Mandrake Bio Secures ₹16 Crore Pre-Seed Funding to Revolutionize AI-Driven Gene Editing

Mandrake Bio Secures ₹16 Crore Pre-Seed Funding to Revolutionize AI-Driven Gene Editing​

Bengaluru-based biotech startup Mandrake Bio has successfully raised ₹16 crore in a pre-seed funding round. The investment was co-led by Activate and Antler as the firm seeks to develop a new generation of AI-designed gene-editing enzymes for both agriculture and therapeutics.

The funding round saw significant participation from Spectrum Impact and DeVC. Notable angel investors including Vijay Chandru, Paras Chopra, Sanjiv Rangrass, and Vatsal Dusad also participated in the round to support the startup's technological ambitions.

Technological Breakthrough in Synthetic Protein Design​

Founded by Tanay Lohia and Dr Kutubuddin Molla, Mandrake Bio is carving a unique niche in the biotechnology space. The startup is developing programmable gene-editing enzymes from scratch using artificial intelligence and protein design rather than modifying existing biological structures like CRISPR-Cas9.

CEO Tanay Lohia highlighted that while most competitors start with an enzyme found in nature and modify it later, Mandrake uses computational models to build these proteins from the ground up. This approach represents a fundamental shift in how gene-editing tools are engineered for scientific research.

Targeting Agricultural Resilience and Therapeutic Applications​

The startup is initially prioritizing agricultural applications to help develop crops that can withstand climate change. These compact gene-editing enzymes are designed to create plants that require fewer pesticides and fertilizers while maintaining high resilience.

Mandrake Bio also identifies therapeutic companies as a core customer base for its innovations. The company plans to establish a business model based on licensing fees, providing its engineered enzymes to seed and pharmaceutical firms for their respective needs.

Scaling Research Infrastructure and Laboratory Validation​

As a pre-revenue company, Mandrake Bio is currently focused on validating its first set of enzymes in laboratory conditions over the next two months. The fresh capital will be utilized to expand the AI protein-design platform and build out critical compute infrastructure.

A significant portion of the funds will support wet-lab experimentation and the recruitment of specialists across both AI and wet-lab research. Currently operating with a team of eight employees, the company expects rapid expansion as it scales its operations.

Strategic Roadmap for Future Growth​

The startup intends to use this capital to build out its current laboratory capabilities and validate designed proteins in real-world settings. This validation data will be essential for the company's next phase of development and operational scaling.

Mandrake Bio plans to pursue a larger funding round once it achieves initial validation data. These funds will eventually be used to establish a dedicated laboratory and significantly increase the scale of its experiments and research output.