Envisagenics
New York, US · Founded 2014 · Delaware corporation · 34 employees on LinkedIn · 11 known investors
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Envisagenics uses AI-driven analysis of RNA splicing to discover novel drug targets for immuno-oncology and neurodegenerative diseases. The company combines RNA biology expertise with machine learning to advance precision medicines.
Also known as Envisagenics, Inc.
Founders & leadership
Envisagenics was founded in 2014 by Martin Akerman, PhD, Martin Akerman, Maria Luisa Pineda, and Maria Luisa Pineda, PhD..
Investors · 11
Also in the syndicate · 4
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements$21.7M disclosed across 2 of 7 rounds · 2017–2024
- Undisclosed amountSeries BJun 2024 · 3 sources
Bristol Myers Squibb, Empire State Development, Red Cell Partners, Third Kind Venture Capital
Source ↗
▶$19.2MraisedOct 2021 · 24 investors · BiotechnologyRule 506(b)
- ALAN S. ROEMERDirector
- BRADLEY HARRISExecutive Officer
- MARTIN AKERMANExecutive Officer, Director
- GRANT VERSTANDINGDirector
- MARIA LUISA PINEDAExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $19.2M
- Amount sold
- $19.2M
- Minimum investment
- $1
- First sale
- Sep 2021
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$2.5MraisedOct 2017 · 6 investors · BiotechnologyRule 506(b)
- Martin AkermanExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Maria Luisa PinedaExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Offering amount
- $2.5M
- Amount sold
- $2.5M
- First sale
- Mar 2017
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2014
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Envisagenics is a New York-based biotechnology company that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze RNA splicing and identify novel, disease-specific drug targets. Its core technology, the SpliceCore platform, is a cloud-based discovery system that combines an exon-centric view of the human genome with machine learning algorithms and high-performance computing, drawing on a proprietary database of more than 14 million RNA splicing events (approximately seven million as of 2021). The company states that SpliceCore expands the transcriptomic search space by 400-fold relative to conventional target-identification tools, and earlier described the platform as up to 250 times more likely to discover novel targets than gene-centric tools.
The company's scientific premise is that over 95% of human genes undergo alternative splicing, producing multiple RNA isoforms from a single gene, and that splicing errors are implicated in more than 370 diseases, including cancers and neurodegenerative disorders such as spinal muscular atrophy. Envisagenics pursues both platform-based partnerships with biopharmaceutical companies and internally developed therapeutic programs, including immunotherapies for multiple oncology indications and disease-modifying antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) for neurodegenerative disease, with a stated goal of advancing its first asset into the clinic.
Founding story
Envisagenics was founded by Maria Luisa Pineda, PhD (CEO) and Martin Akerman, PhD (co-founder, described in 2018-2021 sources as CTO) as a spin-out from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Company materials and press releases date the founding to 2014, while a 2018 regional trade report describes the company as launched in 2013 with a $100,000 seed investment from Accelerate Long Island and the Long Island Emerging Technology Fund. The company describes itself as woman- and minority-led.
Business model
Envisagenics both licenses/applies its SpliceCore platform in fee-generating research collaborations with biopharmaceutical companies and academic institutions and develops its own internal RNA therapeutic and immunotherapy programs. Non-dilutive government grants (NIH SBIR, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Cancer Institute) have also funded platform development.
Revenue derives from partnered drug-discovery collaborations and commercial platform offerings; at the time of the Series B announcement in June 2024 the company described itself as revenue-generating and profitable.
Traction
Disclosed traction includes research collaborations with Biogen (featured at Biogen's Investor R&D Day on September 21, 2021), the Lung Cancer Initiative at Johnson & Johnson, and Bristol Myers Squibb (oncology research collaboration begun in 2022, followed by BMS investing in the Series B); multiple NIH SBIR grants; a wet lab at JLABS@NYC; and a preclinical oncology pipeline plus ASO programs for neurodegenerative disease.
Latest developments
In June 2024 Envisagenics announced a Series B round with existing investors Third Kind Venture Capital, Empire State Development and Red Cell Partners plus new strategic investor Bristol Myers Squibb, with proceeds directed to advancing its preclinical oncology assets and scaling commercial offerings; management stated the company was profitable and aiming to bring its first asset into the clinic.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Envisagenics positions itself as an AI-driven RNA splicing therapeutics company whose splicing-event database is described as one of the largest collections of potential disease-specific RNA targets, supported by commercial validation from multiple large biopharma partners and by a strategic equity investment from Bristol Myers Squibb.
Differentiation rests on an exon-centric, splicing-focused approach to target discovery combined with a large proprietary splicing-event database (14 million+ events), claimed 400-fold expansion of transcriptomic search space versus conventional tools, and a founding team with more than 15 years of RNA splicing expertise originating at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Technology
SpliceCore is a proprietary, cloud-based AI drug discovery platform that integrates machine learning algorithms with high-performance computing to detect novel, disease-specific alternative splicing isoforms. It uses a validated exon-centric representation of the human genome and a database of more than 14 million RNA splicing events, and can analyze thousands of RNA-sequencing samples to prioritize targets for therapeutic development, including rational design of RNA therapeutics such as ASOs and of immunotherapies.
Go-to-market
The company partners directly with large pharmaceutical and biotech organizations through research collaboration and research development agreements — disclosed partners include the Lung Cancer Initiative at Johnson & Johnson, Biogen and Bristol Myers Squibb — and has used challenge competitions, government grants and strategic corporate investment to build credibility and relationships.
Biopharmaceutical companies and academic research institutions seeking drug-discovery and target-identification capabilities; ultimately patients with oncology, neurodegenerative and other genetic diseases.
Geography
Headquartered in New York, NY, with origins on Long Island (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory spin-out and Accelerate Long Island backing) and laboratory space at JLABS@NYC; investors include New York State's Empire State Development / New York Ventures.
History
Between 2015 and 2017 the company developed its platform, receiving regional Long Island investment and its first NIH grant (a $225,000 SBIR Phase I award in 2015), completing a pilot project with its first strategic partner, closing seed financing, and winning the Johnson & Johnson AI for Drug Discovery QuickFire Challenge and the Innovate.AI challenge run by M12 and Madrona Venture Group. It closed a $2.3 million round in November 2017 with investors including Empire State Development via the NYS Innovation Venture Capital Fund, and commercially introduced SpliceCore in late 2017. In May 2018 it disclosed a combined $1 million investment from M12 and Madrona Venture Group and a $1.5 million NIH SBIR Phase II grant. From 2018 to 2021 the company focused on target identification and validation, establishing a wet lab at JLABS@NYC, signing a research development agreement with Johnson & Johnson and a research collaboration with Biogen, and closing a Series A in September 2021. From 2022 onward it entered a research collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb and closed a Series B financing announced in June 2024.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 3
by search overlap
Companies competing with Envisagenics for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Non-dilutive funding · 4 SBIR/STTR awards
Federal grants — no equity taken| Agency | Phase | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase II | 2022 | $2.1M |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase I | 2019 | $301.5K |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase II | 2018 | $1.6M |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of Health | Phase I | 2015 | $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.
Timeline · 11
launches, deals, and filingsBristol Myers Squibb entered an oncology research collaboration with Envisagenics in 2022, and subsequently invested as a strategic investor in the Series B.
Grant Verstandig and Alan S. Roemer joined Maria Luisa Pineda and Martin Akerman on the Envisagenics Board of Directors in connection with the Series A financing.
Research collaboration agreement with Biogen to advance RNA splicing research in CNS diseases; the partnership was highlighted at Biogen's Investor R&D Day on September 21, 2021.
Two-year Small Business Innovation Research Phase II grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue development of the SpliceCore platform; the second NIH award to the company.
$1.5M source ↗
Envisagenics introduced its commercial SpliceCore product in late 2017.
Envisagenics earned a $225,000 Small Business Innovation Research Phase I grant from the National Institutes of Health.
$225K source ↗
Seed investment of $100,000 from Accelerate Long Island and the Long Island Emerging Technology Fund at the company's launch.
$100K source ↗
Won the Innovate.AI challenge organized by M12 and Madrona Venture Group.
Awarded the AI for Drug Discovery QuickFire Challenge run by Johnson & Johnson during the company's 2015-2017 platform development phase.
Company established a wet laboratory at JLABS@NYC during its target identification and validation phase.
Research development agreement with Johnson & Johnson; later materials reference collaboration with the Lung Cancer Initiative at Johnson & Johnson.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Envisagenicsenvisagenics.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Envisagenics do?
- Envisagenics applies its SpliceCore AI platform to RNA splicing data to discover oncology and neurodegeneration drug targets.
- Who founded Envisagenics?
- Envisagenics was founded by Martin Akerman, PhD, Martin Akerman, Maria Luisa Pineda, Maria Luisa Pineda, PhD. in 2014.
- Who are Envisagenics's investors?
- Envisagenics's investors include Dynamk Capital, HAWKTAIL, M12 (Microsoft's Venture Fund), Madrona Venture Group, Red Cell Incubation, Dolby Family Ventures, Third Kind Venture Capital.
- How much funding has Envisagenics raised?
- Envisagenics has disclosed $21.7M raised across 2 of its 7 known rounds.
- Where is Envisagenics headquartered?
- Envisagenics is headquartered in New York, US.