What bit.bio does

bit.bio is a Cambridge, UK-based synthetic biology company founded in 2016 that develops engineered human cell products and platform services for biomedical research, drug discovery, and preclinical safety testing. Its core technology, opti-ox, is a deterministic cell programming platform that uses inducible transcription factor expression integrated into the AAVS1 genomic safe harbour to convert human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into specified cell types within days, with reported capacity to produce up to two billion homogeneous cells per batch in 10-14 days. The company monetizes this platform through its ioCells product portfolio — cryopreserved iPSC-derived cell lines spanning neurons (glutamatergic, GABAergic, motor, sensory), glia (astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocyte-like cells), skeletal myocytes, hepatocytes, plus disease models, fluorescent ioTracker variants, and CRISPR-Ready Cas9-expressing lines — sold via direct e-commerce at €999 per 3-vial pack with volume and academic pricing tiers, alongside custom cell development and disease modeling services for enterprise clients.

The company serves three primary customer segments — academic researchers, biotechnology companies, and pharmaceutical/CRO enterprises (including Charles River Laboratories and Evotec) — with named academic users spanning King's College London, UCL, Cardiff University, Loughborough University, and DZNE/Charité. Its go-to-market combines product-led e-commerce with an enterprise sales layer for large-volume and custom orders, supported by dual US and European distribution hubs (the latter via a SciSafe partnership established February 2026) and a multi-channel marketing strategy anchored by the annual Human Cell Forum conference in Cambridge. Founded with venture backing and now reportedly having raised approximately $622 million across six rounds (most recently a $50 million Series C led by M&G Investments in January 2026), bit.bio operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries in the UK (Bit Bio Limited), US (Bit Bio Inc., Pleasanton, CA), and Austria (Bit Bio Discovery GmbH, Vienna). The company is widely reported to be positioning for a potential IPO following the January 2026 Series C and the appointment of Lord David Prior as Board Chair.

Name

bit.bio

Legal name

Bit Bio Limited

Website

https://bit.bio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cambridge-based synthetic biology company that develops engineered human iPSC-derived cell products (ioCells) using proprietary opti-ox deterministic reprogramming technology, serving academic researchers, biotech firms, and pharmaceutical companies in drug discovery and preclinical safety testing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Stem Cell-Based Research Products

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

In Vitro Model Systems & Organoid Platforms (iPSC/organoids, microphysiological systems) (HLAAAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Synthetic Biology & Genetic Circuit Design Platforms (pathway engineering, chassis development) (HLAAAIAD), CRISPR & Functional Genomics Screening Platforms (pooled/arrayed screens, perturb-seq) (HLAAAIAG)

Keywords

• IPSC-derived cells
• Cell programming technology
• Disease model cells
• Drug discovery tools
• CRISPR-ready cells

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. ioCells Product Sales: bit.bio generates revenue through the sale of cryopreserved human iPSC-derived cells (ioCells) to researchers in academia, biotech, and pharma. Products include ioWild Type Cells, ioDisease Model Cells, ioTracker Cells, and CRISPR-Ready ioCells. Volume discounts and academic pricing are available. The company also offers custom cell development services for bespoke disease models or reporter lines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

bit.bio manufactures and sells engineered human iPSC-derived cell products (ioCells) and provides related custom cell development and CRISPR screening services for biomedical research, drug discovery, and preclinical development. The company uses its proprietary opti-ox deterministic cell programming platform to produce consistent, scalable batches of human neurons, glia, muscle, and liver cells, including wild-type, disease model, fluorescent reporter, and CRISPR-ready variants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ioCells: Portfolio of deterministically programmed human iPSC-derived cells for research and drug discovery
• ioWild Type Cells
• ioDisease Model Cells
• CRISPR-Ready ioCells
• ioTracker Cells
• opti-ox
• DIGICELL
• OPTI-OX

Products and services

• ioHepatocytes Human iPSC-derived hepatocytes for liver safety testing, hepatotoxicity studies, and drug discovery, sold as cryopreserved vials to researchers in pharma, biotech, and academia.
• ioSkeletal Myocytes Human iPSC-derived skeletal muscle cells for muscle disease modelling, drug screening, and cell therapy research, sold as cryopreserved vials.
• ioGABAergic Neurons Human iPSC-derived inhibitory GABAergic neurons for neuroscience research, electrophysiology, and CNS drug discovery.
• ioGlutamatergic Neurons Human iPSC-derived excitatory glutamatergic neurons used for CNS drug discovery, neurotoxicity testing, and disease modelling by pharma and academic researchers.
• ioMotor Neurons Human iPSC-derived motor neurons for motor neuron disease research, including ALS, SMA, and neurodegenerative disease drug screening.
• ioSensory Neurons Human iPSC-derived sensory neurons for pain research, neuropathy modelling, and sensory neuron drug screening.
• ioAstrocytes Human iPSC-derived astrocytes for CNS co-culture models, calcium imaging, and neurodegeneration research.
• ioMicroglia Human iPSC-derived microglia cells for neuroinflammation research, phagocytosis assays, cytokine release studies, and CNS drug discovery.
• ioOPC & ioOligodendrocyte-like cells Human iPSC-derived oligodendrocyte precursor cells and oligodendrocyte-like cells for myelination studies, drug screening, and multiple sclerosis research.
• ioDisease Model Cells

Quantifiable outcome

• Can produce up to two billion homogeneous human iPSC-derived cells in 10-14 days
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SciSafe, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 February 2026Partnership for European Distribution Hub enabling next-working-day delivery across the EU with reduced lead times, lower logistics costs, and removal of customs burden for customers. SciSafe provides cGMP-compliant biopharma storage and logistics services.
• Cortical LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to commercialise CL1, the world's first hybrid biological computer combining silicon circuitry with 800,000 human neurons grown on a chip. The biological machine builds on Cortical Labs' DishBrain prototype and leverages bit.bio's human neurons for applications in medical research, drug testing, and neuroscience.
• Charles River LaboratoriescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic customer and research partner using ioCells (ioGlutamatergic Neurons, ioMicroglia, ioOligodendrocyte-like cells) for drug discovery and preclinical research services. Charles River provides validated protocols and assay development using bit.bio products.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• REPROCELL: REPROCELL provides iPSC-derived cell products, stem cell banking, and drug-discovery services. It is a directly comparable vendor offering iPSC-derived hepatocytes, neurons, and other cell types to pharma and academic researchers similar to bit.bio's ioCells line.
• FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics International: FUJIFILM's CDI is the longest-established commercial producer of iPSC-derived human cells used in drug discovery, toxicology, and cell therapy development. Both companies compete head-to-head in iPSC-derived hepatocytes, cardiomyocytes, neurons, and other differentiated cell types sold to pharma and academic customers.
• STEMCELL Technologies: STEMCELL Technologies is a leading specialty supplier of reagents, media, and primary/iPSC-derived cell products for biomedical research. It overlaps with bit.bio's academic and biotech customer base in stem-cell research tools, disease modelling reagents, and organoid culture workflows.
• Ncardia: Ncardia produces iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, neurons, and other cell types for cardiac safety and neuro drug discovery. It competes with bit.bio's disease models and CNS offerings, particularly for pharma customers running high-throughput safety and efficacy assays.
• BrainXell: BrainXell is a specialty provider of iPSC-derived neurons (dopaminergic, GABAergic, motor, sensory) for neurological disease modelling and drug discovery. It is directly comparable to bit.bio's CNS portfolio and targets similar pharma and academic customers.
• Axol Bioscience: Axol Bioscience specialises in iPSC-derived human neural cell types (neurons, astrocytes, microglia) for disease modelling and drug discovery, closely mirroring bit.bio's CNS-heavy product portfolio and serving overlapping pharma and academic customers.

Broad incumbents

• Corning Life Sciences: Corning supplies cell culture vessels, extracellular matrices, and increasingly primary/derived cell products through its Life Sciences segment. It competes with bit.bio in providing scalable, reproducible cell culture workflows to pharma and academic customers.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Gibco Cell Culture): Through its Gibco portfolio, Thermo Fisher is the largest life-science tools supplier with deep reach into academic and pharma cell culture workflows. While not a pure-play iPSC cell product competitor, it offers differentiated media, primary cells, and increasingly iPSC-derived products that compete with bit.bio's offerings and have stronger bundled selling motions.
• Lonza: Lonza operates a large cell-and-gene-therapies services franchise spanning iPSC process development, cell manufacturing, and primary/derived cell products. Its scale, GMP manufacturing footprint, and pharma relationships make it a strategic competitor in cell-based research tools and contract cell supply.

Emerging players

• Cell Signaling Technology: Cell Signaling Technology is primarily an antibody and assay vendor but has expanded into cell-based reagents and CRISPR tools that overlap with bit.bio's CRISPR-Ready ioCells and assay-supporting product lines for translational researchers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bitbio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bitbioltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors15 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about bit.bio