Mekonos

The Challenge

Cell therapy is a double edged sword in medicine: it has truly curative potential, which also makes it incredibly complex from an R&D investment and operational perspective. Accelerating the development and manufacturing of these therapies, ideally at point of care, hinges on delivering the right genetic cargo to the right cell type, at the right time, with the right dose.

Approach

We aligned the company around a silicon nanoneedle device delivering genetic cargo at a single cell resolution (within 2-3um), unlocking the conventional limits on efficiency, multiplexing, and cargo size.

We conducted in-depth customer research and interviews, championing the voice of the end-patient and distinguishing between buyers vs. users in the tx development journey.

A single integrated product roadmap spanned hardware, software, consumables, and wet lab workflows. Every release tied back to a milestone the science team and pharma partners both cared about.

The Solution

A platform approach — instead of one disease area at a time, we envisioned a reusable infrastructure for design, manufacturing, and validation. Our alpha prototype was intended for RUO applications.

Impact

• $25M raised on the strength of the platform (aka "tech bio") thesis
• Realized over $2M in efficiencies with an integrated product development approach
• Learned about raising capital for deep tech the hard way