Phenomic AI is a technology company.
Phenomic AI has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round.
Phenomic AI has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Phenomic AI is a biotechnology company developing AI-powered therapies to target the tumor stroma—a protective barrier in hard-to-treat solid tumors like pancreatic, colorectal, lung, ovarian, and breast cancers.[1][3][4] Its scTx® platform integrates single-cell RNA (scRNA) data at scale using machine learning to identify novel drug targets from cell-cell interactions, enabling antibody discovery and engineering for stroma-rich cancers and fibrosis.[1][2][3][5] The company serves oncology patients and pharma partners by overcoming stroma limitations that reduce current treatment efficacy, with strong growth shown through $6M seed funding in 2020, a major Boehringer Ingelheim collaboration yielding $9M upfront and $500M+ potential milestones, and dataset expansion to 30 million cells.[1][3][5]
Phenomic AI launched in 2020 from Toronto, founded by AI experts Drs. Sam Cooper (CEO) and Michael Briskin (CSO), with roots in machine learning for microscopy images and early scRNA analysis for oncology targets.[1][3][6] The idea emerged from recognizing single-cell data's potential to decode complex tumor biology, shifting from imaging to massive scRNA datasets for stroma-focused discovery.[1][3] Early traction included $6M seed funding led by CTI Life Sciences (with board seat), backed by AV8 Ventures, Luminous Ventures, and Viva BioInnovator, plus scientific advisory from Jim Allison and Pam Sharma—cancer immunotherapy pioneers.[1][2] Pivotal moments: rapid dataset growth from 2M to 30M cells using TileDB for scalable queries, and the 2023 Boehringer Ingelheim deal validating its platform.[3][5]
Phenomic AI rides the AI-biotech convergence trend, leveraging single-cell/multi-omics data explosions to tackle multi-cellular biology in stroma-rich tumors—previously undruggable due to complexity.[1][3][6] Timing aligns with post-2020 AI scaling (e.g., deep learning for scRNA) and oncology shifts toward stroma modulation, fueled by immunotherapy limits and rising solid tumor burdens.[5][6] Market forces favor it: pharma's $500M+ milestone deals signal demand for AI target discovery, while tools like TileDB enable hyperscale data handling amid proteomics/spatial omics growth.[3][5] It influences the ecosystem by pioneering stroma therapies, inspiring AI-multi-cellular models, and partnering with giants like Boehringer to accelerate clinical candidates.[5]
Phenomic AI is poised to deliver first-in-class stroma-targeting antibodies, with near-term Boehringer milestones funding pipeline advancement into preclinical/clinical stages for pancreatic/colorectal cancers.[5] Trends like multi-omics integration, AI-driven wet-lab analysis, and stroma-focused immuno-oncology will propel it, potentially expanding to fibrosis and new modalities.[2][6] Its influence may evolve from target discovery partner to full therapeutics developer, raising the survival curve for solid tumors as in its founding mission—transforming AI from tool to therapy cornerstone.[1][4]
Phenomic AI has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Phenomic AI's investors include Blank Ventures, Cherubic Ventures, Fathom Capital, Govtech Fund.
Phenomic AI has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in June 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2018 | $2.0M Seed | Blank Ventures, Cherubic Ventures, Fathom Capital, Govtech Fund |