InVirtuoLabs funding news – Lugano-based InVirtuoLabs Secures €2.85 Million in Funding

InVirtuoLabs won first place in the Boldbrain Startup Challenge, a program for innovative ideas run by the Agire Foundation, the University of Italian Switzerland (USI), and supported by the Department of Finance and Economy and BancaStato. The startup is also supported by the USI Startup Center.

Gianvito Grasso, Founder and CEO of InVirtuoLabs, and Researcher & Lecturer at IDSIA–Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (USI-SUPSI) said, “The integration of artificial intelligence, chemistry, and molecular biophysics is radically changing the way we develop drugs, Our system is not limited to analyzing existing data, but generates and tests billions of new molecules, identifying the best ones for efficacy and safety. In particular, we want to accelerate the development of treatments for rare diseases, an area still lacking adequate solutions.”

InVirtuoLabs aims to quickly find and improve promising drug candidates, speeding up the process of turning ideas into life-changing treatments.

The team at InVirtuoLabs has over 50 years of combined experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with backgrounds from companies like Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Baxter, and Helsinn Healthcare, along with experts in machine learning.

Over the next 18 months, the startup plans to grow quickly by expanding its team, forming key partnerships, and enhancing its platform.

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The core of InVirtuoLabs' innovation is its Next Generation Virtual Lab, a special platform for accurately identifying and improving drugs. This method can double success rates compared to traditional research, cutting costs (which can exceed €2.4 billion per drug) and development time (which usually takes about 12 years).

Sertac Yeltekin, Founder and COO of InVirtuoLabs said, “The company is positioned at the crossroads of artificial intelligence, pharmaceutical innovation, and biotechnology, This ambitious project rests on three fundamental pillars: attractiveness to investors, ability to recruit and retain global talent in AI, and potential to generate concrete social impact.”

The platform's first big success was creating a method for developing drugs that target nuclear receptors. These receptors are important proteins that control processes like metabolism, cell growth, and inflammation. They are linked to over 100 diseases, including metabolic disorders and some cancers.

InVirtuoLabs is already using this method on a receptor involved in common metabolic diseases, aiming to speed up the discovery of new treatments.

Demet Olesen, InVirtuoLabs’ CCO said, “Since inception, we’ve been adjusting our models while engaging with biotech and pharmaceutical companies of all sizes, These early conversations not only help us sharpen our technology but also ensure we’re addressing real-world industry needs. Staying closely connected to potential partners keeps us at the forefront of innovation and accelerates our ability to deliver transformative solutions.”

Grasso said, “Our vision is clear: to democratize access to innovative therapies, making drug discovery faster, more precise, and economically sustainable, With this investment, we are transforming AI into a revolutionary tool against rare diseases, offering new hope to millions of patients.”

About InVirtuoLabs

InVirtuoLabs was founded in 2024 by Gianvito Grasso, Stefano Muscat, and Sertac Yeltekin. The company is changing drug discovery by using AI and molecular simulations. They create new drugs by combining machine learning with physics-based simulations to quickly find and improve promising drug candidates.