CLYTE 2025 Wrapped: From Hardware Beta to AI-Powered Biomedical Platform

Note from Founder:

"2025 was a defining year for CLYTE. What began as a focused effort to validate a single hardware product evolved into a broader platform strategy spanning hardware, AI, content, and data infrastructure for cell culture research. Over the course of the year, we validated real demand, uncovered a larger market opportunity than originally anticipated, and learned what researchers truly value, trust, and adopt. I provide you with this Executive Summary of our work, lessons we learned, and progress we are proud of." - Mojtaba, Founder & Lead Engineer

From Beta to Design Freeze: CytCut Validation

Following two free beta rounds, we opened CytCut 2.0 for co-paid pilot testing in February 2025, while simultaneously kicking off CLYTE’s branding and public presence. Over a single weekend, the website went live, beta applications opened, and we began publishing three scientific articles per week to build reach and credibility.

Interest materialized immediately. We received CytCut pilot applications from:

• A biomedical company in Texas

• A CRO in Boston

• A university lab in Canada

• Universities in France, Turkey, and Germany

For cost efficiency and logistics, we launched the pilot program with US-based labs, structuring it as a two-month co-paid pilot in which CLYTE covered labor costs while labs covered materials and shipping.

By the end of this pilot cycle:

• CytCut reached design freeze with a finalized form factor

• We prepared and submitted our patent filing

• ~20 users tested CytCut

• 3 paid pilot deployments were completed

Notably, even after the formal pilot period ended, beta labs continued using CytCut as a permanent part of their workflows, with some still actively using beta units ~9 months later, an early and powerful signal of product stickiness.

Early Setbacks and a Market Discovery

In April, we prepared and submitted an SBIR application for Cadmus, our AI-on-Edge cell culture monitoring device. The application was later rejected, but the process clarified technical scope, regulatory expectations, and long-term positioning.

While CytCut pilots were ongoing, a consistent theme emerged from lab feedback: a lack of accessible, standardized protocols for running assays. To validate whether this pain point extended beyond our pilot users, we began publishing protocols (SOPs) directly on our website.

The response was immediate and dramatic. Within weeks:

• Website growth jumped from ~20% month-over-month to a peak of ~1000% MoM

• Engagement confirmed that SOP access was not just a feature gap, but a market gap

Between May and July, we pivoted resources toward this opportunity, collecting a database of SOPs from our network and developing the first version of Sophie AI, an AI system designed to generate, interpret, and make SOPs accessible to researchers.

Soφ AI Takes the Lead

Sophie launched alongside a marketing campaign in early August, fundamentally changing CLYTE’s growth trajectory:

• Daily visitors increased from a few hundred to ~5,000 per day at its peak

• Quarterly impressions peaked at ~5 million

• Sophie and content became the primary growth engine

• Over the following month, we expanded marketing campaigns and rapidly iterated on Sophie’s capabilities.

In late October, after around 150 internal iterations, we released Soφ 2.0, representing a major leap in functionality and intelligence. Sophie transitioned from a content assistant into a capable research companion, setting the stage for live validation.

TERMIS 2025: Real-World Proof

In November, both Soφ and CytCut were showcased at TERMIS 2025, alongside the launch of CytCut pre-orders for Summer 2026 delivery.

The response exceeded expectations:

• ~50 users challenged Soφ live with complex cell culture questions

• Sophie’s responses were compelling enough that some researchers directly applied them to active experiments

• CytCut’s two-day poster presentation became one of the busiest at the conference

Demand was immediate and concrete:

3 labs (Johns Hopkins, ASU, and a private biomanufacturer) requested CytCut on-site

Because the production version was not yet ready, we deployed beta units under beta contracts

Post-conference, 2 additional US universities and 1 Korean biomedical distributor reached out to acquire CytCut.

TERMIS also surfaced two critical lessons:

• Soφ resonates deeply with users when introduced in high-intent, trust-rich environments, whereas website users often engage briefly and leave. Distribution, not product quality, is the bottleneck.

• Long hardware delivery timelines significantly dampen enthusiasm, even among highly motivated buyers who want the product immediately.

Additionally, users expressed a strong need for advanced analytical and regulatory capabilities from Sophie—insights now embedded into the 2026 roadmap.

Milestones, Metrics, and Capital Efficiency

By the end of 2025, CLYTE had achieved:

• ~50,000 monthly website visitors

• 1–2k daily visitors currently

• 3 million monthly impressions

• Sustained ~50% MoM website growth

• ~150 scientific articles written

• 3 Soφ AI versions released (~150 developed and tested)

• 12 CytCut iterations completed

In December, CLYTE was accepted into the Google Cloud for Startups Program, providing both technical support and external validation for Sophie’s continued development.

Goals: Hits and Misses

Pilot test CytCut → Completed

Patent CytCut → Completed → Patent pending

Launch Soφ AI → Completed

Reach 1,000 monthly visitors by Q4 → ~50,000 achieved

Sell 10 CytCut units → Fell short → 9 paid pilots completed

Looking Ahead

CLYTE exits 2025 having validated demand for both hardware and AI, uncovered a larger platform opportunity, and built strong momentum with minimal capital. The focus for 2026 is execution: accelerating Sophie’s analytical depth, shortening CytCut delivery timelines, advancing Cadmus, and converting demand into scalable revenue.

2025 proved that CLYTE is solving real problems for real labs.

2026 is about scale.