Bengaluru : Venomics AI, a biotechnology company spun out of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has raised US$2.7 million in its first institutional funding round. The pre-seed round was co-led by Speciale Invest and South Park Commons, with participation from Operators Studio. The company combines venom biology, artificial intelligence, and experimental screening to discover and develop venom-derived molecules into therapeutic leads.
The funding will support the expansion of the Venom Atlas, the company’s growing molecular dataset, and strengthen its AI and laboratory screening capabilities. Venomics AI will also build its multidisciplinary team across venom biology, computational science, and drug discovery, and support the validation and optimisation of promising molecules.
Animal venoms contain diverse molecules shaped by millions of years of evolution to act on biological targets. Understanding how these molecules evolved and how they function can help researchers identify promising starting points for medicines. Existing drugs such as captopril – inspired by snake venom peptides – and ziconotide – derived from a cone snail venom peptide – illustrate this potential. Much of the molecular diversity across venomous species remains unexplored.
Venomics AI aims to investigate this diversity at scale. Its platform combines molecular sequencing and venom biology to build the Venom Atlas, uses AI to prioritise candidates, and tests those predictions through functional screening in the laboratory. Experimental results feed back into subsequent predictions and molecular design, connecting computational discovery with evidence of how molecules perform.
“Animal venoms represent one of nature’s richest yet least explored sources of potential medicines, and at Venomics AI, we are combining cutting-edge experimental science with artificial intelligence to unlock this extraordinary potential. This investment accelerates our vision of building a world-class drug discovery platform that leverages India’s exceptional biodiversity and scientific talent to discover and develop breakthrough therapeutics in India, for the world,” said Kartik Sunagar, Founder and Director, Venomics AI and Professor at IISc.
Venomics AI was co-founded by Sunagar and Vinay Prabhu, bringing together expertise in venom biology and artificial intelligence. Sunagar’s research at IISc spans venom evolution and antivenom development, providing a scientific foundation for identifying molecules with therapeutic potential. Prabhu, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, holds a PhD from Carnegie Mellon University and brings expertise in machine learning and large-scale AI systems.
“India’s venom biodiversity is among the richest in the world, and Kartik is one of the world’s leading experts on it. Few people combine his deep understanding of these venoms with the access to study them. Vinay brings the AI depth to accelerate this bio-discovery. Together, they are building the Venom Atlas, a unique dataset that will power AI to find drugs for some of the world’s most pressing diseases. That combination is rare, and we are excited to see the medicines it produces,” said Arjun Rao, General Partner, Speciale Invest.
“Venom is one of nature’s oldest targeting systems. It gave us Captopril and GLP-1s, and until now we’ve only been able to search one molecule at a time. AI changes that. This is a global opportunity, but India has an advantage, as one of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots. Kartik has spent two decades in this space, and Vinay is a lifelong AI builder. They have a deep understanding of this problem and are well-positioned to make discoveries that might change medicine forever. We’re super chuffed to support them!” – Prateek Mehta, General Partner, South Park Commons
By combining India’s venom biodiversity with its scientific and computational expertise, Venomics AI aims to build a drug discovery platform in India for global therapeutic development. The company has established the initial architecture of its platform, joined the NVIDIA Inception programme, and been selected among the Top 5 finalists for the 2026 Indo-Boston Biotech Bridge Award.
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