Israeli AI tech startup Pepticom raises $5M Series A to accelerate drug discovery

Peptides are used in various therapies, and are recognized for being highly selective and efficacious as well as relatively safe. The pharma industry has recently shown an increased interest in peptide research and development, leading to a resurgence of peptide drug candidates. The process of discovering new peptides with lifesaving potential, however, is still costly and time consuming.

Enter Pepticom, an AI tech startup that enables the discovery of the most advanced peptide-based drug candidates by searching an enormous set of possible solutions, vastly reducing the risk of failure during development. Pepticom’s unique artificial intelligence (AI) technology streamlines and significantly accelerates the ability of researchers to discover advanced peptide-based drug candidates.

Today, Pepticom announced today that it has secured $5 million in Series A funding to facilitate the development of new AI models to further increase molecular discovery efficacy while reducing risk for the next stages of development. The strategic investment funding was led by Chartered Group.

Pepticom’s technology covers a chemical-space of 1030 possible molecular options – which is much larger than current screening techniques – while simultaneously filtering out the most suitable candidates with properties such as solubility and permeability amongst others. The ability to search a large amount of variables while considering their pharmacological impact, and also eliminating nonviable molecules at an early stage is groundbreaking in peptide drug discovery. Pepticom’s technology brings down the cost of drug discovery in a quick, comprehensive and successful manner.

“This $5 million investment by Chartered Group signals confidence in Pepticom’s technology and abilities going forward,” said Immanuel Lerner, Founder and CEO of Pepticom. “Pepticom already improves discovery time by almost a year, and this investment will further reduce that time and thus improve time to market considerably.”

The Chartered Group has previously invested in promising Israeli deep tech companies and has broad networks in Europe, East Asia and Japan. “We made this investment out of our belief in Pepticom’s application of AI in peptide drug discovery and the Israeli high-tech industry,” said Eyal Agmoni, Chairman of Chartered Group and High Tech division. “Pepticom’s unique AI platform allows for multifaceted collaborations, and we are excited to join this company as it revolutionizes peptide drug discovery. The funding will allow the further development of Pepticom’s unique technology and specific applications.”

“Pepticom’s breakthrough technological platform, marrying AI to pharma and biology, is a unique and groundbreaking approach to drug discovery and highlights the deep multi-disciplinary research capabilities of Hebrew University,” said Dr. Yaron Daniely, CEO and President of Yissum, the technology transfer company of The Hebrew University. Pepticom is a spin out of Yissum.