Mandrake Bio raised ₹16 crore in its pre-seed funding round. The round was led by Activate and Antler India, with participation from Spectrum Impact and DeVC, as well as angel investors Dr. Vijay Chandru, Paras Chopra, Sanjeev Rangrass, and Vatsal Dusad.
The company will utilize these funds to strengthen its AI-based protein design platform, expand its research and scientific teams, develop high-performance computing infrastructure, and advance its lab testing and gene-editing technologies.
Other companies in India, such as String Bio and Bugworks Research, are also working in this space. While there is no direct competition at present, rivalry could emerge in the future if these companies continue to progress rapidly. The company is poised for strong growth if it continues to advance its technology.
“Tanay Lohia, Co-founder and CEO of Mandrake Bio, stated that this funding would play a pivotal role in rapidly advancing the company's mission. He noted that the company aims to develop novel gene-editing enzymes using AI-based foundational protein design—enzymes capable of transcending the limitations of current technologies and driving significant transformations in the agriculture and medical sectors.” Source The Economics Times
