The second cohort of the Ready2Scale Acceleration Program is supporting Europe’s most promising deep-tech startups with expert mentoring, key resources, and €60,000 grants to help them scale. Among the standout participants is InSimili, a biotech spin-off from the University of Bologna that is revolutionizing preclinical research by recreating the physiological oxygen environment of human tissues directly in cell culture plates.
The company was founded by a multidisciplinary team from the university’s Department of Chemistry, including Prof. Stefania Rapino, an expert in physical chemistry and biomaterials, and Dr. Marco Malferrari, who specializes in cellular biology.
The following questions are answered by Enrico Grassilli, CEO of InSimili.
How did the idea for your startup originate?
The idea emerged from research challenges in replicating real oxygen conditions during in vitro experiments. This often leads to misleading results in preclinical drug development for oncology drugs. The current alternatives on the market are expensive and cumbersome, so we saw a clear unmet need for a simple, scalable tool to control oxygen in cell culture.
What have been your biggest challenges and most significant achievements so far?
One of the biggest challenges has been translating a complex scientific insight—built on decades of expertise in cancer metabolism—into a manufacturable, user-friendly product. A major milestone was completing several pilot studies with leading researchers, validating the functionality, convenience, and value of our plates for studying cell biology under relevant experimental conditions.
What drives you to continue, even during difficult times?
We are driven by the impact our technology can have on human health: making in vitro testing more predictive, reducing failed clinical trials, and ultimately accelerating the path to new treatments. Every validation and researcher’s feedback pushes us forward in our mission.
What sets your startup apart from competitors?
Our direct competitors are traditional hypoxia chambers or perfusion systems—expensive and complicated tools that limit the adoption of oxygen-relevant conditions in drug screening and cell biology. In contrast, our plates are ready-to-use, cost-effective, and compatible with standard protocols, enabling precise, reproducible, and scalable modeling of human physiology.
What are your expectations from the Ready2Scale Acceleration Programme, and how do you think it will benefit your startup?
We are completing the product development for our plates while refining our go-to-market strategy. By the end of the program, we expect to be ready to scale our market presence internationally and strengthen our investor readiness. The programme offers the structure and mentorship needed to navigate our next growth phase.
Where do you see your startup in one year? And in five years?
In one year, InSimili aims to close its seed round, finalize ISO certification, and convert early adopters from industry and academia into recurring customers, generating continuous revenues. In five years, we envision becoming a standard platform in preclinical R&D, enabling physiopathological modeling across oncology, cardiology, neurodegeneration, and immunotherapy. We see our solutions as recognized methods by the FDA and other regulatory agencies, helping advance alternatives to animal use in drug development.
Which books, podcasts, publications, or influencers do you follow and recommend to other entrepreneurs?
The YouTube channel and website of Y Combinator provide great tools for founders in the early stages. Recently, Substack has also been the source of great content from leaders and innovators in the startup ecosystem.
InSimili is expanding its team and currently looking for an experienced business development manager and a research scientist to help develop new applications for its oxygen-control plates and future products. While there are no official job postings yet, if you’re inspired by InSimili’s mission and want to contribute to the company’s growth, feel free to reach out to CEO Enrico Grassilli on LinkedIn for more details. For more information about InSimili, visit https://insimili.com.