Cellares
Company
Key facts about this entity
- Founded 2019; headquartered in South San Francisco
- Product: Cell Shuttle automated cell-therapy manufacturing platform
- Series C: $255 million led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (August 2023)
- Series D: co-led by BlackRock and Eclipse (January 2026), expanded to $327 million (June 2026)
- Valuation not disclosed by the company; a database estimate puts it at about $1 billion
- August 2026: Bristol Myers Squibb ended a manufacturing deal; about 100 jobs cut
Entity Profile
Overview
Cellares Corporation develops the Cell Shuttle, an automated, closed manufacturing system for cell therapies such as CAR-T, and operates as an integrated development and manufacturing organisation for drugmakers.
Why this entity matters
Cellares is on the Technical University of Munich's August 2026 list of unicorns founded by TUM alumni, supplied to Startuprad.io by UnternehmerTUM's press office in October 2026. Its CEO Fabian Gerlinghaus holds a TUM master's degree in aerospace engineering. Its unicorn status is not confirmed: the company has not disclosed a valuation, and in June 2026 its CEO described it as approaching unicorn status. No UnternehmerTUM programme or UVC Partners investment has been documented.
Company history and product
Founded in 2019, Cellares raised a $255 million Series C led by Koch Disruptive Technologies in August 2023 and a Series D co-led by BlackRock and Eclipse in January 2026, expanded to $327 million in June 2026 with money from Prime Radiant Partners and ARK. In August 2026 Bristol Myers Squibb ended a manufacturing partnership and Cellares cut about 100 jobs; the company disputes BMS's criticism of its technology.
Role in the European start-up landscape
Cellares is a US company. Its connection to Germany runs through its TUM-educated CEO.
Selected relationships and affiliations
Founders: Fabian Gerlinghaus (co-founder, CEO), Omar Kurdi (co-founder). Investors: BlackRock and Eclipse (Series D co-leads), Koch Disruptive Technologies (Series C lead), T. Rowe Price, Baillie Gifford, ARK Invest, Prime Radiant Partners.
Startuprad.io relevance
Cellares is covered in Startuprad.io's Unicorn Atlas special on the 23-company list of unicorns founded by TUM alumni, which UnternehmerTUM's press office supplied to Startuprad.io in October 2026. The special checks each company's TUM link, its billion-dollar milestone and any documented UnternehmerTUM programme or investment.
Public source context
This profile is drawn from public sources including Cellares, Business Wire, Endpoints News, BioSpace and Startuprad.io coverage. Time-sensitive figures, including valuations and ownership, are reported with their dates and should be re-verified against primary sources before commercial use.
Startuprad.io coverage of Cellares
Cellares appears in the following Startuprad.io interviews, news and analysis.
Exclusive: The 23-Unicorn List UnternehmerTUM Gave Us — and Where Its Role Is on Record
Published: 26 October 2026
Last updated: 26 October 2026
Coverage type: Analysis
https://www.startuprad.io/post/exclusive-the-23-unicorn-list-unternehmertum-gave-us-and-where-its-role-is-on-record
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Canonical record: https://www.startuprad.io/entities/cellares