Ashwin Nandakumar and Ashwin Jainarayanan were both pursuing their doctorates at neighboring departments in Oxford, yet they had never crossed paths. Nandakumar, studying oncology, stumbled upon a unique dataset for prostate cancer that required sequencing assistance.
Reaching out to friends for help, Nandakumar was directed to another Ashwin who could provide the necessary support. The two Ashwins immediately formed a bond and soon joined forces in the lab of Jainarayanan’s mentor, Michael Dustin, a distinguished professor in molecular immunology.
Initially considering roles in prominent pharmaceutical firms upon graduation, Nandakumar and Jainarayanan found themselves captivated by Dustin’s groundbreaking research on the immune system. This led them to contemplate founding their own venture instead of joining established corporations.
The trio, consisting of Nandakumar, Jainarayanan, and Dustin, established Granza Bio, a startup focused on revolutionizing immunotherapy delivery methods. Their entry into Y Combinator’s Winter 24 cohort marked the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey.
With strong investor interest, Granza Bio successfully raised $2.5 million in funding in a matter of days, prompting the founders to pursue a larger investment to expand their research endeavors. The recent announcement of a $7.14 million seed round, led by prominent investors like Felicis and Refactor, underlines the potential of Granza Bio’s innovative approach.
Felicis, known for backing tech giants like Notion and Canva, recognized the disruptive potential of Granza Bio’s research in harnessing the body’s immune system for therapeutic purposes. This aligns with Felicis’ investment philosophy and commitment to supporting cutting-edge biotech startups.
With a track record of successful investments in the life sciences sector, Felicis sees Granza Bio’s unique therapeutic delivery system as a key enabler for developing a new generation of drugs with wide-ranging applications in oncology and autoimmune disease treatment.
By betting on the ingenuity of Granza Bio’s delivery mechanism, investors like Felicis anticipate a wave of innovative drug development opportunities to emerge, further solidifying the startup’s position in the biotech landscape.
