🧬 Lessons From Building the World's First Robotic Cloud Lab | Jimmy Sastra (Part 2/4)
October 30, 2025
"Life is amazing, but it’s also very fragile. I could not think of a more important mission than trying to understand how life works."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee continues his conversation with Jimmy Sastra, CEO and co-founder of Monomer Bio, tracing his evolution from a self-taught PhD student to a Silicon Valley engineer at the forefront of robotics and biotech innovation. Jimmy recounts his time at Willow Garage during the rise of ROS, his groundbreaking work at Transcriptic—where he helped build the world’s first robotic cloud lab—and how those experiences shaped his vision for Monomer Bio.
He also explores the power of hiring for personal mission alignment and shares how a life-changing moment involving his brother inspired a career dedicated to understanding life through technology.
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"Life is amazing, but it’s also very fragile. I could not think of a more important mission than trying to understand how life works."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, host Jon Chee continues his conversation with Jimmy Sastra, CEO and co-founder of Monomer Bio, tracing his evolution from a self-taught PhD student to a Silicon Valley engineer at the forefront of robotics and biotech innovation. Jimmy recounts his time at Willow Garage during the rise of ROS, his groundbreaking work at Transcriptic—where he helped build the world’s first robotic cloud lab—and how those experiences shaped his vision for Monomer Bio.
He also explores the power of hiring for personal mission alignment and shares how a life-changing moment involving his brother inspired a career dedicated to understanding life through technology.
Key topics covered:
- From Academia to Industry: Lessons in grit, self-teaching, and applied innovation
- Willow Garage Era: Entering Silicon Valley’s robotics scene and shaping ROS
- Transcriptic and Strateos: Creating the first robotic cloud lab uniting bio and automation
- Leadership and Mission: Building teams around shared purpose and passion
- Founding Monomer: Turning personal inspiration into a biotech automation vision
If you enjoy The Biotech Startups Podcast, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with your friends. Thanks for listening.
Subscribe to the Podcast:
Find our guest, Jimmy Sastra, at these links:
Website: https://monomerbio.com/
Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
Learn more about Excedr:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Website: https://www.excedr.com
Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:
Website: https://flow.page/kyojin
Resources & Articles:
(HBR) Case Studies – Pandemic Entrepreneurship Meetup: https://hbr.org/2024/01/how-the-pandemic-rebooted-entrepreneurship-in-the-u-s
ASML and Philips – Stories of Innovation in Engineering: https://www.asml.com/news/stories/2024/asml-founding-story
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:
Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/
Willow Garage: https://www.willowgarage.com/
Transcriptic (now Strateos): https://www.strateos.com/
Monomer Bio: https://www.monomerbio.com/
Ginkgo Bioworks: https://www.ginkgobioworks.com/
Built Robotics: https://www.builtrobotics.com/
Robust AI: https://www.robust.ai/
Sachin Chitta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachinchitta/
Rodney Brooks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodney-brooks-1a137517/
Mark Zhang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-zhang-1726361b/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:03 Grad School Challenges & Learning Grit
05:51 Self-Teaching and Confidence in Coding
06:48 Willow Garage Opportunity & Culture
08:39 Engineering Impact at Willow Garage
11:39 Transition to Transcriptic and Robotics Cloud Lab
15:35 Mission and Inspiration: Family Influence
18:24 Challenges and Focus at Strateos
18:42 Scaling Startups and Raising Capital
21:36 Short Stints: Built Robotics, Robust AI, Ginkgo
22:55 Pandemic Meetups and Finding a Co-founder
23:32 Outro
The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.