InVirtuoLabs closes its first funding round of €2.85M

InVirtuoLabs, a biotech startup developing an innovative platform for drug discovery, has closed its first funding round of €2.85 million, marking a decisive acceleration in pharmaceutical research.

Traditional drug discovery methods are typically slow and costly, often exceeding €2.4 billion per drug and taking over 12 years for development. This complex process arises from the need for extensive laboratory experiments and clinical trials, involving a countless number of tests on molecular compounds to ensure both desired effectiveness and safety. InVirtuoLabs is revolutionising the drug discovery process with its proprietary platform, the Next Generation Virtual Lab, which not only reduces the time and cost involved but also enhances the likelihood of success for new drugs. Combining the power of AI with Molecular Modelling, the platform can generate and test billions of new molecular compounds quickly and efficiently. InVirtuolabs's first major achievement was the development of an innovative protocol for drugs targeting nuclear receptors, which are key proteins regulating fundamental processes such as metabolism, cell growth, and inflammatory response. The protocol is already being applied to a receptor involved in high-incidence metabolic diseases, with the aim of accelerating the discovery of new treatments.

The startup, founded in Lugano in 2024 and currently supported by USI Startup Centre through its incubation programme, has already achieved significant milestones, including winning the first prize at the Boldbrain Startup Challenge and securing the support of prominent investors worldwide. The €2.85 million received through the funding round will be used to accelerate InVirtuolabs’ expansion and development in pharmaceutical research. Gianvito Grasso, Founder and CEO of InVirtuoLabs, and Researcher & Lecturer at IDSIA–Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence USI-SUPSI commented:

“Our vision is clear: to democratise access to innovative therapies, making drug discovery faster, more precise, and economically sustainable. With this investment, we are transforming AI into a revolutionary tool against rare diseases, offering new hope to millions of patients."

For more information on InVirtuoLabs, please visit https://www.invirtuolabs.com/.