Paris-based Bioptimus, a pioneering AI foundation company, reaches $76M in funding. The round includes a $41M investment led by Cathay Innovation, with participation from Sofinnova Partners, Bpifrance through its Large Venture Fund, Andera Partners, Hitachi Ventures, Boom Capital Ventures, Pomifer Capital, Sunrise, and angel entrepreneurs Emmanuel Cassimatis and Thomas Wolf.
This funding will drive the company’s mission to develop the world’s first universal AI foundation model for biology — an innovation to transform research across medical, biotech, and cosmetic industries. Bioptimus will also establish strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies while building comprehensive datasets to enhance and validate its models.
How Bioptimus creates the first universal AI foundation model for biology
Founded in 2024 by Jean-Philippe Vert, PhD (former Chief R&D Officer at Owkin and Research Lead at Google Brain), Rodolphe Jenatton (former research scientist at Google), Eric Durand, PhD, David Cahané, Felipe Llinares, PhD, and Zelda Mariet, PhD, Bioptimus addresses the fragmented state of biological research.
Traditional scientific studies have focused on isolated components like DNA, proteins, cells, or tissues. This compartmentalised approach has constrained our holistic understanding of biology. Bioptimus aims to eliminate these divisions by creating an AI model that unifies data across multiple scales (from molecules to whole organisms) and modalities (imaging, genetics, and more).
Jean-Philippe Vert, co-founder and CEO of Bioptimus, said: “By learning how biology works directly from raw data across scales, from molecules to whole organisms, our model will empower researchers in the pharmaceutical industry to simulate complex biology, predict disease outcomes and response to treatment, and design therapies with unprecedented precision.”
GPT for biology: what do we know about Bioptimus tech so far?
In July 2024, the company launched H-Optimus-0, its first open-source AI model for pathology. It has already outperformed all other pathology models in independent benchmarks, including assessments conducted by Harvard Medical School’s HEST program and the University of Leeds. The model has demonstrated an exceptional ability to predict gene expression from morphology and accurately subtype ovarian cancer.
Bioptimus is preparing to launch a new multi-scale, multi-modal foundation model for biology in 2025. This model will simulate complex biological processes, predict disease outcomes and treatment responses, enable precise therapy design, and drive innovations across medical, biotech, and cosmetic industries.
Vert concluded: “Beyond pharmaceuticals, this model will unlock limitless possibilities across many other industries, driving biological discoveries in ways we are only beginning to imagine. Essentially, it’s like the GPT of biology—but instead of generating text, we’re simulating biology.”
Biological research: the future lies behind AI
While traditional research methods remain vital, AI is becoming essential for understanding complex biological systems, accelerating drug discovery, and enabling personalised medicine. The future of biological research depends on harnessing AI’s capabilities to reveal new insights and drive innovation.
Jacky Abitbol, Partner at Cathay Innovation, concluded: “Bioptimus is at the forefront of transforming biological research, leveraging cutting-edge AI to break down silos and unlock the full complexity of biology. By integrating data across multiple scales and modalities, Bioptimus is paving the way for groundbreaking innovations across industries, from pharmaceuticals to biotechnology and beyond.”
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