Two AI-Driven Biotech Startups Secure Tens of Millions in Funding Amid Push Toward IPOs

2025 (3rd) Biopharmaceutical Innovation Industry Conference

Pre-registration Opened

Beijing Zhiyuan Shenlan Technology Co., Ltd., incubated by MegaRobo Technologies, is committed to data-driven biomolecular design and manufacturing. The funds from this round of financing will be used for the development of a function-oriented generative AI platform for biomolecules, the construction of an automated protein and peptide functional evolution platform, and the expansion of commercial markets.

Intelligent Medicine Original is a medical technology company founded by researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Established in November 2023, the company has developed a full-process, graphical, one-click generative platform for computational screening in AI-driven protein drug design. It has entered into project collaborations with several domestic and international publicly listed pharmaceutical companies to accelerate protein drug development services, while also advancing its own protein drug pipeline. Currently, the company is simultaneously progressing five pipelines involving metabolic, immune, and neurological diseases, advancing them to the experimental stage. Despite the current challenges in the financing market, our innovative technology continues to gain recognition and support from the market.

In recent years, the research and design of proteins are undergoing a paradigm shift, with traditional mutation screening and directed evolution technologies increasingly unable to meet the rapidly growing market demands. New technologies represented by artificial intelligence have made disruptive advancements in protein structure prediction, novel protein sequence generation, and prediction of protein physicochemical properties. The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to David Baker from the University of Washington, Demis Hassabis, and John M. Jumper from Google DeepMind for their achievements in using AI technology for protein design and structure prediction, fully demonstrating the vast prospects of this field. Beijing Zhiyuan Shenlan Technology Co., Ltd. took the lead in adopting large-scale automated systems for protein and peptide evolution and characterization, building a protein function database to meet the new demands of the industry in the AI era.

Mr. Zhu Xiaocheng, Managing Partner of INNO Angel Fund, stated: "Beijing Zhiyuan Shenlan Technology Co., Ltd. has demonstrated strong technical potential and market prospects in the intersection of AI and biotechnology. The incubation by MegaRobo Technologies has also laid a solid foundation for Zhiyuan Shenlan in the automation systems for large-scale biomolecular construction, characterization, and functional optimization. Dr. Wang Chengzhi, founder of Zhiyuan Shenlan, has profound expertise in the fields of life science automation and intelligence. We are highly optimistic about the transformative impact Zhiyuan Shenlan will bring to the R&D of biomacromolecules and look forward to jointly advancing the future development of biotechnology."

Mr. Wang Xuehui, Managing Partner of Tsinghua Alumni Seed Fund, stated: "The team at Beijing Zhiyuan Shenlan Technology Co., Ltd. has chosen a technical route focused on function rather than protein structure in the field of macromolecular evolution and design, reflecting the team's unique understanding of AI-enabled macromolecular design. The team has demonstrated the enormous potential of AI in exploring the functional space of proteins across multiple projects. We are also pleased to see that the team includes several outstanding Tsinghua alumni. Recently, the Tsinghua Alumni Seed Fund has empowered various entrepreneurial teams in exploring AI applications in large models and several vertical fields. As an excellent case of AI for life science, we have great confidence in the technological development and market strategy of Beijing Zhiyuan Shenlan Technology Co., Ltd. We look forward to seeing more innovations and breakthroughs from them in the field of protein design, propelling the field towards its ChatGPT moment."

Mr. Zheng Lianfa, founding partner of Zero2One Ventures, stated: "Since its establishment, Zero2One Ventures has been deeply engaged in early-stage investments in the hard technology sector, always with the mission of 'accompanying outstanding entrepreneurs from zero to beyond.' In the field of biotechnology, the application of artificial intelligence is becoming a key driving force for innovation. The Shenlan team has gathered a group of excellent entrepreneurs with rich industry experience. The company's unique high-throughput protein evolution platform provides a solid foundation for the accumulation of high-quality data and the development of new protein function prediction algorithms. The industrialization of these technologies not only accelerates drug discovery but also holds the potential to create a profound impact across multiple sectors such as agriculture, food, daily chemicals, beauty, and environmental protection. Zero2One Ventures is delighted to collaborate with such a passionate and talented team as Beijing Zhiyuan Shenlan Technology Co., Ltd."

Mr. Huang Yuqing, founder and CEO of MegaRobo Technologies, stated: "Beijing Zhiyuan Shenlan Technology Co., Ltd. is another successful incubation case by MegaRobo Technologies in the field of biomacromolecules, following the successful incubation of IMO, a small molecule intelligent synthesis company. It also vividly demonstrates the continuous empowerment of MegaRobo’s 'Automation + Artificial Intelligence + Science' ecosystem for industry development. During his tenure as the chief scientist of MegaRobo, Dr. Wang Chengzhi, founder of Beijing Zhiyuan Shenlan Technology Co., Ltd., achieved numerous breakthroughs in the Automation & AI for Science domain. As an advanced productivity tool provider, MegaRobo has been committed to offering strong technical support for scientific research and will continue to provide technological and ecosystem support to Beijing Zhiyuan Shenlan Technology Co., Ltd., jointly promoting innovative development in the field of biomolecular design and manufacturing. We look forward to Beijing Zhiyuan Shenlan Technology Co., Ltd. creating more industry breakthroughs and surprises in the future."

Dr. Chengzhi Wang, founder and CEO of Beijing Zhiyuan Shenlan Technology Co., Ltd., stated: "We thank our shareholders for their strong support and Megarobo for the long-term incubation of this project. AI for Science represents the greatest opportunity in life sciences for the next few decades, and AI will greatly accelerate the resolution of many complex issues within life sciences. Biomacromolecules such as proteins feature vast design spaces, extremely high functional dimensions, yet unified underlying logic, making them one of the most suitable areas in life sciences for AI empowerment. Zhiyuan Shenlan has built a professional team that combines continuous protein space exploration technology with automated experimental platforms to construct a protein function space database and train corresponding deep learning models. This technology can be widely applied to the design and optimization of enzymes, functional proteins, antibodies, peptides, and more, ultimately realizing the vision of designing biomacromolecules according to functional requirements."

InnoAngel Fund was established in April 2013, with over 500 startup projects invested. The investment management team has an average of 10+ years of experience and manages funds worth billions of RMB. InnoAngel adheres to the investment philosophy of "investing in innovation, achieving others while fulfilling oneself" and focuses on angel-stage and Pre-A stage investments in next-generation information technology (artificial intelligence/semiconductors), new energy and materials, life sciences, advanced manufacturing (robotics/aerospace), and more. Since its establishment, it has consistently received honors such as "Top 10 Early-Stage Investment Institutions in China."

InnoAngel Fund focuses on early-stage investment in technological innovation, primarily investing in original innovation and technology transfer projects. It has established a cross-regional investment and entrepreneurship service platform, with incubation teams in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Foshan, Xiamen, Xi'an, Qingdao, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Silicon Valley in the United States. The Inno innovation spaces in these locations have become gathering places for outstanding young people.

Shuimu Tsinghua Alumni Seed Fund is committed to becoming the "First Stop for Tsinghua Alumni Entrepreneurship," issuing the first check for alumni startups. The fund's GPs are all Tsinghua alumni, and it only invests in projects led by Tsinghua alumni.

In the fields of new quality productivity and hard technology, Tsinghua alumni have an overall advantage and continuous dividends. Shuimu is positioned as an index fund for Tsinghua alumni entrepreneurship. Tsinghua alumni projects should be thoroughly explored and fully invested in, with the goal of nurturing 100 listed alumni enterprises over the next 20 years.

Zero Venture Capital was founded in 2022 as an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in startups from the seed round to Series A. Currently managing over 1 billion yuan in funds, the firm was jointly established by seasoned investors and multiple founders of publicly listed companies, pooling industry resources with a highly experienced investment team. The fund concentrates on investment opportunities in hard technology, healthcare, artificial intelligence, and new consumer trends. Its mission is "to accompany outstanding entrepreneurs from zero to the future." By providing investment incubation and resource empowerment, the fund positions itself as a CO-FOUNDER for entrepreneurs, enhancing the success rate of early-stage ventures and offering comprehensive support to entrepreneurial endeavors. In partnership with entrepreneurs, Zero Venture Capital aims to collectively shape the future of China's economy in this new era.

Magnus Technology was founded in 2016 as a technology company focused on providing advanced productivity tools. It is committed to empowering innovation breakthroughs and digital transformation in fields such as life sciences, new drug development, clinical diagnostics, applied chemistry, and advanced manufacturing through the deep integration of robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, and industry applications, creating a more efficient, healthier, and better world for everyone. In the field of life sciences, Magnus has achieved full-chain coverage from the research and development end, production end to downstream testing laboratories, supporting the exploration and development of life science research. At the same time, leveraging the research capabilities of its self-developed general-purpose intelligent biological laboratory—Magnus Kunpeng Laboratory—it provides high value-added productivity tools and services to the industry, accelerating intelligent automation transformations in areas such as new drug development, cell and gene therapy, organoids, and synthetic biology, improving human health.