Stately Bio

Stately Bio, Inc. is a Palo Alto, California biotechnology company applying machine learning to live-cell microscopy for regenerative medicine. Its patented platform identifies and monitors cell states in real time using only label-free, live-cell compatible imaging (brightfield microscopy), without fluorescent tags, genetic modification or destructive sampling. Machine learning models correlate cell shape and texture with biological function, allowing the platform to quantify cell types, track differentiation progress, detect features not visible with standard tools, forecast future cell function weeks in advance, and recommend which experiments to run.

The company uses the platform both as a measurement and process-control tool and as a discovery engine for its own therapeutic programs. Its stated focus is the shortage of differentiation protocols that convert stem cells into functionally mature target cells; existing protocols tend to produce immature, fetal-like cells. Its lead effort is a liver cell program, where the company reports a 3x-10x improvement over state-of-the-art baselines across a panel of gold-standard metabolic assays of clinically relevant liver functions. Stately Bio says it is applying the same approach to additional therapeutic cell types in indications with high unmet need, and sees potential for lab-made liver cells in cell replacement therapy for liver disease, as well as in toxicity testing and disease modeling.

Applications span discovery and development, from higher-throughput imaging-based screens in R&D to faster process development and in-process control in cell therapy manufacturing.

Founding story

Founder and CEO Frank Li worked as a software engineer at Palantir and Google X before being recruited by Daphne Koller to join a new machine learning team at Alphabet-backed Calico Life Sciences, where he led the ML group for four years and reported to CEO Art Levinson. In 2019 Li entered a NeurIPS competition on extracting signals from cell images; his team achieved over 99% accuracy and placed second out of more than 800 entrants, which he described as evidence that computer-vision techniques used in fields such as self-driving cars could transfer to biology. Li left Calico in 2021 and founded Stately Bio, which began operating in March 2022 with a pre-seed round focused on cell imaging.

Business model

Stately Bio combines an internal pipeline of stem cell-derived therapeutic programs with partnerships and collaborations in which institutions and companies apply its ML imaging platform to their own cell therapy research, development and manufacturing work. Specific pricing and contract terms are not publicly disclosed.

Partnership and collaboration agreements with research institutions and biotechnology companies using the company's ML imaging technology; pricing terms are not disclosed.

Traction

Emerged from stealth in May 2025 with a $12 million seed round and a roster of institutional and angel backers from AI and biotech. Reported technical traction includes 3x-10x improvements over state-of-the-art baselines across metabolic assays of key liver functions for stem cell-derived liver cells, plus disclosed collaboration with the New York Blood Center.

Latest developments

Public launch and $12 million seed financing in May 2025, with funds allocated to scaling the platform and advancing the internal stem cell-derived therapeutic pipeline, beginning with the liver cell program and expanding to additional cell types.