The Biotech Startups Podcast 🧬 Autonomous Labs: The Future of Cell Culture | Jimmy Sastra (Part 3/4)
Nov 3, 2025
29:05
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"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
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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Find our guest, Jimmy Sastra, at these links:
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.