Biotech laboratories face persistent challenges due to incompatible devices, with up to 90% of laboratory instruments sourced from various manufacturers. These lack of standardized interfaces forces research teams to dedicate up to three months for each new device integration, resulting in a significant amount of time spent troubleshooting connectivity issues. This reduces the time available for actual research. Enter UniteLabs, a Munich-based startup dedicated to solving this problem through automation.
To scale its innovative technology, UniteLabs has raised €2.77 million in a pre-seed funding round. The round was led by NAP (formerly Cavalry Ventures), with additional investments from PUSH, Acurio Ventures, OMA Business Angels, and LANA Ventures. The startup has now raised a total of €3.37 million since its founding. Although the valuation remains undisclosed, Robert Zechlin, co-CEO and co-founder of UniteLabs, emphasized the importance of their mission: improving the efficiency of biotech research.
The newly secured funding will enable the company to connect over 650 laboratory instruments to the cloud, enhancing efficiency in biotech research. UniteLabs plans to work closely with pilot customers in the coming year, refining the product and growing its team. A primary focus will be developing an additional 50 connectors, particularly for commonly used liquid-handling workstations. By the end of this year, the company aims to integrate 90 instruments, facilitating the automation and integration of data for nearly half of all biotech labs globally.
“Our goal is to scale quickly, and to do so, we need to build a team with the right talent and resources to continually refine our product and work closely with customers,” said Zechlin. “Through these collaborations, we will be able to evolve our platform to meet the needs of the biotech sector.”
How UniteLabs Streamlines Biotech Research with AI and Instrument Connectivity
Founded in 2022 by Lukas Bromig, Julian Willand, and Robert Zechlin (a former BMW Group executive), UniteLabs offers a solution to one of the biotech industry’s most critical challenges: fragmented lab systems that hinder device communication. During his PhD, Bromig developed open-source solutions to improve lab workflows, addressing a common issue researchers face. This led to the creation of UniteLabs when many academic and industrial groups sought to build upon his work.
Zechlin explained, “The biotech industry lacks fundamental standards for lab device connectivity. Labs are often forced to create custom integration solutions for every new device, consuming as much as 50% of a researcher’s time. This fragmentation causes major setbacks, including data loss, and prevents labs from adopting AI-driven research tools fully.”
UniteLabs aims to remove these bottlenecks by establishing industry-wide standards and architecture for lab automation and AI integration. This will ensure smoother data continuity, faster workflows, and more seamless automation, allowing for accelerated scientific progress.
The platform uses SiLA 2 (Standardization in Lab Automation) standards to guarantee compatibility across different manufacturers. By reducing integration time from months to minutes, it simplifies device control and ensures real-time data access. This advancement plays a critical role in the complete automation of labs, which is essential for the AI-driven drug discovery and biotech innovation processes.
Zechlin also stated, “Many biotech companies are eager to adopt AI in their labs, but the issue is that the devices simply can’t communicate. With UniteLabs, we are creating the foundation for a unified technical language for labs.”
UniteLabs Breaks Barriers to AI Adoption in Biotech Labs
UniteLabs has developed a groundbreaking operating system that facilitates data collection, control, and monitoring across all laboratory instruments, no matter the use case. The company has already built 40 connectors to allow previously incompatible devices to interconnect. With the UniteLabs platform, researchers can not only control the instruments but also automate workflows—creating the first-ever true cross-manufacturer connectivity solution.
The startup initially focuses on liquid handling instruments—key tools used in biological and chemical experiments such as DNA sequencing and COVID-19 testing. Liquid handling is a major bottleneck in lab automation due to its inaccuracy and limited throughput.
“What sets us apart,” Zechlin explained, “is our ability to standardize and unify proprietary interfaces, bringing previously isolated systems into the cloud. Traditionally, each instrument used its own proprietary system, which made integrating them across different manufacturers extremely difficult. UniteLabs removes that barrier, making it possible for workflows, data pipelines, and third-party applications to connect seamlessly to lab instruments through our platform.”
Unlike solutions that focus solely on specific uses or data handling, UniteLabs offers comprehensive control. The platform enables complete connectivity across research and development applications, optimizing processes, improving resource use, and accelerating research outcomes.
The Road Ahead: Aiming to Set the Global Standard for Lab Automation
UniteLabs’ ultimate vision is to establish itself as the global standard for lab automation. This, Zechlin believes, is a critical development that has been long overdue in the industry. The company aspires to revolutionize biotech research, making it faster, smarter, and more interconnected.
“We want to create the infrastructure for AI-driven, closed-loop research systems that will fuel progress in medical research, bioproduct development, and improve lives worldwide,” Zechlin added.
Claude Ritter, Managing Partner at NAP, commented, “Biotech labs are at a crossroads. While AI offers tremendous advancements, most labs lack the infrastructure to fully leverage its potential. UniteLabs is building the essential backbone to bridge this gap, and with their deep understanding of lab workflows, they are paving the way for the next generation of biotech research.”
