STILL VELOCITY
Speed at rest.
AI-accelerated protein design for room-temperature biologics.
Eliminating the $42 billion pharmaceutical cold chain.
THESIS
The space between discovery and proof.
Still Velocity is a research and intellectual property company. We design novel proteins computationally, validate them experimentally, protect them through patents, and license them to the companies that bring therapeutics to market.
Our first program targets the $42 billion pharmaceutical cold chain — the temperature-controlled infrastructure required to store and transport biologics worldwide. An estimated $35 billion in product is lost annually to temperature excursions. We are designing synthetic proteins that form protective bioglasses at ambient temperature, potentially eliminating cold chain dependency for entire classes of therapeutics.
The approach is capital-efficient by design. Computational protein design and molecular dynamics simulation replace years of directed evolution. Provisional patents protect each generation of candidates. Contract research organizations provide experimental validation without fixed laboratory overhead. The result is a Phase 0 model: compute, validate, patent, license.
RESEARCH
Vitrification proteins for ambient-temperature biologics.
Tardigrades survive complete desiccation through a class of intrinsically disordered proteins called CAHS — cytoplasmic abundant heat soluble. These proteins undergo a reversible phase transition from soluble disorder to protective bioglass, physically encasing biological cargo during water loss. Upon rehydration, they return to solution and release their payload intact.
We computationally design synthetic analogs of these proteins — novel sequences with less than 50% identity to any natural protein, engineered to preserve the biophysical properties that drive vitrification while optimizing for manufacturability, stability, and regulatory compatibility. Each candidate is simulated using coarse-grained molecular dynamics, scored against two independent frameworks, and ranked for experimental validation.
Four U.S. provisional patents have been filed covering the computational design methodology, the closed-loop discovery system, and novel protein compositions across 28 SEQ IDs. Gene synthesis is underway, with experimental characterization expected in Q2 2026.
4
U.S. provisional patents filed
3,772
sequences designed and scored
158+
claims across patent portfolio
28
novel proteins disclosed
GLOBAL IMPACT
1.5 billion people lack reliable cold chain access.
The pharmaceutical cold chain — the temperature-controlled infrastructure required to store and transport vaccines, biologics, and cell therapies — costs an estimated $42 billion annually and fails routinely in the regions that need it most. In sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and island nations, temperature excursions destroy up to 50% of vaccine doses before they reach patients.
Ambient-temperature stabilization would fundamentally restructure global pharmaceutical logistics. A biologic that ships at room temperature can reach any clinic, any village, any disaster zone — without refrigerated trucks, generator-powered cold rooms, or the constant risk of a broken link in the chain. This is not an incremental improvement. It is a category change in who medicines can reach.
Still Velocity's synthetic vitrification proteins are designed for this problem. If our candidates form protective bioglasses as predicted, entire classes of temperature-sensitive therapeutics could be reformulated for ambient distribution — starting with the vaccines and biologics that fail most often in transit.
Current: Cold Chain
Every link is a failure point.
Future: Ambient Distribution
Ship anywhere. Store anywhere.
TEAM
Tim O’Brien
Managing Partner & Co-Founder
Tim O’Brien is the founder of Still Velocity. He holds dual degrees in Biological Sciences and Finance from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Before founding Still Velocity, Tim spent over 12 years in investment banking, private equity, mergers & acquisitions, and corporate development across healthcare, technology, and business services. Most recently, he served as VP of Finance and Head of M&A at Vytalize Health, where he helped scale the company from under $5 million to over $1.5 billion in revenue — earning the #1 ranking on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. Tim held a Board Observer role at Vytalize and has held three Board Observer seats across his career, including at Vytalize Health, Allergenis, and Genisphere.
At Still Velocity, Tim leads the computational protein design pipeline — from sequence generation through biophysical scoring, molecular dynamics validation, and experimental panel selection. He built the company’s dual-scoring engine, which evaluates thousands of candidate sequences against independent vitrification physics and glass transition temperature frameworks, and designed the 30-sequence validation panel now entering experimental characterization. Tim directs intellectual property strategy across the company’s patent portfolio, manages the university research collaboration, and leads all capital formation and business development.
Jackson Reimers
Chief Operating Officer, Co-Founder
Jackson brings enterprise technology leadership and government operations experience to Still Velocity’s operational infrastructure. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh and a degree from Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, and began his career in financial advisory at 7 Mile Advisors before serving as Finance Manager at the U.S. House of Representatives, where he managed congressional budget and appropriations operations for two and a half years.
Jackson subsequently joined LMI, a Department of Defense-focused consulting firm, as a Program Management Consultant before transitioning into enterprise technology sales. At DataStax, he rose from Enterprise Account Executive to GTM Leader over three and a half years, driving new enterprise business across Americas and Canada during the company’s transformation into a leading generative AI data platform. Following DataStax’s acquisition by IBM, Jackson joined IBM Data Labs as a Product Manager focused on Watsonx enterprise AI infrastructure.
At Still Velocity, Jackson leads day-to-day operations, vendor management, government contracting pipeline development, corporate compliance, and business development.
Charles Elliot, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Co-Founder
Charles is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and clinical advisor bringing frontline medical expertise to Still Velocity’s scientific translation and validation efforts. He holds a degree in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh and completed his medical training at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
As an attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Arizona, Charles provides direct clinical insight into the downstream consequences of cold chain failures on patient care. He serves on the University of Arizona’s Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee, where he evaluates formulary decisions including cost optimization and shelf-life improvement for the health system’s drug inventory.
At Still Velocity, Charles leads clinical translation — identifying which biologic drug classes would benefit most from ambient-temperature stabilization, evaluating safety profiles of novel protein excipients, and serving as the scientific bridge between computational design and clinical relevance.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Built to protect what we build.
Patent Portfolio
Still Velocity has filed four U.S. provisional patent applications establishing broad intellectual property coverage across the full stack of our technology — from the computational methods that design novel proteins, to the closed-loop discovery engine that optimizes them, to the specific protein compositions that result.
4
U.S. PROVISIONAL PATENTS FILED
159
TOTAL CLAIMS
28
NOVEL PROTEIN SEQUENCES DISCLOSED
<50%
SEQUENCE IDENTITY TO ANY NATURAL PROTEIN
COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN METHODOLOGY
U.S. Provisional Patent Application Filed
Covers the multi-framework scoring pipeline integrating coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation, biophysical property prediction, and vitrification competence assessment to computationally identify synthetic protein candidates with targeted glass-forming behavior.
CLOSED-LOOP DISCOVERY ENGINE
U.S. Provisional Patent Application Filed
Covers the integrated system coupling sequence generation, simulation-based validation, dual-framework scoring, and iterative refinement into a single autonomous discovery platform — enabling rapid traversal of protein design space without directed evolution or high-throughput wet-lab screening.
NOVEL PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS — CORE PORTFOLIO
U.S. Provisional Patent Application Filed
Composition-of-matter claims covering six novel synthetic protein sequences engineered to undergo reversible phase transition from soluble disorder to protective bioglass under desiccation conditions. Each sequence shares less than 50% identity with any naturally occurring protein.
NOVEL PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS — GENUS EXPANSION
U.S. Provisional Patent Application Filed
Composition-of-matter claims covering an expanded genus of 28 novel protein sequences across three structural tiers, establishing broad design-space coverage around key biophysical motifs including amphipathic architecture, hydrogen bond density optimization, and charge-mediated crosslinking networks.
Strategy
Our intellectual property strategy reflects the architecture of the technology itself. Method patents protect how we design. Composition patents protect what we design. Together, they create layered protection across the computational platform and every candidate it produces.
All disclosed sequences are synthetic — engineered from first principles for targeted biophysical properties, not derived from or modifications of any naturally occurring protein. This independence provides freedom to operate across the existing patent landscape and positions our compositions for broad regulatory and commercial application.
Non-provisional patent conversions are underway with experienced biotech patent counsel.
Research
Still Velocity operates at the intersection of computational biophysics, intrinsically disordered protein science, and materials vitrification theory. Our work draws on and contributes to several active research domains.
Computational Design of Synthetic Vitrification Proteins: A Multi-Framework Scoring Approach
IN PREPARATIONDescribes the Vitrification Competence Score (VCS) methodology integrating hydrogen bond density, amphipathic architecture, charge-crosslink networks, and gelation competence prediction. Benchmarked against 2,985 computationally designed sequences with independent Matveev glass transition temperature predictions.
Vitrification Behavior of Synthetic CAHS Protein Analogs: Experimental Validation via Differential Scanning Calorimetry
PLANNEDFirst experimental characterization of computationally designed synthetic vitrification proteins. Glass transition temperature measurements across a 24-sequence panel spanning 13 design tiers and 5 baseline controls. In collaboration with a leading tardigrade biology research laboratory.
The Scrambled CAHS Experiment: Composition vs. Sequence in Protein Vitrification
PLANNEDA controlled comparison of wild-type CAHS D protein against a sequence-scrambled variant with identical amino acid composition but randomized primary structure. Tests whether vitrification competence is an intrinsic property of amino acid composition or requires specific sequence-dependent structural organization. No prior published study has performed this experiment.
Foundational Science
Our computational platform builds on foundational work in tardigrade stress biology, intrinsically disordered protein biophysics, and polymer vitrification theory. Key references shaping our approach:
Tardigrade Biology & CAHS Proteins
Boothby et al. — Tardigrades use intrinsically disordered proteins to survive desiccation. Molecular Cell, 2017.
Packebush, Sanchez-Martinez et al. — CAHS D stabilizes Factor VIII through desiccation at 95°C. Scientific Reports, 2023.
Nguyen, Biswas et al. — Phase state modulates protective function in CAHS proteins. Protein Science, 2025.
Malki et al. — Crystal structure of CAHS-8 reveals hendecad repeat architecture. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2026.
Computational Tools
Holehouse et al. — SPARROW: Sequence-based prediction of protein properties. Nature Methods, 2024.
Tesei & Lindorff-Larsen — CALVADOS: Coarse-grained simulation of disordered proteins. 2024.
Vitrification Theory
Matveev — Additive contribution method for glass transition temperature prediction. Food Hydrocolloids, 1997.
Shimizu et al. — G3LEA model peptides demonstrate IDP vitrification above 100°C. Biochemistry, 2010.
PIPELINE
Computational Design
COMPLETEAI-driven generation of novel synthetic protein sequences
In Silico Validation
COMPLETEMolecular dynamics simulation and multi-framework scoring across 3,772+ candidates
Gene Synthesis
ORDEREDDNA encoding of top candidates via Twist Bioscience
Protein Expression
UPCOMINGRecombinant production in E. coli via research partnership
Partnership in progress, expected Q2 2026
Biophysical Characterization
UPCOMINGGlass transition temperature, secondary structure, aggregation profiling
Q2 2026
Functional Validation
UPCOMINGDesiccation protection assays with model biologics
Q2 2026
Licensing
UPCOMINGComposition-of-matter patent licensing to pharmaceutical and CDMO partners
Target 2H 2026
INQUIRIES
San Francisco, California
© 2026 Still Velocity Inc.
Still Velocity Inc. is a Delaware corporation.