AQEMIA, a French startup specialising in generative AI and quantum-inspired physics for drug discovery, has achieved a significant funding milestone, raising a cumulative €94.9 million.
This new round is led by Cathay Innovation, followed by historical investors Wendel, Bpifrance Large Venture, Eurazeo, and Elaia.
This achievement includes a €30 million capital investment in 2022, and a recent €36 million round, led by Cathay Innovation. This round, coming less than a year after the previous one, follows the successful validation of AQEMIA’s drug discovery platform through positive results in internal preclinical programs and pharmaceutical partnerships, particularly in oncology.
All of which is boosting AQEMIA’s move towards clinical trials and global expansion, starting with a new office in London.
“This is a transformative moment for AQEMIA,” said Maximilien Levesque, PhD, CEO and co-founder of AQEMIA. “Less than a year after our last round, this successful fundraising and the opening of our new London office mark significant strides toward our ambition to accelerate the discovery of new medicines on a global scale. Partnering with Cathay Innovation brings international expertise, particularly in the US and Asia, reinforcing our vision and mission. With this momentum, we are poised to advance to clinical trials, bringing us closer to delivering life-changing treatments to patients in need.”
AQEMIA employs technology to design novel and safe small-molecule drugs without relying on experimental data. Instead, it trains generative AI with theoretical physics principles, enabling the creation of innovative molecular designs beyond existing standards. The company’s recent preclinical successes in oncology, including in vivo results and a €132.9 million collaboration with Sanofi, highlight its successful progression.
The funding will primarily support AQEMIA’s preparation for clinical trials and further development of its groundbreaking drug discovery platform. The company’s approach eliminates the dependency on experimental datasets, unlocking a critical challenge in generative AI—creating original molecular solutions further away from existing compounds.
The new London office, set to open in January 2025 in the King’s Cross area in London, will bolster AQEMIA’s presence in the UK, tapping into the country’s talent pool in life sciences and techbio. This marks a strategic step in AQEMIA’s global recruitment and expansion efforts, aligning with its vision to become a leader in AI-driven drug discovery.
“We have long been committed to supporting visionary entrepreneurs who harness the transformative potential of AI to reshape the healthcare industry,“ says Jacky Abitbol, partner at Cathay Innovation. “AQEMIA embodies the future of drug discovery, combining the power of AI with quantum mechanics. Fueled by Maximilien and Emmanuelle, the company’s vision is one that is fully aligned with Cathay Innovation’s DNA, as it aims to profoundly transform the molecule research and pharmaceutical industry as a whole. Our partnership goes beyond capital support; we are putting to good use our experience in scaling AI-driven companies all over the world, particularly across US and Asia, as AQEMIA accelerates its path to the clinic and expands its global impact.“
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2024/12/paris-based-aqemia-secures-over-e94-9-million-and-expands-to-london-targeting-clinical-trials/
