Fundraising Fox

Abalone Bio

YC W20

San Francisco, US · Founded 2018 · 14 employees · 4 known investors

Abalone Bio develops target-activating antibodies for difficult-to-drug disease targets by combining engineered biology with machine learning. The company uses large-scale biological measurement platforms and AI-powered sequence analysis to discover functional antibody drugs for pharmaceutical and biotechnology applications.

Also known as Inc

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechHealthtechMachine LearningSynthetic BiologyTherapeuticsDrug discoveryUnited States of AmericaAmerica / Canada

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W20)

Abalone Bio was founded in 2018 by Richard Yu and Gustavo Pesce.

RYRichard Yu
Richard YuinFounderRichard Yu holds a PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale and a BA in Biophysics and Computer Science from UC Berkeley. He co-founded GPB, an algae biofuel company, served as Scientific and Operations Director at MBC Biolabs biotech incubator in San Francisco, was a Principal at Mission Bay Capital life science venture fund, and previously conducted research at The Molecular Sciences Institute on cellular information processing.
GPGustavo Pesce
Gustavo PesceinFounder

Investors · 4

Horizons VenturesHong Kong · $1M – $110M
MetaplanetTallinn · $500K – $10M
Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K
BoxOne VenturesreportedMontréal · $500K

Competitors · 2

by search overlap
IQVIA11 shared keywordsIQVIA provides data, analytics, AI, and technology-driven services for life sciences and healthcare organizations, spanning clinical development, real world evidence generation, and commercial execution. It offers integrated solutions for clinical trials, regulatory and safety compliance, and market analytics, including agentic AI products for commercial and R&D teams.
Day One Biopharmaceuticals8 shared keywordsDay One is a biopharmaceutical company that develops first- or best-in-class targeted medicines for children and adults with life-threatening diseases, with a focus on cancers such as pediatric brain tumors. Founded in 2018, it received its first FDA approval in 2024 for a pediatric brain tumor treatment.

Companies competing with Abalone Bio for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.

Non-dilutive funding · 8 SBIR/STTR awards

Federal grants — no equity taken
AgencyPhaseYearAmount
National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of HealthPhase II2022$2M
National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of HealthPhase I2022$292.9K
National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of HealthPhase II2021$2M
National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of HealthPhase I2021$300.2K
National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of HealthPhase I2020$349K
National Science FoundationPhase II2019$750K
National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of HealthPhase I2019$300K
National Science FoundationPhase I2018$225K

Source: SBIR.gov award data (U.S. Small Business Administration). SBIR/STTR awards are competitive federal R&D grants and contracts — non-dilutive capital alongside any venture rounds above.

In the news

The Abalone Bio Investment Thesis | Gravity Fundgravityfund.vc · Nov 2022NDFS17 Video: Abalone Bio’s Pathway to Granting Success - FreeMind Groupfreemindgroup.com · Feb 2022

Frequently asked questions

What does Abalone Bio do?
Abalone Bio develops target-activating antibodies for difficult-to-drug disease targets by combining engineered biology with machine learning. The company uses large-scale biological measurement platforms and AI-powered sequence analysis to discover functional antibody drugs for pharmaceutical and biotechnology applications.
Who founded Abalone Bio?
Abalone Bio was founded by Richard Yu, Gustavo Pesce in 2018.
Who are Abalone Bio's investors?
Abalone Bio's investors include Horizons Ventures, Metaplanet, Y Combinator, BoxOne Ventures.
Where is Abalone Bio headquartered?
Abalone Bio is headquartered in San Francisco, US.