The 'startup' Pharmacelera prepares to make the leap to the United States

The startup Pharmacelera is finalizing a 1 million euro round, which will allow it to reach the United States and export its technology to develop new drugs. The operation, expected to close in the coming days, will be led by a Silicon Valley investor, whose identity has not been disclosed, and will be complemented by an equity crowdfunding campaign they have opened on Capital Cell.

This is the second financing round for the deeptech company, after having raised 1 million euros in 2021, through the same equity crowdfunding platform. To date, Pharmacelera has raised 3.7 million euros, between public and private funds. It has been supported by agents such as Acció, CDTI, Enisa, the European Innovation Council (EIC) and Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital). It has also added investors from IESE and Esade.

The startup was founded by Enric Gibert and Enric Herrero in 2015. Both had worked in the field of high-performance computing and had met at the multinational Intel. They decided to leverage their experience to create Pharmacelera, a computational platform that helps discover which candidate molecules are most likely to become an effective drug. Based on the use of artificial intelligence and quantum mechanics algorithms, the technology they have developed has allowed them to detect molecules that are three times more likely to successfully pass clinical trials.

Pharmacelera markets its platform to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, as well as to research groups at universities and public centers. Currently, it has a portfolio of 15 clients, 95% outside of Spain and most in the United Kingdom and the United States. Given that the American market is also the most dynamic and important for the sectors they work with, they have decided to open a headquarters in the country, with the specific location and necessary personnel yet to be determined.

Headquartered in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), the deeptech company expects to multiply its turnover by five in the next three years after its arrival in the United States. By 2024, it expects to start registering profits. The workforce stands at 20 employees.