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Kernal Biologics

YC S20

Boston, US · Founded 2016 · Delaware corporation · 20 employees · 21 known investors

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Kernal Bio is a synthetic biology company developing selective mRNA drugs to treat serious illnesses, with a focus on cancer therapeutics and improving patient outcomes.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesArtificial IntelligenceGenomicsUnited States of AmericaAmerica / Canada

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S20)

Kernal Biologics was founded in 2016 by Yusuf Erkul, Jeff Ozdemir, and Burak Yilmaz.

YEYusuf Erkul
Yusuf ErkulCo-founder, CEOHe previously worked at Merck on oncology drug discovery and development, holds an M.D. from Hacettepe University, a B.S. in Biology from MIT, and an executive MBA from MIT Sloan.
JOJeff Ozdemir
Jeff OzdemirCo-founder · Head of PlatformJeff Ozdemir holds a PhD in Molecular Genetics from UT Southwestern Medical Center and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. He previously taught biochemistry at MIT before co-founding Kernal Biologics.
BYBurak Yilmaz
Burak YilmazFounder & PresidentBurak Yilmaz holds an MS and is co-founder and lead designer at Kernal Biologics, where he works on mRNA platform technology. Previously, he founded Sentegen/Sentebiolab, a synthetic biology company focused on synthetic DNA production for research and diagnostics.
CMCatherine Moroski
Catherine MoroskiCo-founder2016–2018Catherine Moroski has over 20 years of preclinical research experience, including work at Intellia Therapeutics where she designed in vivo studies, developed biomarker assays, and advanced gene insertion programs for genetic disease therapeutics; her expertise includes CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, animal model development, and regulatory support.
OY
Oguzhan YilmasNamed on SEC filing
BYBurak YILMAZ
Burak YILMAZFounder & President
TC
Thomas ColaceAssoc Directorformer

Investors · 21

Civilization Ventures Management, Llclisted by Civilization Ventures Management, LlcTiburon · $1M – $10M

How we know: Civilization Ventures Management, Llc's portfolio page · funding news · fiercebiotech.com · the VCSheet dataset · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

FoundersX Ventureslisted by FoundersX VenturesSilicon Valley

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Gaingelslisted by GaingelsNew York · $200K – $500K

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HOF Capitallisted by HOF CapitalNew York · $500K – $10M

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Hummingbird Ventureslisted by Hummingbird VenturesBrussels · $500K – $10M

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SAV (Scale Asia Ventures)listed by SAV (Scale Asia Ventures)Palo Alto

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UNCOMMON DENOMINATORlisted by UNCOMMON DENOMINATORNew York

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Y Combinatorlisted by Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K

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Amgen VenturesreportedThousand Oaks · $1M – $3M

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Amino CollectivereportedBerlin · $216K – $1.6M

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Beagle VenturesreportedSantiago

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Calm VenturesreportedSan Francisco

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Expanding CapitalreportedGreenwich

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FoundersXreportedPalo Alto

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MSA CapitalreportedGrand Cayman

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Outsized VenturesreportedLondon · $270K – $5.4M

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SP Investment Fundreported

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SymBiosisreportedBentonville

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Zachary Ginsburg FundsreportedLynnwood

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Also in the syndicate · 1

HBM Genomics

Reported raises · per SEC filings

Form D private placements

$20.9M disclosed across 3 of 4 rounds · 2016–2025

▶$20.1MraisedFeb 2022 · 53 investors · Biotechnology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Yusuf ErkulExecutive Officer, Director
  • Burak YilmazExecutive Officer, Director
Offering amount
$25.5M
Amount sold
$20.1M
First sale
Feb 2022
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$500KraisedAug 2018 · 1 investors · Other Health Care
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Burak YilmazExecutive Officer
  • Yusuf ErkulExecutive Officer, Director
  • Oguzhan YilmazDirector
Offering amount
$1M
Amount sold
$500K
First sale
Aug 2018
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware, 2016
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$350KraisedSep 2016 · 2 investors · Other Health Care
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Yusuf ErkulExecutive Officer, Director
  • Catherine MoroskiExecutive Officer, Director
  • Oguzhan YilmasDirector
Offering amount
$350K
Amount sold
$350K
First sale
Aug 2016
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware, 2016
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗

Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.

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Anto BiosciencesAnto is an AI research lab developing foundation models for microbial communities to enable precision medicine by computationally modeling how the microbiome affects individual drug response. The company serves pharmaceutical and clinical research by combining AI with genomic and microbiome data.
GamgeeGAMGEE develops personalised mRNA cancer vaccines for dogs, created from the animal's own tumour tissue to help its immune system fight the cancer. The company manages the full process end to end—from diagnosis and tissue sampling with the pet owner's vet, to genomic analysis and treatment delivery via veterinary oncologists—and is currently running clinical trials in Australia while accepting applications globally.
Arpeggio BioArpeggio Bio develops pharmaceutical drugs that target transcription factors using artificial intelligence and RNA-sequencing technology, with lead programs in development for melanoma treatment and rare disease applications.
One CodexOne Codex provides microbiome sequencing data analysis and reporting software for academic labs, biotechnology companies, and clinical laboratories. The platform uses advanced algorithms and a curated database to analyze metagenomic samples with a web-based interface accessible to both bench scientists and computational biologists.
nChroma BionChroma Bio develops in vivo targeted delivery and genetic engineering technologies for genetic medicine applications. The company works with academic founders and institutional investors focused on advancing gene therapy treatments.

Companies working in the same space as Kernal Biologics.

Legal entities · 1

corporate structure
Kernal Biologics, Inc.

In the news

Kernal Biologics to Showcase mRNA 2.0 Platform and T-Cell-Targeted LNPs for In Situ CAR T Programming at ASGCT 2026 - BioSpacebiospace.com · Apr 2026Kernal Bio Joins Lilly Gateway Labs to Accelerate In Vivo Cell Therapiesfinance.yahoo.com · Oct 2025Kernal Biologics Announces $25M Series A Financing to Advance its mRNA 2.0 Technology for Oncologyprnewswire.com · Jul 2022Kernal Biologics Raises $25M Series A Financingfinsmes.com · Jul 2022

Frequently asked questions

What does Kernal Biologics do?
Kernal Bio is a synthetic biology company developing selective mRNA drugs to treat serious illnesses, with a focus on cancer therapeutics and improving patient outcomes.
Who founded Kernal Biologics?
Kernal Biologics was founded by Yusuf Erkul, Jeff Ozdemir, Burak Yilmaz in 2016.
Who are Kernal Biologics's investors?
Kernal Biologics's investors include Asymmetry Ventures, Civilization Ventures Management, Llc, FoundersX Ventures, Gaingels, HOF Capital, Hummingbird Ventures, SAV (Scale Asia Ventures), UNCOMMON DENOMINATOR and 12 more.
How much funding has Kernal Biologics raised?
Kernal Biologics has disclosed $20.9M raised across 3 of its 4 known rounds.
Where is Kernal Biologics headquartered?
Kernal Biologics is headquartered in Boston, US.