Kuano raises £1.8m in seed funding led by Mercia Ventures to advance its quantum simulation drug discovery platform.
Mercia Ventures led the seed financing round with participation from several backers to support platform validation and team growth.
Kuano is a drug discovery enterprise that merges quantum mechanics with artificial intelligence to engineer next-generation medicines targeting enzymes. Based in Cambridge, the firm develops simulation platforms to model enzyme behaviour for precision drug design.
Cambridge-based drug discovery specialist Kuano has secured £1.8m in a seed funding round led by Mercia Ventures. The raise also drew participation from ACF Investors, Ascension Ventures, o2h Ventures, Meltwind Advisory LLP, and various angel investors.
The newly acquired capital will support the ongoing validation of the company's quantum simulation platform, which models enzymes in their dynamic states to improve drug potency and reduce side effects. Funds will additionally facilitate team expansion and strategic partnerships as the business scales its operations.
Kuano was advised during the process by venture capital advisory firm KPMG Acceleris. Mercia deployed capital into the round via its Enterprise Investment Scheme funds.
From the founder
"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."
Vid Stojevic
Co-founder and CEO at Kuano
Investor perspective
"Fewer than 20% of enzymes have so far been targeted by drugs because of the difficulty in understanding their dynamic states. Kuano’s quantum simulation platform goes beyond existing AI models and means they can design drugs for previously ‘undruggable’ enzymes. The Company addresses a huge untapped market and has already attracted the attention of leading pharmaceutical companies. This investment will enable it to move to the next stage."
Robert Hornby
Mercia Ventures
Use of funds
- 01Continue product development
- 02Grow the team
