Growth Sense Gets SEBI Approval for Rs 1,000 Crore Apex Fund and Launches India Foundation
August 26, 2026
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- Thu, 27 August 2026
Bengaluru based startup Mandrake Bio has secured approximately Rs 16 crore in pre seed funding. The round was co led by Activate and Antler, with participation from Spectrum Impact, DeVC, and several angel investors from the AI and biotechnology ecosystem.
Founded in 2025 by Tanay Lohia and Dr Kutubuddin Molla, the company is focused on developing the next generation of programmable gene editing enzymes.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly expanding beyond software into scientific research. Companies working at the intersection of AI and biology are creating tools that could transform healthcare, agriculture, and life sciences.
Mandrake Bio represents a growing group of startups using AI to design biological systems instead of relying only on naturally occurring proteins.
The startup develops programmable gene editing enzymes designed from the ground up.
Its platform combines generative AI, first principles biophysics, and laboratory validation to create proteins with improved precision, compact size, and greater control. These qualities are important for applications in both agriculture and medicine.
The newly raised capital will support the expansion of Mandrake Bio’s AI protein design platform.
The company also plans to grow its research team across artificial intelligence and biophysics while increasing laboratory validation of its designed gene editors for agricultural and medical use cases.
Mandrake Bio aims to demonstrate that globally competitive biotechnology innovation can be built from India.
As AI becomes a critical tool in scientific discovery, startups combining advanced computing with deep biological research could play an important role in shaping the future of medicine and agriculture.
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