Narval
Techstars '24Zapopan, MX · 7 known investors
Mexican biotech developing macrocyclic antibody-mimetic proteins as mucosally delivered medical countermeasures.
Also known as Narval Bio
Investors · 7
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Company profile
researched Aug 2026Narval is a biotechnology company based in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, working on what it describes as a next generation of antibody-like drugs. Its core assets are Antibody Mimetic Proteins (AMPs): macrocyclic synthetic proteins built by fusing the CDR3 regions of single-domain shark antibodies onto a conoprotein scaffold derived from a sea snail. The resulting molecules are intended to mimic antibody activity while being deliverable through mucosal tissues, enabling localized, non-systemic administration.
The company positions its AMPs as a route to faster and more deployable therapeutics for pandemics, emergency outbreaks, biodefense, animal health, and agricultural biosecurity — that is, rapid-response medical countermeasures. Narval is categorized across biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, therapeutics, healthtech, and AI/machine learning, and is a small team of roughly 1-10 people.
Founding story
Narval was founded by Jose Luis Nuno, who is listed as a founder on its TechCrunch Startup Battlefield profile, alongside Alejandro Nuno, also listed as a founder. Founding year is reported as 2023 by TechCrunch and as 2024 by GreyB.
Traction
The company appeared onstage in the TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 Startup Battlefield Top 20 cohort and reports pre-seed stage financing with MassChallenge named as lead investor.
Latest developments
GreyB reports a seed-stage funding amount of $167,000 dated March 2024, with MassChallenge as lead investor; the company is described as currently raising.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography
Market position
Narval was selected for the 2023 TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield Top 20 and was covered by TechCrunch in the context of addressing challenges in monoclonal antibody treatments. It remains an early-stage, pre-seed company with a team of fewer than ten people.
Technology
Narval's platform produces macrocyclic synthetic proteins called Antibody Mimetic Proteins (AMPs), created by grafting CDR3 regions from single-domain shark antibodies onto a conoprotein scaffold originating from a sea snail. The company applies artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to optimize the properties of these molecules. The macrocyclic format is intended to allow delivery across mucosal tissues for localized rather than systemic treatment.
Go-to-market
Applications cited by the company span pandemic and emergency outbreak response, biodefense, animal health, and agricultural biosecurity, alongside monoclonal antibody therapy more broadly.
Geography
Headquartered in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
Compiled by commissioned research from 4 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 Narval for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsA funding amount of $167,000 at seed stage is reported with MassChallenge listed as lead investor; the company is described as pre-seed stage.
$167K source ↗
Narval was named to the 2023 Startup Battlefield Top 20 presenting onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt, and was featured in TechCrunch coverage on challenges in monoclonal antibody treatments.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 4
primary sources listed
- Narval | TechCrunchtechcrunch.com · web
4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Narval do?
- Mexican biotech developing macrocyclic antibody-mimetic proteins as mucosally delivered medical countermeasures.
- Who are Narval's investors?
- Narval's investors include Techstars, Andreessen Horowitz, BlockTower VC, Bpifrance, Cherry Ventures, Fabric Ventures, Motier Ventures.
- Where is Narval headquartered?
- Narval is headquartered in Zapopan, MX.