Volta Labs, Inc.

Volta Labs, Inc. is a Boston-based genomics applications company that has developed a digital fluidics platform designed to automate and standardize sample preparation for genomic sequencing. The company describes itself as a collective of scientists and builders working at the intersection of engineering and biology, with a vision of making the extraction of vital information from biological samples as simple as pressing a button.

At the center of Volta’s product line is the Callisto Sample Prep System, a benchtop instrument preloaded with applications that require no user programming or optimization. Volta positions Callisto as bringing the push-button experience of a sequencer to sample preparation, taking raw biological samples through to sequencing-ready libraries for a wide range of commercially available sequencing technologies. The system is designed to maximize performance and scalability of sample prep while providing consistent results across runs.

Volta has extended the platform with VoltaHyb, a suite of apps and kits for hybridization capture on Callisto aimed at targeted sequencing workflows. According to the company, the approach reduces reliance on multiple separate lab instruments and time-sensitive manual steps, and can lower sequencing redo rates while minimizing sample loss. Volta cites capacity of up to 96,000 exomes per year or 48,000 PacBio HiFi samples annually on the scalable Callisto architecture.

Volta’s customers are laboratories and organizations involved in genomic research and clinical testing. The company has reported installations across multiple countries, including a first Callisto system in India at MedGenome in Bangalore, and has participated in a Waterfall Scientific-led consortium awarded funding under an ARPA-H program, contributing fluid handling and sample prep automation adapted from the Callisto architecture.

Volta Labs was founded in 2018 and is a venture-backed startup. Its headquarters is in Boston’s Seaport district at 27 Drydock Avenue, where the company develops and manufactures its technology. The company grew out of research at MIT, and its founder and CEO, Udayan Umapathi, has spoken publicly about the sample prep bottleneck in genomics and the company’s commercialization of Callisto.

Volta describes its team as anti-disciplinary, spanning biology, bioengineering, physics, mechanical and electrical engineering, software, and manufacturing. The company states that it believes in cross-functional collaboration and continuous learning, and that it thrives on in-person collaboration in its lab. It ties performance to impact and drive while emphasizing ownership of work/life balance.

The company publishes a set of operating principles that shape its working culture, including “Just go build,” “The data speaks for itself,” “Make it messier,” “Ask way too many questions,” and “Transparency first.” These principles encourage employees to fill gaps proactively, ground opinions in data, prototype early, question decisions openly, and give direct feedback. Volta frames itself as a place where innovation is a shared endeavor and where contributors at every level can make a tangible impact.