Indian biotech startup Mandrake Bio has raised ₹16 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by Activate and Antler. The company plans to use the capital to develop its AI-based protein design platform and expand its research team for projects in agriculture and medicine.
Mandrake Bio, a biotechnology startup focused on AI-driven protein engineering, has successfully raised approximately ₹16 crore in pre-seed funding. This capital injection was co-led by venture capital firms Activate and Antler, with support from investors including Spectrum Impact and DeVC, along with several angel investors from the technology and biotech sectors.
Business Focus and Technology
Founded in 2025, the company is led by CEO Tanay Lohia and scientific co-founder Dr. Kutubuddin Molla. Mandrake Bio specializes in developing programmable gene-editing enzymes. Unlike traditional approaches that often rely on enzymes found in nature, the company uses a proprietary platform that combines generative artificial intelligence with biophysics principles. This method aims to engineer proteins from scratch that are more compact and precise, which the company claims can help speed up innovation in crop improvement and medical therapies.
Growth and Expansion Plans
The funding is aimed at three primary growth areas. First, the company intends to further refine its AI protein-design software. Second, it plans to grow its internal research team by hiring specialists in both artificial intelligence and biophysics. Third, the capital will be used to scale its wet-lab validation processes, where the AI-designed proteins are tested in real-world scenarios.
For investors observing the deep-tech and biotechnology sector in India, the progress of startups like Mandrake Bio depends heavily on the successful transition of their designs from computer models to physical lab results. The company's goal to improve agricultural crops and medical treatments is ambitious, but it also carries the typical risks associated with early-stage biotech ventures, such as long development timelines, the need for continuous research funding, and the challenge of proving that synthetic proteins are safe and effective in practical applications.
The next important steps for the company will be reaching key milestones in its wet-lab testing and demonstrating that its AI-designed tools can reliably perform better or faster than existing alternatives in the field. As the startup is still in its early stages, its ability to maintain its research pace and manage its capital efficiently will be critical for future development.