DeepTech Startup to Scale Protein Design, Expand Research Team and Accelerate Gene Editing Innovation
DeepTech startup Mandrake Bio has raised ₹16 crore in a pre-seed funding round co-led by Activate and Antler, as the company looks to accelerate the development of its AI-driven protein design platform. The round also witnessed participation from Spectrum Impact, DeVC, and several prominent angel investors, highlighting growing investor interest in the convergence of artificial intelligence and biotechnology.
Among the angel investors backing the startup are Vijay Chandru, Paras Chopra, Sanjiv Rangrass, and Vatsal Du.
The fresh capital will help Mandrake Bio strengthen its research capabilities, expand its interdisciplinary team, and accelerate the development of programmable gene editing technologies designed for agriculture and healthcare.
What Will the Funding Be Used For?
According to the company, the newly raised capital will be deployed across multiple strategic areas.
Mandrake Bio plans to enhance its AI-powered protein design platform, recruit additional researchers specializing in artificial intelligence, computational biology, and biophysics, and expand its wet-lab validation capabilities.
The startup also intends to accelerate the development and testing of its programmable gene editing enzymes for applications ranging from crop improvement to genetic disease therapies.
By combining computational design with laboratory validation, the company aims to shorten research timelines while improving the precision of next-generation gene editing technologies.
Who Founded Mandrake Bio?
Mandrake Bio was founded in March 2025 by Tanay Lohia and Kutubuddin Molla with the vision of transforming how gene editing enzymes are designed.
The startup operates at the intersection of generative artificial intelligence, protein engineering, structural biology, and biophysics, building proprietary technologies capable of designing customized gene editing enzymes from the ground up.
Its founders believe AI can dramatically improve the speed, efficiency, and accuracy of protein engineering compared to traditional discovery methods.
The company is focused on creating compact, programmable enzymes that can be tailored for specific agricultural and medical applications.
How Is Mandrake Bio Different from Traditional Gene Editing?
Most existing gene editing technologies rely on naturally occurring systems such as CRISPR-Cas9, which have become widely adopted for genome engineering across research and therapeutic applications.
Mandrake Bio is taking a fundamentally different approach.
Instead of modifying naturally existing enzymes, the company designs entirely new gene-editing proteins from scratch using generative AI, computational protein modelling, structural biology, and experimental validation.
This enables the startup to engineer enzymes with improved precision, smaller molecular size, and customized functionality tailored to specific use cases.
According to the company, this approach has the potential to overcome some of the limitations associated with conventional gene-editing systems while expanding the range of possible applications.
What Applications Is the Startup Targeting?
Mandrake Bio is developing its technology for both agricultural biotechnology and human healthcare.
In agriculture, the company believes its programmable enzymes can significantly reduce the time required to develop improved crop varieties by enabling faster and more precise genetic modifications.
Such technologies could help improve crop yields, disease resistance, climate resilience, and nutritional value while accelerating plant breeding programmes.
In medicine, the startup aims to support the development of advanced therapies for genetic disorders by providing highly precise gene editing tools capable of targeting disease causing mutations.
Rather than commercializing therapies directly, Mandrake Bio plans to license its proprietary enzymes to seed companies, biotechnology firms, and therapeutic developers working on gene editing applications.
Why Are Investors Backing AI-Powered Biotech?
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming life sciences by reducing the time and cost required for biological discovery.
Generative AI models are increasingly being used to predict protein structures, design novel molecules, accelerate drug discovery, and improve gene editing technologies.
Investors are showing growing interest in startups combining AI with biotechnology, viewing the sector as one of the next major frontiers of scientific innovation.
Mandrake Bio’s interdisciplinary approach bringing together AI, computational biology, structural biology, and wet-lab experimentation positions it within this emerging category of AI-native biotech companies.
The participation of leading early stage investors and experienced angel operators also reflects confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
As global demand for advanced gene editing solutions continues to grow across agriculture and healthcare, Mandrake Bio aims to become a foundational technology provider by designing next-generation programmable enzymes capable of enabling safer, faster, and more efficient biological innovation.
