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Funding · 5 November 2026Venomics AI$2.7MVenom-based drug discoveryvenomics.ai ↗
FundingHealthcare & Life Sciences

Venomics AI raises $2.7M pre-seed for venom drug discovery

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Pre-SeedBengaluruFounded 2026
  • Venomics AI is a Bengaluru biotech spun out of IISc, using venom biology, sequencing and AI to find therapeutic drug leads
  • It closed a $2.7M pre-seed round, its first institutional funding, co-led by Speciale Invest and South Park Commons
  • The money will grow its molecular dataset, called the Venom Atlas, and strengthen its AI and laboratory screening work

What happened

  • Venomics AI raised $2.7M in its first institutional round.
  • Speciale Invest and South Park Commons co-led, with Operators Studio joining.
  • Funds go to a bigger molecular dataset and stronger lab screening.
  • The firm is building the Venom Atlas, linking venom molecules to lab results.

Why it matters

  • India's rich venom biodiversity is an under-used source of drug leads.
  • Lab results feed back into AI predictions, tightening the discovery loop.
  • It aims to be a home-grown platform for global therapeutic development.

The business

  • IISc spin-out based in Bengaluru
  • Combines venom biology, sequencing, AI and lab screening
  • Builds the Venom Atlas dataset
  • AI ranks candidate molecules
  • Lab tests check the AI predictions
  • Targets venom-derived therapeutic leads

The founders

Kartik Sunagar

Co-founder
in

Vinay Prabhu

Co-founder

Who put in money

Earlier rounds

  • Pre-Seed: $2.7M

The numbers around it

Healthcare & Life Sciences in November 2026: 3 rounds with a disclosed amount, $5.3 million in all; the biggest was Venomics AI ($2.7M). Every sector this year →

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Terms in this story

  • Funding stage: Startups raise money in steps called funding stages: pre-seed, seed, Series A, B, C and later, ending in a listing or a sale. Each step is larger and asks for more proof. In India, Series A rounds run from a few million dollars to about $15 million, as of November 2026.
  • Seed round: Pre-seed and seed are the first money a startup raises from outside investors. The difference is how much has been built when the cheque arrives: pre-seed backs an idea or prototype, usually with a cheque under ₹5 crore, while seed backs an early product and runs from a few crore rupees to a few million dollars.

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