By Pulse Raman · Seed · Founded 2024 · axiobiopharma.com Stage Seed
Biomanufacturing is hampered by fragmented data infrastructure. The standard process for mammalian protein production involves a deliberate, multi-step choreography of cell line development, process optimization, and small-scale production. This process is complicated by the lack of data coordination across the dozen enterprise systems (Historian, MES, LIMS, ELN, ERP, QMS) that govern biomanufacturing, leading to manual tech transfers and hindering data-driven decision-making. In Madison, Wisconsin, Axio BioPharma is addressing this fundamental problem.
Founded in 2024 and operating from Forward BioLabs, Axio is positioning itself as a next-generation biomanufacturing partner. It operates two product lines: Axio Forge, a US-based, non-GMP, high-throughput antibody production facility, and Axio Lattice, a federated, vendor-neutral data infrastructure. Axio Forge builds commercial relationships and domain credibility that convert into Axio Lattice deployments. Axio Lattice normalizes and connects process data across pharma sponsors and manufacturing partners, ensuring data never leaves the sponsor's environment and ownership never changes hands.
A coordination layer for biomanufacturing
Axio's core proposition is to provide a coordination layer that connects disparate data systems in biomanufacturing. This is a critical need because every tech transfer between development and manufacturing, or between partners, is currently resolved manually due to incompatible data formats and systems. Axio Lattice aims to solve this by creating a consistent data structure without requiring data lakes, third-party aggregation, or complex data sharing agreements. This approach allows biopharma companies to use their own process data more effectively for decision-making and optimization.
Axio Forge, the company's high-throughput antibody production facility, serves as a practical entry point. It focuses on small-scale production, which is essential for early-stage research and development. This facility not only provides a valuable service but also generates the real-world data and commercial relationships that inform and drive the development and adoption of Axio Lattice. The company is engaged with seven of the top 10 global pharma companies across 14+ active discussions, demonstrating significant market interest.
Building credibility through partnerships and advisors
Axio's early validation signals come from strategic alliances and advisory appointments. A collaboration partnership is underway with Shimadzu, including in-person visits at Forward BioLabs. The company also has active CDA and scoping conversations with multiple top-10 pharma sponsors and global manufacturing partners. A joint experiment scope and co-authored white paper are in progress with Likarda, further demonstrating the application of their technology in real-world scenarios.
The company has also been expanding its advisory board, adding leaders in biologics development and manufacturing. These include Dr. Greg Bleck, co-founder of Gala Design (later Gala Biotech, acquired by Cardinal Health and now part of Catalent's biologics business); former VP R&D Biologics at Catalent Pharma Solutions (2020-2024); 16+ years at Catalent across VP, Global Head of R&D Biologics, and R&D Platform Director Biologics roles; currently Principal at Garrett Bay Biotech Consulting. Also joining the board are Dr. Graham Brearley, Principal at Bio Operations LLC (current); former Head of Strategic Ventures at Catalent Pharma Solutions (Nov 2021 - May 2025); previously General Manager at Catalent (Jun 2018 - Nov 2021); 24+ years prior in Senior Director Operations roles at Shire/Baxalta/Baxter. Patrick Haffey, General Manager at Silgan Unicep (current, since Jul 2025); Principal at Laney Rock Consulting; founder and former Chairman and CEO of Selkirk Pharma (2018-2024, where he built a 115,000 sq ft greenfield sterile fill-finish contract manufacturing facility); former Senior Manager, Global Business Development at Samsung BioLogics (2015-2018).
The founding team includes CEO Justin Byers, who held commercial leadership roles at Illumina, Aldevron, Cambrex, and Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, and Co-founder and CTO Brian Staats, an early engineer at CrowdStrike with a background in bioinformatics and distributed systems.
| Role | Name | Note | |:--- |:--- | | Founder & CEO | Justin Byers | Held commercial leadership roles at Illumina, Aldevron, Cambrex, and Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies. | | Co-founder & CTO | Brian Staats | Early engineer at CrowdStrike; bioinformatics and distributed systems background. | | Fractional CCO | David Watrous | Experience from Danaher/Cytiva and IDBS. | | Expression Scientist | David Marshall | 30+ years of biologics and molecular biology experience. | | Purification Scientist | Jaclyn Mabry | 15+ years in protein purification and biologics development. | | Advisor | Dr. Greg Bleck | Co-founder of Gala Design (later Gala Biotech, acquired by Cardinal Health and now part of Catalent's biologics business); former VP R&D Biologics at Catalent Pharma Solutions (2020-2024); 16+ years at Catalent across VP, Global Head of R&D Biologics, and R&D Platform Director Biologics roles; currently Principal at Garrett Bay Biotech Consulting. | | Advisor | Dr. Graham Brearley | Principal at Bio Operations LLC (current); former Head of Strategic Ventures at Catalent Pharma Solutions (Nov 2021 - May 2025); previously General Manager at Catalent (Jun 2018 - Nov 2021); 24+ years prior in Senior Director Operations roles at Shire/Baxalta/Baxter. | | Advisor | Patrick Haffey | General Manager at Silgan Unicep (current, since Jul 2025); Principal at Laney Rock Consulting; founder and former Chairman and CEO of Selkirk Pharma (2018-2024, where he built a 115,000 sq ft greenfield sterile fill-finish contract manufacturing facility); former Senior Manager, Global Business Development at Samsung BioLogics (2015-2018). |
The path to industry adoption
The ambition is clear, but the path for a seed-stage biomanufacturing data infrastructure company is lined with technical and commercial hurdles that Axio must now navigate. The biomanufacturing space is crowded with established players and well-funded startups, all chasing efficiency. Axio's differentiation rests on its federated, vendor-neutral approach to data coordination, which respects data ownership and avoids the complexities of data sharing agreements.
- Technical validation. The Axio Lattice platform must demonstrate robust interoperability with a wide range of legacy enterprise systems and prove its ability to normalize diverse data streams effectively. Pilot projects and case studies will be crucial for this validation.
- Commercial scale. Converting current engagements with top pharma companies into large-scale, recurring deployments requires navigating complex enterprise sales cycles and demonstrating clear return on investment. The land-and-expand strategy, starting with POCs and pilots, is designed to address this.
- Industry adoption. The biomanufacturing industry is conservative, and widespread adoption of a new data coordination layer will require overcoming inertia and demonstrating significant advantages over existing manual processes or fragmented solutions.
Axio is targeting one of the most consequential bottlenecks in modern drug development: the inefficient flow of data in biomanufacturing. For a biopharma company, the inability to seamlessly connect data from R&D to manufacturing can lead to delays, increased costs, and challenges in tech transfer. Axio's bet is that by providing a coordination layer that enables data-driven decision-making, it can become an indispensable partner for the next generation of biologic therapeutics. The next twelve months will be about moving from strong engagement to tangible commercial deployments and securing its seed funding round.