UNOMR: The Venture Leader Biotech enabling single-molecule protein analysis

Meet Til Schlotter, CEO of UNOMR. The biotech company is supporting precision medicine through protein sequencing. Til and the other nine Swiss National Biotech Team members will travel to Boston in June.

Name: Til Schlotter
Location: Zurich
Nationality: German
Graduated from: ETH Zurich
Prior role: CEO
Founding team members: Julia Wagner, PhD & Julian Hengsteler, PhD
Number of employees: 8
Money raised: undisclosed



What does your product or solution do, and what makes it unique?
Our sensor measures proteins at single-molecule resolution to accelerate drug discovery and improve understanding of disease pathways. Proteins, not DNA, define cellular function, as identical genomes can produce vastly different organisms. Unlike DNA, proteins are highly complex, with 20 amino acids and many modifications, making sequencing far more difficult. Current mass spectrometry averages signals across millions of molecules, hiding variability. UNOMR’s interface nanopore (iNP) sensor reads individual protein molecules through a solid-state nanopore via ionic current, enabling direct sequencing without amplification or averaging.

What trend or shift in your industry is currently creating the biggest opportunity for you?
Proteomics is at the same inflection point genomics reached twenty years ago, when DNA sequencing went from a research tool to a platform technology. The difference is that the protein problem is more difficult, and the tools have not kept up. Two converging forces are creating the opportunity now: biotherapeutics are becoming increasingly complex, making single-molecule PTM resolution a commercial necessity rather than a scientific curiosity; and nanopore-based single-molecule sensing has proven itself as a scalable platform in genomics, establishing the technical credibility of the approach. UNOMR sits at the intersection of both shifts.

How did the idea for your startup originate?
UNOMR originated from six years of doctoral research at ETH Zurich’s Laboratory for Biosensors and Bioelectronics. We first repurposed FluidFM to demonstrate nanopore sensing at a polymer interface, then developed a scalable silicon chip in the cleanroom to establish the iNP principle. The work showed a new capability: detecting post-translational modifications on single proteins. The gap to existing industry tools led to the founding of UNOMR in the summer of 2025.

Which market are you addressing, and what potential do you see for your startup in that market?
We target pharma, biotech, medtech, food development, and academia, industries that need better tools to understand proteins at the molecular level. The protein characterization market is about USD 21B, growing at ~16% CAGR, driven by rising biologic complexity and demand for more precise analytics. Our near-term focus is glycosylation, a key but hard-to-measure protein modification affecting drug safety and efficacy. Food and bioprocessing offer an easier entry point due to cleaner samples. Across segments, early adopters may reach market 1-3 years faster.

What impact do you want your technology to have five years from now?
Our hardware platform is designed to scale: the nanopore sensor can expand to read more amino acids and modifications over time. Next year, we aim to deliver a fully operable device for external labs, moving from research prototype to validated instrument. Within five years, we target integration into pharma and biotech workflows, enabling single-molecule protein readouts for molecule selection, bioprocessing, and early development. In parallel, we will expand toward 100+ identifiable variants, progressing toward de novo protein sequencing similar to next-generation sequencing in genomics.

What major challenges have you faced so far?
As a deep-tech spinout, the first challenge was securing funding to move from research to business. After early grant rejections, we learned to write stronger proposals and translate science into commercial value. That led to support from BRIDGE, Innosuisse, Gebert Rüf Stiftung, Venture Kick, and a recent financing round. Technically, the main hurdle is turning a research prototype into a reproducible, user-ready instrument, while expanding the readable alphabet through advances in hardware, chemistry, and machine learning. Early-stage credibility with industry partners relies on demonstrating what is already proven, not planned.

What motivates you on tough days?
On tough days, the team keeps me going. I am fortunate to work with people skilled in electronics, microfabrication, chemistry, and machine learning, and it also remains enjoyable to work with them. That matters a lot in a hard environment. We also believe the work could enable single-molecule protein sequencing, with potential impact in drug discovery, disease understanding, and broader biology. Incremental experimental progress is a steady reminder that the technology is working and the vision is becoming real.

Why did you decide to join the Venture Leaders Roadshow, and what are you most excited about?
Venture Leaders Biotech is a strong platform for deep-tech life science startups, and it comes at the right time for UNOMR. We have a proof of concept, are moving toward our first deployed instrument, and are preparing our next financing round. The US is the largest market for bio tools, and the roadshow provides access to key investors and industry networks. We aim to refine our narrative, connect with peers, and build relationships for our next financing round and early commercial partnerships in drug discovery and cell line development.