Easy-to-use tools for advanced gene editing: Meet CRISPR Plug and Play

After the three-day Batch #4 Bootcamp, the start-up team around Brenda, Theresa, Stephan and Philipp from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig passed Phase 1 of the MAX!mize incubator with flying colors and convinced the jury once again – now they have entered Phase 2 to get their start-up CRISPR Plug & Play ready for the market and finally found the company. We had the pleasure to interview the team – about the idea, their challenges and visions, their first experiences as sciencepreneurs, their time in the six-month Phase 1. Enjoy!

The start-up idea in a nutshell

Can you briefly introduce yourselves and your start-up idea?

Hi, we are Brenda, Stephan, Philipp and Theresa from the start-up team "CRISPR Plug and Play".

Our mission is to empower scientists with efficient, easy-to-use CRISPR tools for advanced gene editing, building on the expertise we developed at the Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

CRISPR has enormous potential across fields like biomedicine, agriculture, and industry. But despite its promise, it’s still an emerging technology and often challenging to implement in academic and industrial labs. Many researchers face obstacles like unintended editing outcomes, complex protocols, and the need for extensive optimization.

We’re addressing these challenges with a range of innovative, ready-to-use gene editing kits that boost the efficiency and precision of CRISPR gene editing. Our products can be seamlessly integrated by simply adding the kit reagents into the existing laboratory workflows. That’s why we call our technology CRISPR Plug and Play.

From science to entrepreneurship

How did you experience entering the world of entrepreneurship?

Our first experience with entrepreneurship was during our participation in the GO-Bio initial program, where we worked on the Proof of Principle of our idea. That experience helped us not to be completely overwhelmed by all the new business topics, when we joined MAX!mize.

Shifting from a science to a business perspective felt like learning a new language. As scientists, hearing terms like TAM, SAM, and SOM for the first time felt more like a children's rhyme than market strategy acronyms. But as we became more familiar with the vocabulary, the path ahead began to feel more straightforward.

During MAX!mize Phase 1, the workshops helped us dive deeper into key topics for building a start-up. One of the biggest transitions was learning to think beyond the science and focus on the product’s unique selling point. Bringing the two together was challenging at times, but also fascinating.

Bert Willer for Max Planck Innovation

Learning, growing, refining tools for advanced gene editing

How did your start-up evolve during the six-month Phase 1?

The past months went by quickly. Considering that it's only been six months since the Bootcamp, we've achieved a lot:

Our team spirit has grown: One of the most significant changes was bringing another team member on board, which impelled us to think not just about the science behind our work, but to start viewing our technology and start-up through the lens of branding. With her background as an industrial designer, she brought a fresh perspective that pushed us to translate our scientific ideas into a clear business vision. That meant finding our voice as a company, clarifying our values and goals, and learning how to communicate the benefits of our product in a clear and relatable way. This process ultimately led to developing a new name and visual identity and some really cool prototypes, which we were proud to present during our Phase 2 pitch.

We've refined and structured the path to funding a biotech company, all while juggling the balance between start-up work and other life commitments, such as finishing a Ph.D. or fitting MAX!mize Check-ins around personal schedules.

During Phase 1 we also developed a more concrete plan for how we’d produce, sell, and distribute our product. That process made it clear which key partnerships we needed to form in order to move forward and we have been working on establishing them since then. Meanwhile, we continued testing and refining the technology to further validate its potential and make sure it performed the way we intended.

What were your key takeaways from the four Phase 1 Check-ins and Webinars?

The MAX!mize Check-ins were not only a great opportunity to learn from the experts, but also to connect with other teams. This experience helped us reflect more clearly on where we stood and what we needed to focus on.

During Phase 1, we gained a lot of practical tools for planning and organization, but what stood out the most was learning how to work effectively as a team. We figured out how to bring our individual strengths together in a way that not only pushed the project forward, but also helped us grow stronger as a team.

What was the biggest challenge in Phase 1, and how did you overcome it?

Our biggest challenge in Phase 1 was balancing the project with our other responsibilities. Gladly, we realized early on that consistent communication was key. So we committed to regular check-ins and used some of the tools and methods from the workshops to organize our tasks, set goals, and manage our progress more effectively.

Teamwork played a huge role in overcoming this. We learned to lean on each other’s strengths, share responsibilities more efficiently, and create a working rhythm that kept everyone engaged and motivated about the project.

Bert Willer for Max Planck Innovation

Pushing visions forward

What motivated you to apply for Phase 2?

Having set the basis for our start-up during Phase 1, we felt ready and excited to take the next step in our journey. Phase 2 feels like a natural continuation of the work we've done so far, but also as the stage where everything starts coming together. We believe that this new phase will bring us to the point where we can officially found our company, which is a great motivation for the whole team.

Ultimately, we applied because we’re committed to bringing our idea to life, and we are excited to continue growing under the ongoing support from the MAX!mize team, which has been an invaluable resource throughout our journey.

Have you set specific goals for Phase 2?

Our goals for Phase 2 are all about readiness: Building the infrastructure, validating our product and shaping the business identity that we need to launch successfully.

One of our main priorities is to finalize our supply and distribution chain, making the necessary partnerships to ensure that every step of the process can run smoothly when we launch. At the same time, we’re working on completing the quality control processes for our products, to make sure we can offer our customers a consistently high quality product. We’re also developing our website, which will include all the key features and information customers need to purchase our products, while clearly reflecting our brand and vision.

How do you plan to further develop your technological innovation?

CRISPR genome editing is still an emerging technology, so there is plenty of scope for developing better tools that increase its efficiency and precision. For our existing products, we continue to test them in our own lab and are in close contact with test users, to further validate their efficacy. In parallel, we are developing new gene editing kits to add to our product line.

Let’s MAX!mize the impact of your research together!

Why did you choose MAX!mize? Have your expectations been fulfilled?

MAX!mize was recommended to us by a Patent and Licensing Manager at Max Planck Innovation. After getting to know the requirements of the program, we felt that it was a perfect match for the status quo of our start-up journey, having just finished participating in the GoBio initial program. Yes! Our expectations have definitely been met. The funding allowed us to bring Brenda into the team and together with the coaching we were able to translate our scientific ideas into a clear business vision.

MAX!mize gave us direction. With the guidance, resources and support we received during Phase 1, we were able to move forward with confidence to turn our vision into something real.

Thank you again for your time and the insight into your science-based start-up project! We really appreciate it and were delighted to read about you. Keep up your impactful and good work! You rock!