Rockstepsolutions
Acquired535 employees on LinkedIn · 2 known investors
RockStep Solutions builds Climb, cloud-based software for non-GLP preclinical and in vivo study and vivarium management.
Also known as RockStep · RockStep Solutions · RockStep Solutions, Inc.
Investors · 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026RockStep Solutions, Inc. develops Climb, a cloud-based software platform for managing non-GLP preclinical and in vivo study workflows. The software supports animal colony and vivarium management — including breeding, handling, moving and genotyping of animals, subject census management and animal health tracking with real-time alerts — as well as study design and execution, PK/PD analysis, pathology and necropsy management, and study data visualization and analytics.
The product is positioned as a replacement for manual tracking in spreadsheets, paper notes and legacy systems, giving research teams real-time visibility across study workflows and preclinical data. Customers include global pharmaceutical companies, CROs, biotechnology organizations, government labs, a Nobel Laureate's lab at UCSF and research labs at The Jackson Laboratory.
Following its July 2025 acquisition, RockStep's Climb is being combined with Instem's Provantis GLP preclinical study management platform to form an end-to-end preclinical study management suite spanning non-GLP and GLP work through regulatory submission.
Founding story
RockStep Solutions was founded in 2013 by Chuck Donnelly, a software engineer with experience at life sciences companies, and Julie Morrison, a microbiology scientist. Reporting cited by one source states the company was formed after receiving a Small Business Innovation Research award from the National Institutes of Health and a development loan from the Maine Technology Institute, and that its technology team had developed The Jackson Laboratory's mouse colony data management system.
Business model
RockStep Solutions sold Climb as a cloud-native software product (SaaS) to life sciences research organizations, serving large multinational pharmaceutical companies, midsize and small biotechs, CROs and academic and government labs.
Software subscription/licensing of the Climb platform to life sciences organizations.
Traction
Climb, launched in 2017, has been adopted by global pharmaceutical companies, CROs, biotechs, government labs, a Nobel Laureate's lab at UCSF and research labs at The Jackson Laboratory; Instem stated the acquisition added large and industry-leading pharmaceutical and CRO customers.
Latest developments
On 28 July 2025 Instem closed its acquisition of RockStep Solutions and announced plans to integrate Climb with its Provantis platform, adding RockStep's pharmaceutical and CRO customers to Instem's base.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
A specialist vendor of in vivo/preclinical study and animal colony management software, acquired in 2025 by Instem, a supplier of SaaS platforms for discovery, study management, regulatory submission and clinical trial analytics.
Climb was built specifically for the in vivo lab as a cloud-native system covering both vivarium/colony operations and study execution, which Instem described as complementary to its GLP-focused Provantis platform: the combination was positioned to support both non-GLP flexibility and GLP study design within one provider.
Technology
Climb is a cloud-native application built on Microsoft Azure, with a reported stack including C#, Vue.js, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL and Azure Active Directory; the company partnered with Microsoft to integrate Azure technologies and with TetraScience on research data integration.
Go-to-market
Direct sales to life sciences research organizations, supported by partnerships with Microsoft (Azure) and TetraScience for data integration; the team included account executives, a marketing director and EMEA operations leadership.
Large multinational pharmaceutical companies, small and midsize biotechs, CROs, academic research labs and government labs conducting in vivo research.
Geography
Headquartered at 48 Free Street, Portland, Maine, United States, with staff listed in Portland and a head of EMEA operations.
History
The company was founded in 2013 and its technology team originated from the group that developed The Jackson Laboratory's mouse colony data management system; a January 2016 report described the company preparing to launch its first commercial product. Climb was launched in 2017. RockStep received a Tibbetts award in 2021, partnered with TetraScience in June 2022, and reported closing a $5.3 million funding round in August 2022. In July 2025 the company partnered with Microsoft on Azure cloud integration for Climb and was acquired by Instem.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 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.
Non-dilutive funding · 2 SBIR/STTR awards
Federal grants — no equity taken| Agency | Phase | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase II | 2016 | $1.6M |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase I | 2015 | $224.9K |
Source: SBIR.gov award data (U.S. Small Business Administration). SBIR/STTR awards are competitive federal R&D grants and contracts — non-dilutive capital alongside any venture rounds above.
Timeline · 6
launches, deals, and filingsInstem announced it had closed the acquisition of RockStep Solutions, provider of the Climb cloud-based non-GLP preclinical study management software. Instem said it would integrate Climb with its GLP study management platform Provantis to cover breeding, census, veterinary procedures, study design and execution, PK/PD analysis, pathology, necropsy and data visualization.
RockStep partners with Microsoft to integrate Azure cloud technologies into its Climb software.
Reported that RockStep Solutions was formed following a Small Business Innovation Research award from the National Institutes of Health, along with a development loan from the Maine Technology Institute.
RockStep Solutions partnered with TetraScience to address data challenges in in vivo research.
Climb, RockStep's cloud-based software for non-GLP preclinical and in vivo study management, was launched and subsequently adopted by pharmaceutical companies, CROs, biotechs, government labs, a Nobel Laureate's lab at UCSF and research labs at The Jackson Laboratory.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Rockstepsolutionsrockstepsolutions.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Rockstepsolutions do?
- RockStep Solutions builds Climb, cloud-based software for non-GLP preclinical and in vivo study and vivarium management.
- Who are Rockstepsolutions's investors?
- Rockstepsolutions's investors include CEI Ventures, Walnut Venture Associates.