What DropGenie does

DropGenie is a privately held biotechnology company founded in 2020 that has developed a miniaturized and automated gene editing platform built on patented chips using proprietary electrode configurations driven by electrostatic forces. The platform delivers editing reagents (mRNA, DNA, or proteins) into cells in nanoliter volumes, eliminating pipetting, pumps, and oils, and is compatible with SBS-format lab automation. DropGenie reports 100x miniaturization, 40x lower cost, and 100x faster workflows versus conventional approaches, with demonstrated high-efficiency CRISPR knockout in primary T cells using ~10,000 cells versus the ~1,000,000 cells reportedly required by competing methods.

The company targets three primary use cases: functional genomics screening (to increase screen depth and donor diversity from limited sample material), cell and gene therapy process development (to optimize TCR and CAR-immune cell candidate selection from small patient populations), and AI-driven drug discovery (to generate positive and negative functional validation data at scale for AI-predicted hits). The company commercializes through direct sales to biopharma and cell therapy buyers via 'Get Early Access' and 'Request Demo' CTAs, supplemented by industry conference presence (SLAS, ASGCT), scientific content (case studies with Sartorius and Beckman Coulter), webinars, and earned media. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured as quote-based enterprise sales.

DropGenie operates from Cambridge, MA (US headquarters) and Montreal, QC (Canada), has 11-50 employees, and is backed by a syndicate led by Skeleton Key with participation from Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, CQDM, Real Ventures, and Anges Québec in a June 2026 Seed+ round. The company was also selected into the March 2026 cohort of Merck's Digital Sciences Studio accelerator. Leadership comprises co-founders Alison Hirukawa (CEO), Philippe Vo (Head of Software), and Hugo Sinha (COO).

Name

DropGenie

Legal name

DropGenie, Inc.

Website

https://drop-genie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DropGenie commercializes a patented, electrostatic chip-based platform that miniaturizes and automates gene editing workflows for biopharma, cell therapy developers, and AI drug discovery researchers, enabling high-throughput CRISPR screens in nanoliter volumes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cell Engineering Automation

NAICS

Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Research and Development in Nanotechnology (541713)

SIC

Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

CRISPR & Functional Genomics Screening Platforms (pooled/arrayed screens, perturb-seq) (HLAAAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biosensors & Lab-on-Chip (BioMEMS) (HDAHALAK), Molecular Biology & Genomics Instruments (PCR/qPCR, Sequencing, Microarrays) (HLAGAIAF)

Keywords

• Gene editing platform
• Cell engineering automation
• Microfluidic screening tools
• CRISPR screening reagents
• Lab automation instruments

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Gene Editing Platform and Reagents: DropGenie commercializes its miniaturized gene editing platform, including associated reagents and consumables, to biopharma companies, cell therapy developers, and functional genomics researchers. The company is scaling manufacturing and building commercial operations following its Seed+ financing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DropGenie sells a miniaturized, automated gene editing platform built on patented chips that use proprietary electrode configurations driven by electrostatic forces to deliver any editing reagent (mRNA, DNA, or proteins) into any cell type in nanoliter volumes. The platform includes the chip hardware, associated reagents and consumables, and SBS-format-compatible automation for high-throughput arrayed CRISPR screening and cell engineering workflows.

Product overview

DropGenie offers a unified lab automation platform that miniaturizes and parallelizes gene editing workflows on patented chips. The platform enables high-throughput, low-volume cell engineering reactions using proprietary electrode configurations and electrical parameter tuning to deliver any cargo (mRNA, DNA, or proteins) into any cell type. The system features direct cargo printing, adaptive tuning for each experimental condition, and modular SBS-format compatibility for integration with existing lab automation. Key applications include functional genomics screening, cell and gene therapy process development, and AI-driven drug discovery validation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DropGenie Gene Editing Platform Miniaturized and automated gene editing platform built on patented chips that use proprietary electrode configurations driven by electrostatic forces to deliver editing reagents (mRNA, DNA, proteins) into cells in nanoliter volumes. Includes the chip hardware, adaptive electrical tuning, direct cargo printing, and SBS-format compatibility for integration with existing lab automation, sold to biopharma, cell therapy, and functional genomics customers for arrayed CRISPR screening and cell engineering.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100x miniaturization — do more with less, ideal for scarce samples
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Merck Digital Sciences Studio (MDSS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026DropGenie was selected into the second cohort of Merck's Digital Sciences Studio accelerator in Montreal, Canada (March 2026). The nine-month program provides $100,000 USD in funding, mentorship from Merck scientists, and operating support from Centech. The program supports digital technologies in biopharma including AI solutions and is part of a consortium including Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, The Venture Collective, and CQDM.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sartorius: Sartorius is a major life sciences lab automation and bioprocessing supplier and a published DropGenie integration partner. The two companies co-market integrated workflows, so they are simultaneously partners and indirect competitors for the same workflow budgets.
• 10x Genomics: 10x Genomics sells broadly adopted single-cell and functional genomics platforms that compete for the same functional genomics and cell therapy research budget, though it does not directly offer gene editing delivery.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher is the largest life sciences tools vendor with broad portfolios spanning cell engineering, CRISPR reagents, and lab automation — a broad incumbent whose installed base sets the standard against which new entrants like DropGenie must differentiate.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Bio-Rad supplies a broad portfolio of life sciences research tools, including droplet-based digital PCR and cell biology reagents that compete for the same functional genomics and gene editing research spend.

Direct peers

• Standard BioTools (formerly Fluidigm): Standard BioTools builds microfluidic and chip-based life sciences instrumentation (e.g., IFC-based controllers) for single-cell and genomics workflows — the closest analog to DropGenie's chip-based electrostatic platform in miniaturization philosophy.
• Berkeley Lights (now PhenomeX): PhenomeX (formerly Berkeley Lights) markets optofluidic cell biology automation platforms that engineer and analyze single cells — competing in the same single-cell / high-throughput functional screening arena DropGenie targets.
• MaxCyte: MaxCyte commercializes electroporation-based cell engineering platforms used by biopharma and cell therapy developers for CRISPR delivery and gene editing workflows — directly overlapping with DropGenie's core CGT and functional genomics use cases.

Emerging players

• Element Biosciences: Element Biosciences develops next-generation sequencing and multi-omics platforms, giving functional genomics and drug discovery researchers an alternative workflow adjacent to DropGenie's screening platform.
• CytoVerdict (or comparable cell-engineering startup): CytoVerdict (and similar single-cell / cell-engineering startups) target portions of the same functional genomics and cell therapy R&D workflow as DropGenie, representing emerging competition from lower-cost entrants with overlapping but narrower offerings.
• Mission Bio: Mission Bio provides single-cell multi-omics and genomics tools (e.g., Tapestri) used by CGT developers and functional genomics researchers, partially overlapping with DropGenie's genomic screening applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DropGenie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors12 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 DropGenie