Mandrake Bio raises $1.9M pre-seed to build gene-editing enzymes from scratch
What's the deal? Bengaluru-based biotech startup Mandrake BioworksDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised ₹16 crore ($1.9 million) in a pre-seed round co-led by Activate and AntlerDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The company designs AI-built gene-editing enzymes for agriculture and therapeutics.
Who else joined? Spectrum ImpactDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and DeVC also participated, alongside angel investors Vijay Chandru, Paras Chopra, Sanjiv Rangrass, and Vatsal Dusad.
What's the endgame? Founded by Tanay Lohia and Dr Kutubuddin Molla, Mandrake builds programmable enzymes from scratch using AI and protein design, rather than modifying existing tools like CRISPR-Cas9. "Most competitors start with an enzyme found in nature and modify it later," said chief executive officer Lohia; Mandrake instead uses computational models to build proteins from the ground up.
The startup is prioritising agriculture first, engineering compact enzymes for crops that need fewer pesticides and fertilisers while withstanding climate change. It also targets therapeutic firms and plans a licensing model, supplying engineered enzymes to seed and pharmaceutical companies.
What's the money for? Mandrake will expand its AI protein-design platform, build compute infrastructure, fund wet-lab experiments, and hire across AI and lab research. The eight-person team expects to grow quickly.
Why now? The pre-revenue company plans to validate its first enzymes in the lab over the next two months. That data is meant to unlock a larger round, which would fund a dedicated laboratory and larger-scale experiments.
What could go wrong? With no revenue and unproven enzymes, the roadmap hinges on early lab validation. Building proteins from scratch is a bet against established CRISPR-based approaches.
The signal: At $1.9 million, the round sits in the 56th percentile for size — modest but notable for a pre-seed. It reflects growing investor appetite for AI-native biotech that designs biology rather than borrowing it.
Read more: Investoo Market
Image credit: Idaho National Laboratory
