Drug discovery startup Peptris has raised ₹70 crore (approximately $7.7 million) in a Series A funding round co-led by IAN Alpha Fund and Speciale Invest. The round also saw participation from Tenacity Ventures, BYT Ventures, and other investors.
The Bengaluru based company will deploy the fresh capital to advance its existing drug development programs toward clinical readiness over the next 24 months. The funding will also support pipeline expansion and strengthen its teams across biology, chemistry, data science, and artificial intelligence.
Founded in 2019 by Narayanan Venkatasubramanian, Shridhar Narayanan, Anand Budni, and Amit Mahajan, Peptris is building an AI-powered drug discovery platform designed to reduce time, cost, and failure rates in pharmaceutical research. The company develops proprietary AI models capable of generating novel molecules and predicting critical parameters early in the drug development cycle.
AI-First Approach to Drug Discovery
Peptris aims to address longstanding inefficiencies in drug discovery, particularly at the pre-clinical stage, where high uncertainty, capital intensity, and long timelines often derail promising programs. By integrating computational chemistry, data science, and biology, the platform enables faster identification of Novel Chemical Entities (NCEs) and drug repurposing opportunities.
The company claims its technology has already resulted in multiple NCE discoveries, as well as rescue and repurposing programs involving shelved clinical-stage assets from other pharmaceutical companies. Several of these programs are now progressing toward clinical development.
Expansion Plans and B2B Model
Peptris plans to initiate new NCE programs alongside multiple drug repurposing and rescue initiatives. It operates on a B2B engagement model, partnering with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and select FMCG companies to license assets and co-develop therapeutic programs.
The startup focuses on high impact therapeutic areas including rare diseases, inflammation, oncology, and women’s health. By combining AI-driven molecule design with predictive analytics, Peptris seeks to improve decision making early in development and create scalable, globally relevant healthcare solutions.
The latest funding round strengthens Peptris’ position in India’s emerging AI-led biotech ecosystem as it moves closer to clinical stage validation.
Follow Startupbydoc for daily startup insights, funding news, IPO analysis, and business breakdowns.