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Biolinco
Techstars '26Baltimore, US · Founded 2023 · 2 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
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Biolinco provides a platform for cell line development that uses DNA barcoding and multi-omic characterization to help biopharmaceutical companies evaluate and select optimal cell clones. The platform addresses limitations in traditional workflows that evaluate only a small number of clones.
Also known as Biolinco Inc.
Founders & leadership
Biolinco was founded in 2023 by Kent Rapp, PhD., Junneng (Kevin) Wen, PhD., Reza Kalhor, PhD., and Michael Betenbaugh, PhD..
Investors · 1
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Biolinco is a Baltimore-based company offering cell line development services built on DNA barcoding combined with multi-omic characterization. Each candidate cell line receives a unique, heritable DNA barcode that is passed to all descendants, allowing thousands of barcoded clones to be cultured together in a single fed-batch run under manufacturing-relevant conditions rather than in conventional 96-well plates. Productivity and product quality are measured for every clone simultaneously using FACS-based assays and sequencing, and top-performing clones are then isolated and delivered as a manufacturing-ready cell line accompanied by a full performance dataset.
The company frames the problem it addresses as the mismatch between small-scale clone screening and large-scale bioreactor performance: because every biologic drug must be manufactured from a single clone, a clone that performs well in plate-based screening may underperform at manufacturing scale, leading to late-stage failures, delayed regulatory filings and decisions made on incomplete data. Biolinco states that its approach screens more than 2,500 times more clones per run, at 100-1,000x lower cost per clone, using libraries of more than 200,000 unique barcodes, with top clones retrieved at greater than 99.8% on-target precision.
Business model
Biolinco offers cell line development as a service to CDMOs and biopharmaceutical companies, screening a customer's molecule and delivering a manufacturing-ready cell line together with a performance dataset.
Traction
Biolinco presented at Johns Hopkins' inaugural Innovation Summit in June 2023, won the Judge's Prize at Johns Hopkins FastForward U's Fall 2023 Spark Showcase among 34 early-stage student startups in December 2023, was selected for the Techstars AI Health Baltimore Spring 2026 accelerator program, and presented at Techstars Spring 2026 Demo Day.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography
Market position
Biolinco positions its pooled, barcoded screening workflow against conventional cell line development that evaluates clones in 96-well plates under conditions unlike a production bioreactor.
Pooled culture of thousands of barcoded clones in a single fed-batch run under manufacturing-relevant conditions, with per-clone productivity and quality readouts, in contrast to plate-based screening of a limited number of clones; the company cites >2,500x more clones screened per run and 100-1,000x lower cost per clone.
Technology
The platform assigns each cell line a unique, heritable DNA barcode so that all progeny share the same identifier. Barcoded clone pools are grown together in a single fed-batch run under manufacturing-relevant conditions, and productivity and quality attributes are characterized in parallel for every clone using FACS-based assays and sequencing. Top clones are then retrieved with stated on-target precision above 99.8%. Barcode libraries contain more than 200,000 unique barcodes. Techstars describes the screening platform as AI-enabled.
Go-to-market
The company markets its cell line development services directly to CDMOs and biopharmaceutical companies through its website and inbound contact, and has raised visibility through university innovation programs and an accelerator cohort.
CDMOs and biopharmaceutical manufacturers developing biologic drugs that require selection of a single production clone.
Geography
Operations are based at 1812 Ashland Avenue, Garden Level G06, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States.
Compiled by commissioned research from 4 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsBiolinco presented its high-throughput cell line development platform to investors and industry leaders at Techstars Spring 2026 Demo Day.
Biolinco was named among the startups joining Techstars' Spring 2026 accelerator programs, in the Techstars AI Health Baltimore cohort; participants receive three months of mentorship and a strategic capital investment.
Biolinco won the Judge's Prize at Johns Hopkins FastForward U's Fall 2023 Spark Showcase, competing among 34 early-stage student startups.
Biolinco presented at Johns Hopkins' first Innovation Summit, organized by JHTV, Carey Business School and Blackbird Laboratories.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 4
primary sources listed
- Biolincobiolinco.com · web
4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Biolinco do?
- Biolinco runs a high-throughput, DNA-barcoded cell line screening platform for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
- Who founded Biolinco?
- Biolinco was founded by Kent Rapp, PhD., Junneng (Kevin) Wen, PhD., Reza Kalhor, PhD., Michael Betenbaugh, PhD. in 2023.
- Who are Biolinco's investors?
- Biolinco's investors include Techstars.
- Where is Biolinco headquartered?
- Biolinco is headquartered in Baltimore, US.