Cellply Secures $7.7M for Faster Immunotherapy Tools

Jan de Vries · 2026-05-11

Bologna-based Cellply, a deep tech startup that builds analytical tools for cancer immunotherapies, cell therapies, and cell-based biotherapeutics, just closed the biggest chunk of its latest funding round. The company has raised $7.7 million so far, with a small portion still open for select investors. ### The Investment Details The round was led by ENEA Tech e Biomedical, with existing shareholders joining in. That includes a SAFE note conversion into equity from CDP Venture Capital through its Fondo Rilancio fund. Cellply says there's a limited final allocation left for chosen investors. Alessia Zanelli, President and CEO at Cellply, put it simply: "This investment gives us the fuel to speed up our commercial growth and push forward quality control solutions that could help ATMPs reach more patients worldwide." ### What Cellply Actually Does Founded in 2013 by Massimo Bocchi and Roberto Guerrieri, Cellply is a biology-focused deep tech company. Their whole thing is building tools that help researchers develop new immunotherapies and cell-based therapies faster. The goal? Make these treatments more potent and longer-lasting. The company's flagship product is VivaCyte, an analytical system designed for discovering and developing cell therapies. It works at single-cell resolution, meaning it can look at individual immune cells with incredible detail. The process is fully automated, from sample prep to image analysis. Here's what makes VivaCyte stand out: - Patented microfluidic technology that handles cells precisely - AI-powered image analysis that doesn't need human babysitting - Full automation with dedicated software, so researchers can focus on results ### Where the Money Goes Cellply plans to use this capital to push VivaCyte into international markets. They want to build a stronger commercial presence in key regions around the world. The funding also goes toward developing next-gen automated testing for ATMP quality control. Specifically, they're aiming to improve cell potency assessment while making batch release smoother. ### New Board Member Adds Experience Along with the funding, Cellply added Miro Venturi to its Board of Directors. Venturi has decades of experience in diagnostics, life sciences, and corporate leadership. He's made big contributions to precision medicine at scale, so his guidance should be valuable. ### The Bigger Picture Right now, Cellply is focused on advancing R&D in cell therapies. But their long-term goal is bigger: they want to slash the cost and complexity of batch release and potency assays for quality control. That could make these innovative therapies more accessible. For context, back in 2023, the company raised $3.9 million (converted from the original 3.6 million euros) led by Recomec, managed by the Zanelli family, along with LIFTT and Schia Ventures. So this latest round shows solid momentum.