About Whelix
Whelix builds robotic platforms that automate cell culture work in life-science labs. Its floor-standing Associan workcell runs feeding, passaging, imaging and plating without a person present, while the desktop Teknician platform offers the same automated liquid handling and imaging for benchtop use. Both systems are guided by an AI agent called Willow, which plans protocols from plain-language instructions, simulates runs on a digital twin, and watches each run with computer vision.
Whelix is based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded by chief executive officer Bingda Li, who holds a PhD in biomedical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Chief technology officer Xinyu Wang holds a master's degree in robotics from the same university. The Associan workcell can produce more than one billion cells in a single run, using up to 45 T175 flasks, or run up to 45 different cell lines at once. It cuts manual lab operation by 80 to 95 percent and reaches more than 95 percent batch-to-batch consistency.
Funding Rounds (SEC Form D)
| First sale | Filed with SEC | Amount sold | Investors | Avg. check | Terms | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 22, 2026 | Nov 4, 2026 | $5,449,996of $8.0M target | 7 | $778K | EquityRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Nov 12, 2024 | Dec 20, 2024 | $200,000of $1.0M target | 1 | $200K | EquityRule 506(b) | Form D ↗ |
| Total, two offerings | $5,649,996 | |||||
First sale is the date the first investor in the offering committed to invest. Companies must file Form D within 15 days of that date, so filing dates run later.
Rounds announced by Whelix
What the company said publicly about its funding. Announced amounts can differ from Form D figures: an announcement can combine several closings, and some money is raised without a Form D.
| Announced | Round | Amount | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2025 | Undisclosed round | $1 million | Draper Associates (lead) | Pittsburgh Business Journal (Inno) ↗ |
Why Investors Backed Whelix
Whelix builds robotic workcells that run cell culture experiments with little human intervention, guided by an AI agent called Willow. It was founded by chief executive officer Bingda Li and chief technology officer Xinyu Wang, both trained at Carnegie Mellon University. Draper Associates backed the company early, when it was still known as Mito Robotics.
The problem it targets
During his PhD research in biomedical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Bingda Li saw how repetitive pipetting, frequent night and weekend lab visits, inconsistent results and contamination slowed life-science research. He and Whelix argue that too much scientific talent went into cell expansion and maintenance instead of discovery, a problem they say demanded a new approach to how cell culture gets done.
What the product does
Willow, the company's AI agent, can run every step on its own, draft decisions for a scientist to approve, or simply watch while a person runs each step by hand. A research scientist at Carnegie Mellon University said one person could run four to five robots at once, handling 20 to 25 flasks and several plates in parallel. The researcher called this pace unmatched in a research lab.
Progress so far
Whelix has filed a patent, described by the patent-analytics site PQAI as covering "an AI-manipulated automated cell culturing system." The company has also brought in advisers with biotech and lab-equipment experience. One adviser is a former chief executive of Consolidated Sterilizer Systems. Another is a Carnegie Mellon University professor who previously held leadership roles at Sanofi, Intel and Bloomberg.
Who backs it
Draper Associates invested $1 million in the company in early 2025, according to the Pittsburgh Business Journal, when it was still called Mito Robotics. Whelix also says it has been built and backed with partners including Carnegie Mellon University, MassRobotics, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Ascender and Merck Digital Sciences Studio.
We wrote this summary from public statements by Whelix and its investors. It is not investment advice.
Whelix in the News
Leadership Team
Executive officers and directors listed on Whelix's Form D filed Nov 4, 2026.
Sources
- SECMitoAI Inc. filing history
- CompanyWhelix about page
- CompanyWhelix privacy policy