MSC-based regenerative products for inflammatory and orthopedic indications. Comparable as a European MSC platform peer, though focused more on bone-related conditions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
StemInov social profiles
Digital presenceStemInov financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
StemInov leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
StemInov funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
StemInov M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about StemInov
What does StemInov do?
StemInov develops WhartSep, a large-scale, off-the-shelf cell therapy candidate based on Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells (WJ-MSCs) sourced from umbilical cord tissue. The therapy employs a triple mechanism of action — anti-bacterial effects, adaptive immunomodulation, and lung-tropic organ protection — to treat severe pneumonia and related inflammatory/septic conditions such as ARDS in hospital ICU patients. The product is currently preparing for Phase Ib/IIa clinical trials.
Is StemInov a public or private company?
StemInov is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was StemInov founded?
StemInov was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is StemInov based?
StemInov is headquartered in Vandoeuvre-lès-nancy, France, in the Europe region.
How does StemInov make money?
One revenue line is on record: future therapeutic product revenue.
Who are StemInov's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are SanBio and TiGenix (Takeda). Direct peers are Athersys, Mesoblast, Celltex Therapeutics, Cynata Therapeutics, Stemedica Cell Technologies and Pluristem Therapeutics. Hope Biosciences is listed as an emerging player. Bone Therapeutics is listed as a regional player.
Does StemInov have an API?
No public API is recorded for StemInov.
What industry is StemInov in?
StemInov's product category is Cell Therapy / Biotechnology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAABAE, Stem Cell Therapies (MSC/iPSC/HSC-derived), with a secondary code of HLAAAGAA, Stem Cell–Based Regenerative Therapies. Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 2836.