Exclusive: Scala Biodesign raises $16M Series A for protein design platform
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Scala Biodesign, a computational protein design software platform, raised a $16 million Series A, CEO Ravit Netzer tells Axios Pro exclusively.
Why it matters: Protein engineering is among the major bottlenecks in drug development today — and while many issues are caught early, some only appear in clinical trials.
Follow the money: Grove Ventures led, joined by TLV Partners, Deep Insight and the Israel Innovation Authority.
- Tel Aviv-based Scala has now raised $21.5 million since its founding in 2022.
How it works: Scala's platform leverages LLMs, physics-based modeling and evolutionary data to help clients quickly design and optimize proteins used in biologic, enzyme, antibody and vaccine therapies.
- Nine of the top 20 pharma companies are clients, including Boehringer Ingelheim.
- "Our goal is to integrate our technology into the routine workflow of pharma and biotech companies so they can use our technology routinely for their entire drug or product development and manufacturing pipeline," Netzer says.
What's next: The financing will be used to expand Scala's R&D team and onboard new clients, Netzer says.
State of play: Pharma's race to de-risk early-stage drug development is fueling a surge in AI-driven startups addressing design bottlenecks.
- Seattle-based Arzeda raised $38 million in 2024 from Sofinnova Partners and others, and Swiss biotech Adaptyv Bio raised an $8 million seed round last year.
The bottom line: "There is a lot of activity in the protein design space," Netzer says. "More and more companies are being founded."
