Mercia Ventures led the seed financing round with participation from several backers to support platform validation and team growth.
"Enzymes play a wide-ranging role in disease, but current technologies are unable to develop drugs to tackle most of them. Our team at Kuano recognised the need to overcome these limitations."
The Birmingham startup has raised £500m in equity and debt through a partnership with a global private equity infrastructure firm.
"Following over a year of discussions, we’re thrilled to secure an offer of £500 million in Series A+ funding. This monumental achievement signifies not only our unwavering commitment to transforming transportation but also the remarkable growth and commercial success we’ve achieved alongside a strong pipeline. This substantial capital infusion will empower us to attract top-tier talent, further develop our partner ecosystem, and execute an ambitious M&A strategy, propelling our expansion on both domestic and international fronts to realise our collective aspirations and exceed investor expectations."
The funding follows a previous £1m investment from Royal Mail and supports independent pharmacies transitioning to digital operations.
"Longer-term this is good news, but right now many pharmacies are focusing more on survival and will struggle to fulfil the new expanded role planned for them by the Government"