Biotech Startup Inceptive Secures $100 Mln Funding

(RTTNews) - Palo Alto-based biotech firm, Inceptive, led by former Google AI expert Jakob Uszkoreit, has raised $100 million in funding from Nvidia and Andreessen Horowitz.

Inceptive's core innovation involves creating "biological software" using state-of-the-art AI, envisioning it as a means to encode executable instructions within human cells. This transformative approach mirrors a broader trend of biotech startups securing billions in funding to harness AI for drug development, with the sector eyeing a $50 billion market opportunity.

Founded just four years ago, Inceptive's valuation surged from $100 million in 2021 to over $300 million in this latest round, attracting investors like Obvious Ventures. The startup's AI platform designs unique mRNA-based molecules, similar to those used in Pfizer and BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccines. Once validated, Inceptive licenses these molecules to pharmaceutical firms for further development and clinical trials.

Collaborating with a major European pharmaceutical company, Inceptive is working on an innovative infectious disease vaccine. While mRNA vaccines excelled against Covid-19, replicating their success in other vaccine categories remains a challenge. Inceptive aims to support the growing mRNA drug development landscape, with over 700 programs anticipated by the end of the decade.

Numerous biotechs, including Exscientia, Verge Genomics, and Recursion Pharmaceuticals, have introduced AI-driven drugs. However, the primary hurdle in drug development remains clinical trials.

Uszkoreit's prior work at Google in AI and biology paved the way for his vision. His former colleagues have also founded startups in the race for generative AI talent.

Nvidia's venture capital arm, NVentures, is among Inceptive's backers, providing not just funding but access to cutting-edge computing platforms, including advanced chips.

Inceptive's impressive growth underscores AI's growing role in pharmaceuticals, promising a revolution in drug discovery.