Top 100 Life Science Startups to Watch in 2026
The Life Science sector is attracting large investments, with many new companies blending biology and artificial intelligence. These startups are addressing major challenges from drug discovery to genetic engineering.
Treeline Biosciences has secured over $1.1 billion for developing cancer treatments. Another company, Colossal Biosciences, is focused on de-extinction.
Below is our list of 100 Life Science startups worth keeping an eye on.
Failory's Top 10 Picks
Using breakthrough gene-editing technology, Colossal Biosciences is working to de-extinct species like the woolly mammoth. Their efforts are also aimed at developing new tools for genomics and species conservation.
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas, United States |
| Year Founded | 2021 |
| Founders | Andrew Busey, Ben Lamm, Brian Beard, George Church, Kent Wakeford, Peter Phillips |
| Funding Amount | $568.1M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Peter Jackson, Draper Associates, Liquid 2 Ventures, Capital Factory, At One Ventures |
Lila Sciences is creating a scientific superintelligence platform and autonomous labs to advance research. Their work focuses on accelerating breakthroughs in life sciences, chemistry, and materials science.
| Headquarters | Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States |
| Year Founded | 2023 |
| Founders | Molly Gibson, Noubar Afeyan |
| Funding Amount | $435M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series A |
| Top Investors | Collective Global Management, The Mathers Foundation, General Catalyst, Alumni Ventures, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority |
CHARM Therapeutics develops small-molecule medicines targeting hard-to-treat cancers and other serious diseases. They apply a proprietary 3D deep learning platform to predict protein structures and accelerate the drug discovery process.
| Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Year Founded | 2021 |
| Founders | David Baker, Laksh Aithani |
| Funding Amount | $162.7M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | General Catalyst, OrbiMed, NVIDIA, Khosla Ventures, New Enterprise Associates |
Cartography Biosciences creates cancer immunotherapies that precisely target novel tumor antigens. Their work in antigen cartography aims to develop safer, more effective treatments for a wide range of cancers.
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2020 |
| Founders | Ansuman Satpathy, Howard Chang, Kevin Parker |
| Funding Amount | $124M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | Andreessen Horowitz, Gaingels, 8VC, Catalio Capital Management, Wing Venture Capital |
Isomorphic Labs, an Alphabet company, is applying advanced AI to reimagine how new medicines are created. Their digital biology platform is designed to predict how drugs will interact with the body, accelerating the development of new treatments for disease.
| Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Year Founded | 2021 |
| Founders | Demis Hassabis, Miles Congreve, Sergei Yakneen |
| Funding Amount | $601.7M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Thrive Capital, Alphabet, GV |
Axtria develops data analytics software and offers services tailored to the life sciences industry. Their cloud platforms help organizations manage complex data and uncover insights that drive better commercial and patient outcomes.
| Headquarters | Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, United States |
| Year Founded | 2010 |
| Founders | Jaswinder Chadha, Navdeep Chadha |
| Funding Amount | $446.2M |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Secondary Market |
| Top Investors | Kedaara Capital, Bain Capital Tech Opportunities, Helion Venture Partners, Sparta Group, Richard Braddock |
Folia Health builds a platform for individuals to capture their own health and symptom data from home. The company's tools then organize these observations into structured information that can be shared with clinicians and researchers.
| Headquarters | Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States |
| Year Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Dan Toffling, Nell Meosky Luo |
| Funding Amount | $17.4M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series A |
| Top Investors | S3 Ventures, MassChallenge, Crosslink Capital, Create Health Ventures, Joyance Partners |
Treeline Biosciences develops transformative precision medicines for patients with cancer and other serious conditions. The biotech company is focused on pioneering new therapies that target the underlying drivers of disease.
| Headquarters | Watertown, Massachusetts, United States |
| Year Founded | 2021 |
| Founders | Jeffrey Engelman, Josh Bilenker |
| Funding Amount | $1.1B |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series A |
| Top Investors | OrbiMed, ARCH Venture Partners, Fidelity, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, GV |
Element Biosciences builds DNA sequencing technology for the research and diagnostics markets. Their flagship product, the AVITI System, is a benchtop sequencer that gives scientists more accessible tools for genetic analysis.
| Headquarters | San Diego, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2017 |
| Founders | Matt Kellinger, Michael Previte, Molly He |
| Funding Amount | $678M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | Wellington Management, RA Capital Management, Samsung Electronics, Venrock, Fidelity |
Kriya Therapeutics develops gene therapies to address highly prevalent diseases. The biopharmaceutical company's core focus is on treatments for ophthalmology, neurology, and metabolic conditions.
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Fraser Wright, Roger Jeffs, Shankar Ramaswamy |
| Funding Amount | $921.3M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | Alumni Ventures, Patient Square Capital, Foresite Capital, Amplo, Narya Capital |
90 Additional Life Science Startups Worth Following
Our top 10 picks are just a small slice of the life science world. Combined, the companies on our full list have raised more than $12 billion to push their work forward.
Most of these companies work in biotech and AI, and they include both new founders and more established names. Here’s a look at the rest of the startups shaping the life science ecosystem.
| Startup | Main Industry | Year Founded | Amount Raised | Last Funding Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Psilera | Biotech | 2019 | $7.6M | Grant |
 Ultima Genomics | Biotech | 2016 | $600M | Venture Round |
 Glyphic Biotechnologies | Biotech | 2021 | $45.8M | Series A |
 Deepcell | AI | 2017 | $98M | Venture Round |
 Conceivable Life Sciences | AI | 2022 | $103.1M | Series A |
 Hinge Bio | Biotech | 2015 | $30.2M | Series A |
 Athelas | Biotech | 2016 | $150.1M | Series C |
 Salt AI | AI | 2023 | $13M | Seed |
 Cellares | Biotech | 2019 | $355M | Series C |
 Proscia | AI | 2014 | $129.8M | Series D |
 EGenesis | Biotech | 2014 | $456M | Series D |
 Mercy BioAnalytics | Biotech | 2018 | $127.3M | Series B |
 Ensoma | Biotech | 2019 | $258M | Venture Round |
 Strand Therapeutics | Biotech | 2017 | $257.2M | Series B |
 SEVARO | Enterprise | 2019 | $40.1M | Series B |
 Predicta Biosciences | Biotech | 2023 | $28.6M | Series A |
 Scribe Therapeutics | Biotech | 2017 | $120M | Convertible Note |
 Bioz | Biotech | 2013 | $25.7M | Venture Round |
 AllRock Bio | Biotech | 2024 | $50M | Series A |
 Orbital Therapeutics | Healthcare | 2022 | $270M | Series A |
 Replicate Bioscience | Biotech | 2020 | $46M | Series A |
 Apprentice.io | AI | 2014 | $207M | Series C |
 Sapient | Biotech | 2020 | $13.8M | Grant |
 MapLight Therapeutics | Biotech | 2018 | $640.6M | Series D |
 Emulate | Biotech | 2013 | $271.3M | Series F |
 Citizen Health | AI | 2023 | $44.5M | Series A |
 Dewpoint Therapeutics | Biotech | 2018 | $346.1M | Series D |
 Resilience | Biotech | 2020 | $2.5B | Grant |
 Gameto | Biotech | 2020 | $117M | Series C |
 Veezoo | Analytics | 2016 | $6.7M | Series A |
 Parse Biosciences | Biotech | 2018 | $100M | Series C |
 Rapid Nexus | Biotech | 2020 | $3.8M | Seed |
 The Protein Brewery | Biotech | 2019 | $52M | Series B |
 Resonetics | Biotech | 1987 | $1.1B | Private Equity |
 Biostate AI | AI | 2023 | $16M | Series A |
 Healx | AI | 2014 | $114.9M | Venture Round |
 Seismic Therapeutic | Biotech | 2020 | $247M | Series B |
 Eikon Therapeutics | Biotech | 2019 | $1.1B | Series D |
 Volastra Therapeutics | Biotech | 2019 | $149.1M | Venture Round |
 Imbria Pharmaceuticals | Biotech | 2018 | $140.1M | Series B |
 Leyden Labs | Biotech | 2020 | $315.2M | Venture Round |
 Rubedo Life Sciences | Biotech | 2018 | $53.5M | Series A |
 MDisrupt | Healthcare | 2019 | $10M | Venture Round |
 Atalanta Therapeutics | Biotech | 2018 | $207M | Series B |
 Terray Therapeutics | AI | 2018 | $200M | Series B |
 Sonoma Biotherapeutics | Biotech | 2020 | $365M | Corporate Round |
 Sorcero | AI | 2018 | $15.1M | Series A |
 Atavistik Bio | Biotech | 2021 | $100M | Venture Round |
 Kashiv BioSciences | Biotech | 2011 | $150M | Debt Financing |
 Monod Bio | Biotech | 2021 | $26.5M | Grant |
 Noetik | AI | 2022 | $55M | Grant |
 BioRender | Design | 2017 | $17M | Series A |
 Polaris Genomics | Biotech | 2017 | $5.6M | Debt Financing |
 Myome | Biotech | 2017 | $23M | Series B |
 Drug Hunter | Biotech | 2018 | $6.3M | Seed |
 Insitro | Biotech | 2018 | $643M | Series C |
 Latent Labs | AI | 2023 | $50M | Series A |
 Cradle | AI | 2021 | $102.7M | Series B |
 Artera | AI | 2021 | $110M | Venture Round |
 Cellvie | Biotech | 2018 | $15.5M | Seed |
 OMass Therapeutics | Biotech | 2016 | £128M | Series B |
 Neurovalens | Biotech | 2013 | $27.8M | Venture Round |
 InterVenn | AI | 2017 | $244.4M | Series C |
 Arbor Biotechnologies | Biotech | 2016 | $304.5M | Series C |
 Springbok Analytics | Analytics | 2013 | $11.2M | Series A |
 Infinimmune | Biotech | 2022 | $12M | Seed |
 Pathos | AI | 2020 | $447M | Series D |
 CytoVale | AI | 2013 | $228.6M | Venture Round |
 BoobyBiome | Biotech | 2018 | $7.5M | Seed |
 RevOpsis Therapeutics | Healthcare | 2022 | $26.2M | Seed |
 Akadeum Life Sciences | Biotech | 2014 | $41.5M | Venture Round |
 Judo Bio | Biotech | 2021 | $100M | Series A |
 Epitopea | Biotech | 2021 | $44.8M | Seed |
 Broad Institute | Biotech | 2003 | $183.3M | Grant |
 ArsenalBio | Biotech | 2019 | $630.8M | Series C |
 64x Bio | Biotech | 2017 | $59.5M | Series A |
 JUISCI | AI | 2021 | $6.7M | Seed |
 Beckley Psytech | Biotech | 2019 | $164.2M | Undisclosed |
 Ansa Biotechnologies | Biotech | 2018 | $128.6M | Series B |
 Resolution Therapeutics | Biotech | 2017 | £60M | Series B |
 SciTech Development | Biotech | 2000 | $11.7M | Convertible Note |
 MEND | Biotech | 2018 | $22.7M | Venture Round |
 Aktis Oncology | Biotech | 2021 | $331M | Series B |
 Unlearn.AI | AI | 2017 | $134.9M | Series C |
 Vi Labs | AI | 2016 | $147M | Undisclosed |
 Idrx | Biotech | 2022 | $242M | Series B |
 CND Life Sciences | Biotech | 2017 | $43.6M | Series A |
 Labviva | Healthcare | 2017 | $55M | Series B |
 MasterControl | Biotech | 1993 | $150M | Series A |
 Scenic Biotech | Security | 2017 | $37.6M | Series A |
