Episode 186

🧬 Autonomous Labs: The Future of Cell Culture | Jimmy Sastra (Part 3/4)

"People are looking at cells, making decisions, and then acting on them—that’s a robotics loop. I felt it could be done autonomously." In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee sits down with Jimmy Sastra, co-founder and CEO of Monomer, to discuss how his team transformed hands-on lab automation consulting into a breakthrough biotech robotics company. Jimmy shares how Monomer’s vertically integrated platform unites robotics, software, and biology to automate cell culture, cut reliance on animal models, and boost reproducibility. He also explains the company’s adaptive go-to-market strategy—ranging from software-only pilots to full robotic deployments—and reflects on the power of cross-disciplinary teamwork, global collaboration, and flexibility in navigating today’s challenging biotech landscape.

The Biotech Startups Podcast · Excedr

November 3, 202529m 5s

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Show Notes

🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast is powered by Excedr—helping life science startups accelerate R&D and commercialization with founder-friendly equipment leasing. Skip the upfront costs, stay lean, and focus on breakthrough science.

As a TBSP listener, you can get exclusive perks through Excedr’s partner network—special savings, promotions, and more. Explore these offers today: https://www.excedr.com/partners.

"People are looking at cells, making decisions, and then acting on them—that’s a robotics loop. I felt it could be done autonomously."

In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee sits down with Jimmy Sastra, co-founder and CEO of Monomer, to discuss how his team transformed hands-on lab automation consulting into a breakthrough biotech robotics company. Jimmy shares how Monomer’s vertically integrated platform unites robotics, software, and biology to automate cell culture, cut reliance on animal models, and boost reproducibility.

He also explains the company’s adaptive go-to-market strategy—ranging from software-only pilots to full robotic deployments—and reflects on the power of cross-disciplinary teamwork, global collaboration, and flexibility in navigating today’s challenging biotech landscape.

Key topics covered:

Founding Monomer: Turning early consulting insights into a mission-driven biotech venture
Autonomizing Cell Culture: Merging biology and robotics to automate complex lab workflows
Vertical Integration: Unifying hardware, software, and biology into a single seamless system
Go-to-Market Strategy: Offering tailored engagement paths—software, pilots, or full automation
Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Using global experience to strengthen communication and leadership

If you enjoy The Biotech Startups Podcast, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with your friends. Thanks for listening.

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Find our guest, Jimmy Sastra, at these links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-sastra-phd-11a0521/

Website: https://monomerbio.com/

Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee

Learn more about Excedr:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/

Website: https://www.excedr.com

Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:

Website: https://flow.page/kyojin

Resources & Articles:

Clayton Christensen “The Innovator’s Dilemma”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innovator%27s_Dilemma

Prime Medicine & David R. Liu’s Prime Editing Research: https://primemedicine.com/

Excedr’s Equipment Leasing Model: https://www.excedr.com/leasing

Execdr’s TBSP: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/

Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:

Transcriptic (now Strateos): https://www.strateos.com/

Monomer Bio: https://www.monomerbio.com/

Excedr: https://www.excedr.com/

Rosebud Biosciences: https://www.rosebudbio.com/

Prime Medicine: https://www.primemedicine.com/

ASML: https://www.asml.com/

Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/

Mark Zhang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-zhang-1726361b/

Carter Allen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/b-carter-allen/

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:13 Founding Monomer & Early Consulting Days

03:31 Defining the Thesis: Automating Cell Culture

05:56 The Robotics Loop: Connecting Biology with Automation

07:37 Building Cross-Functional Teams & Integration Challenges

08:43 Lessons from ASML & the Power of Vertical Integration

12:04 Clayton Christensen’s “Innovator’s Dilemma” in Biotech

12:46 Monomer’s Go-To-Market Strategy & Adaptation

14:55 Targeting the Pain: Stem Cell Automation Challenges

16:51 Selling to Startups, Biotechs & Big Pharma

17:58 Software-Only Deployments & Fast Land Strategy

19:52 Monomer’s San Francisco Lab & Pilot Projects

21:29 Cross-Cultural Collaboration & Building Global Partnerships

27:37 Outro

The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

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