Fundraising Fox

LEAH Labs

YC W19

Minneapolis, US · Founded 2018 · 4 employees · 2 known investors

LEAH Labs engineers gene-edited CAR-T cell therapies to treat cancer in pet dogs, with the goal of generating translational insights for human cancer therapy. The company uses proprietary gene editing and protein design to develop therapeutic treatments for companion animal oncology.

Also known as Incorporated · Lifengine Animal Health Laboratories

AI & Machine LearningBiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesCRISPRCell TherapyDrug discoveryUnited States of AmericaAmerica / Canada

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W19)

LEAH Labs was founded in 2018 by Wesley Wierson, Stephen C. Ekker, Saad S. Kenderian, and Jonathan P. Mochel.

WWWesley Wierson
Wesley Wiersonin𝕏FounderWesley Wierson is a scientist and entrepreneur with expertise in gene editing who founded LEAH Labs to develop cancer therapies using CAR-T technology in veterinary settings, which he identified as a pathway to market with lighter regulatory requirements than human therapeutics.
SC
Stephen C. EkkerScientific Founder & Board Director
SS
Saad S. KenderianScientific Founder
JP
Jonathan P. MochelScientific Founder
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Alex M. AbelChief Scientific Officer

Investors · 2

GROOVE CAPITALMinneapolis
Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K

Competitors · 3

by search overlap
Unchained Labs4 shared keywordsUnchained Labs builds instruments for lipid nanoparticle and other nanomedicine production, spanning R&D formulation screening through GMP-compliant clinical manufacturing. Its Sunny Suite uses a consistent mixing process to help pharmaceutical and biotech developers transfer nanoparticle production from lab scale to liter-scale GMP output.
Steamcommunity3 shared keywordsSteam Community is the online hub and social platform for Steam, the PC gaming distribution service operated by Valve, where players discuss games, share content, and connect with other users.
Leash Bio3 shared keywordsLeash Bio builds a machine learning platform for drug discovery that generates proprietary protein-molecule interaction data to design and test novel chemical compounds. It develops new medicines, starting with two oncology targets, and partners with biopharma companies to explore molecule opportunities.

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

Non-dilutive funding · 3 SBIR/STTR awards

Federal grants — no equity taken
AgencyPhaseYearAmount
National Science FoundationPhase II2023$973.9K
National Institutes of Health (NIH)National Institutes of HealthPhase I2022$337.4K
National Science FoundationPhase I2020$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

LEAH Labs Raises $3 Million in Funding for Groundbreaking Pet Therapiesleadsontrees.com · Sep 2024LEAH Labs Startup Fetching Fresh Funding for Cancer Treatment for Dogs | Twin Cities Businesstcbmag.com · Apr 2021Founder Profile: LEAH Labs - Kingscrowdkingscrowd.com · Nov 2019LEAH Labs on Wefunder - Kingscrowdkingscrowd.com · Sep 2019LEAH Labs - featured on investibuleinvestibule.co

Frequently asked questions

What does LEAH Labs do?
LEAH Labs engineers gene-edited CAR-T cell therapies to treat cancer in pet dogs, with the goal of generating translational insights for human cancer therapy. The company uses proprietary gene editing and protein design to develop therapeutic treatments for companion animal oncology.
Who founded LEAH Labs?
LEAH Labs was founded by Wesley Wierson, Stephen C. Ekker, Saad S. Kenderian, Jonathan P. Mochel in 2018.
Who are LEAH Labs's investors?
LEAH Labs's investors include GROOVE CAPITAL, Y Combinator.
Where is LEAH Labs headquartered?
LEAH Labs is headquartered in Minneapolis, US.