Pharmacelera, a deep tech company applying Quantum Mechanics and Artificial Intelligence to revolutionize drug discovery based at theBarcelona Science Park (PCB-UB), has closed a €6 million investment round to accelerate its expansion in the United States and grow the capabilities of its proprietary platform.

Utilizing its proprietary Quantum Mechanics and Artificial Intelligence ("QaiM") algorithms, Pharmacelera is revolutionizing drug discovery by finding novel and diverse molecular candidates across the vast chemical "exaSpace" with unprecedented speed, efficiency and accuracy. It can generate molecules that are up to 10 times better, 75,000 times faster, than traditional AI-led drug discovery approaches. Its technology can be applied to small molecules and small peptides in all stages of drug discovery - from hit identification, through hit-to-lead, to lead optimization.

This investment round will help Pharmacelera grow further and faster - firstly, by establishing a permanent team in the U.S., and secondly, by enabling the company to expand the technical capabilities of its unique QaiM drug discovery engine in key growth areas.

The round was led by Heran Partners, a leading life sciences investor, and joined by Clave Capital, a long-standing tech transfer investor; Inveready, a Spanish alternative asset manager with a dedicated Life Sciences strategy; and Bio&Tech Smart Capital, a specialist investor in health-tech and science-based innovation.

Pharmacelera, accelerated by The Collider program from Barcelona Mobile Worls Capital, has already participated in more than 100 projects to date, including several notable successes in GPCRs. It has won repeat business from customers in both Europe and the US, including three big pharma companies and numerous highly regarded biotech companies.

Enric Gibert, Chief Executive Officer of Pharmacelera, said: "The first wave of AI-powered drug discovery promised a lot but delivered comparatively little. Pharmacelera is changing the picture, by coupling AI with quantum-based simulations to leverage the exaSpace - the vast, undiscovered universe of trillions of molecules - to find highly novel drug candidates that are up to 10 times better, using a process that's up to 75,000 times faster than traditional AI-led approaches."

He continued: "The backing of these leading investors, who have a deep understanding of drug discovery, is a strong validation of our revolutionary technology. The funding will enable us to establish a team in the US - a natural next step to continue strengthening our relationships with large pharmaceutical and biotech companies on both the East and West coasts. It will also help us to greatly widen the capabilities of our QaiM engine."

Raf Roelands, Partner at Heran Partners and new member of Pharmacelera's Board of Directors, said: "By combining physics-based algorithms with machine learning, Pharmacelera enables the design of molecular candidates for novel targets and modes of action with a higher probability of success. We have a high conviction in this company, which was reinforced through direct discussions with its customers, including leading pharmaceutical companies, who have already experienced the significant impact of its technology."

Ignacio Prieto, newly appointed member of the Board of Directors representing Clave Capital, said: "As technology transfer investors, we highly value Pharmacelera's ability to turn cutting-edge science into meaningful industrial impact. The Company combines a truly differentiated technology platform with a seasoned, multidisciplinary team that knows how to embed innovation effectively within pharmaceutical R&D workflows. We believe this combination of scientific excellence and execution capability will be a key driver of its next phase of growth."

The funding round follows the signing of a strategic alliance between Pharmacelera and Silicon Valley company igniter General Inception (GI) in 2023, in which Pharmacelera became GI's AI drug discovery strategic partner. Venkat Reddy, GI's Chief Scientific Officer, sits on Pharmacelera's Board of Directors. Since then, Pharmacelera's technology has strengthened the intellectual property of several of GI's portfolio companies.