As global supply chains face increasing disruptions — from surging cocoa prices to egg shortages and synthetic dye bans — biomanufacturing is emerging as a sustainable alternative to traditional production methods. Yet, the industry continues to grapple with costly and slow scaling challenges. Munich-based Differential Bio is tackling this problem head-on with its Virtual Scale-up Platform. Combining microbiology, robotics, and artificial intelligence, the startup automates lab workflows and simulates bioprocesses virtually. This approach eliminates bottlenecks, allowing industrial-scale processes to advance faster and more efficiently.
Fresh out of stealth mode, Differential Bio just raised €2 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by Ananda Impact Ventures and ReGen Ventures, with support from Carbon13, Climate Capital, Better Ventures, CDTM Ventures, and a lineup of seasoned angel investors.
With this funding, the company plans to expand its platform capabilities, onboard new clients, and grow its team. Differential Bio is also doubling down on its AI-powered self-driving lab, adding talent in bioinformatics, bioprocess engineering, and automation to strengthen its offering.
Founded in 2023 by Christian Spier, Martin Patz, and Dong Zhao, Differential Bio brings together expertise in technology, biology, and business. CEO Spier draws from a strong background in bioinformatics and scale-up experience at Y42 and Dialogue. Meanwhile, CTO Patz, a seasoned AI expert, previously contributed to advancements at Recogni.
CSO Dong Zhao is the scientific force behind the company’s biological innovations. Known for her expertise in fungi fermentation and scalable bioprocessing, Zhao previously co-founded Nosh.bio, which develops food ingredients from fungi. Her experience in optimizing bioprocesses now drives Differential Bio’s mission.
The startup recently demonstrated its technology’s potential by solving a key challenge in probiotics production — switching a microbial strain from an animal-based to a plant-based growth medium. Using its platform, Differential Bio quadrupled biomass yield and reduced production costs by 16%, proving its ability to overcome scale-up obstacles common in biomanufacturing.
Experts predict that up to 60% of raw materials across food, cosmetics, and chemical industries could soon be produced biologically. As global biomanufacturing capacity is expected to grow 10 to 20 times in the coming decades, Differential Bio is well-positioned to lead this transformation.
What sets the Virtual Scale-up Platform apart is its ability to combine AI simulations with physical automation. This unique approach predicts how lab-scale experiments will perform when scaled to industrial production — solving a persistent pain point in the sector.
“Biomanufacturing is vital for a regenerative future, but scaling remains the biggest hurdle,” said CEO Christian Spier. “We’re building the tools to reduce development time and costs — helping bioproducts reach the market faster than ever.”
CSO Dong Zhao added, “We’ve proven that sustainable biomanufacturing doesn’t mean compromise. Our platform simultaneously enhances performance and cuts costs.”
CTO Martin Patz believes their vision will reshape the industry. “Our goal is to make biomanufacturing as scalable and seamless as software development. This funding brings us closer to that future.”
The company’s vision has resonated with top investors. Ananda Impact Ventures’ partner Bernd Klosterkemper praised the team’s technical depth and their potential to accelerate the green, circular economy.
Similarly, Tom McQuillen from ReGen Ventures highlighted how Differential’s AI-driven approach could solve biomanufacturing’s scaling crisis. “By combining machine learning with deep phenotypic and bioprocess data, they’re redefining what’s possible at scale.”
With momentum building, Differential Bio is set to help reshape industries, making sustainable biomanufacturing mainstream.
