Somite, a Boston, MA-based developer of AI for stem cell biology, raised $5.3M in Pre-Seed funding.
The round was led by TechAviv, and joined by Next Coast Ventures, Trust Ventures and Texas Venture Partners as well as Lerer Hippeau and others.
The company intends to use the funs to continue development of its proprietary AlphaStem AI platform.
Led by CEO Micha Breakstone, Somite.ai is developing AI foundation models to produce human tissue for cell therapies at scale for diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and muscular dystrophies. Its AI platform, AlphaStem, enables new cell therapies, generating massive data that improve the platform, empowering therapy creation with broader applications.
The company is involved in the efficient production of cells derived from somites, crucial embryonic structures giving rise to musculoskeletal cells. These include muscle, brown adipose, cartilage, bone, tendon, and dermis. Leveraging its expertise, Somite is pioneering the development of a digital twin of the embryo—a computational model mirroring real embryo development and behavior. Drawing from data-rich sources such as scRNA-Seq, scATAC-seq, and gene expression databases, the digital twin empowers Artificial Intelligence to swiftly uncover innovative protocols, identify regulators of cell differentiation, and conduct rapid optimization cycles.
The founding team comprises:
- Micha Breakstone, PhD: CEO and Co-founder – Repeat AI entrepreneur (Chorus.ai acq. for $575m)
- Jonathan Rosenfeld, PhD: CTO and Co-founder – Head of the Fundamental AI group at MIT FutureTech
- Carl Morris, PhD: Chief Scientific Officer
- Kristy Brown, PhD: SVP Translational Development
Scientific Co-founders:
- Olivier Pourquie, PhD: Professor of Genetics and Pathology, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Allon Klein, PhD: Associate Professor of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School
- Cliff Tabin, PhD: Chair of the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School
FinSMEs
16/04/2024