Cellbox Solutions and the EIC Accelerator: Shipping Living Cells

Cellbox Solutions, based in Cologne, makes portable incubators that keep living cells at a set temperature and CO2 level for up to 48 hours in transit, so cells do not have to be frozen and thawed. It developed the technology with the Fraunhofer Institute and sells versions for road and air transport. It was selected in the EIC Accelerator's March 2023 cut-off with blended finance and received an EU grant of €2.50 million for a €4.22 million project that ran from October 2023 to September 2025, according to CORDIS. The project was to build Cellbox AT, a version for advanced therapy medicinal products such as cell and gene therapies, meeting clinical rules on software, data, oxygen control and air freight packaging.

The final report, covering the project's second year, says the company has "shown basic technical feasibility for all these new features in our prototypes", according to the CORDIS reporting page. The product line on the company website in September 2026 lists Cellbox Go and Shipper models for road and flight, and no Cellbox AT or Go/AT. In March 2026 Cellbox said more than 300 of its devices were in use worldwide.

Where Cellbox Solutions Stands Now

Cellbox lost €1.39 million in 2025 and ended the year with equity of €243,994 and cash of €1.01 million, according to its accounts summarised by North Data. A further €3.13 million had been paid in for a capital increase that was agreed but not yet registered. In March 2026 the company announced the first close of a Series A of about €3.5 million, led by the business angel platform Companisto with existing investors including NRW.BANK, and hired Bernd Mühlenweg, formerly of Evotec, as chief business and financial officer, according to Cellbox Solutions. He was registered as a managing director in July 2026.

The Technology: A Warm Chain for Cells

Many cell therapies and tissues are damaged by freezing, and the report cites losses of 60 to 70% of cell viability or function after thawing. Shipping them cool or at room temperature without control of gas and pH also harms them. Cellbox's battery-powered incubator keeps temperature and CO2 steady, and its air version is IATA-compliant. The clinical version needs regulatory-grade software, oxygen control and a wider temperature range, which is what the EIC paid to develop.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The award promised Cellbox AT, a transport incubator for clinical-grade cell and gene therapy products. At the end of the project, each new feature had been shown to work in prototypes, but no product had been launched or certified for clinical use. The Series A release names cell and gene therapy as an area the new money will "unlock", which confirms the clinical market is still ahead.

1. New control featuresDeliveredFeasibility in prototypes.
2. Compliant software and dataPartialPrototype stage.
3. Cellbox AT on the marketNot launchedNot in product list.
4. Clinical customersUnverifiedNone named.

The Money

The EU paid 59% of the project. Cellbox has lost €13.4 million since 2020, and its equity at the end of 2025 was small against those losses. The new round roughly matches the €3.13 million already paid in at the year end. Whether the EIC Fund invested under the blended finance award is not public.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Cell and gene therapies are often made in a few central sites and must reach patients alive. A reliable warm chain could widen access across Europe. Cellbox has a working research product and paying users; the clinical product that would matter most for patients is still a prototype.

The Verdict

Cellbox Solutions and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.