Dr. Ashish Jagtiani

Co-founder & Partner, Twenty Seven Labs

Former Co-Founder & CTO, Chronus Health

I build diagnostic instruments — and the companies around them.

About Ashish

I'm Ashish Jagtiani, Co-founder and Partner at Twenty Seven Labs, where I work with early-stage diagnostics and deep-tech startups to bring hard technologies to market.

I co-founded Chronus Health in 2017 and led engineering for eight years as CTO: a whole-blood CBC, CMP, and electrolyte cartridge with no optics and no sample prep, a 20-plus-person team across assay development, microfluidics, hardware, and software, an IRB-approved clinical study, an FDA pre-submission, and $28M+ in venture funding. The company wound down in 2024. Leaving something I had built from scratch was the hardest decision of my career, and it sharpened how I think about timing, leadership, and the blurry middle between building fast and building right. I wrote about what I would do differently in When to Build Fast and When to Build It Right.

Before Chronus I spent six years at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center on plasma-etch processes and on the FET and capacitive biosensors that put protein detection on a chip. Before that, a PhD at Akron on multiplexed microfluidic Coulter counters. The thread through all of it is reading biology electrically.

My belief is simple: simplify the complex, build with intent, and design for scale from day one. If you're a founder navigating the space between discovery and delivery, I'd like to hear your story — get in touch.

Technical Foundation

With a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and six years at IBM Research developing reactive ion etching processes and semiconductor–microfluidic integration for biosensing, I bring deep technical expertise to healthcare innovation. My background spans microfluidics, electrochemical and impedance-based biosensors, and nanofabrication — combining nanoscale engineering with human-scale impact.

I've published extensively in leading scientific journals and hold six issued US patents in biosensor technologies, electrochemical detection, and semiconductor processing. At Chronus Health I took an IVD platform from concept through IRB-approved clinical studies and FDA pre-submission, and developed the early regulatory strategy for the FDA and CLIA waiver pathway. This foundation lets me bridge the gap between research and practical, scalable products.

Areas of Expertise

Microfluidics & Lab-on-a-Chip

Microfluidic devices and disposable cartridges for diagnostics: Coulter counters, impedance cytometry, and integrated sample handling.

Biosensors & Point-of-Care

Electrochemical and impedance-based biosensors — FET, capacitive, amperometric, and potentiometric — for point-of-care testing from whole blood.

Micro and Nanofabrication

Reactive-ion etching, directed self-assembly, and semiconductor–microfluidic integration, from 200 mm wafers to glass sensor chips.

Career Highlights

Co-founder & Partner, Twenty Seven Labs

2025 – Present

A diagnostics and biosensor studio co-founded with Rajinder Bhatia. Assay development, sensor platforms, and diagnostic systems for startups, labs, and investors — hands-on bench work as well as system design and strategy.

Co-Founder & CTO, Chronus Health

2017 – 2024

Led the technical vision for a venture-backed point-of-care blood testing platform — a low-COGS disposable cartridge for CBC and CMP using label-free, reagent-free electrochemical and impedance-based sensing. Directed a 20+ member cross-functional team across assay development, microfluidics, hardware, and software; built the internal lab and pilot production infrastructure; took the platform from concept through IRB-approved clinical studies and FDA pre-submission; and played a key role in securing $28M+ in venture funding.

Research Scientist & Senior Process Engineer, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

2011 – 2017

Developed reactive ion etching processes for next-generation semiconductor devices in the Plasma Physics and Materials Research Labs, and enabled semiconductor–microfluidic integration for molecular-level protein detection on the Exploratory Devices Team. Contributed to the KACST–IBM Nanotechnology Center of Excellence. Co-inventor on issued patents in biosensing and semiconductor processing.