Mendra, a newly launched biopharmaceutical company, has closed an oversubscribed $82 million Series A financing round to acquire and develop treatments for rare diseases with high unmet medical needs. The round was co-led by OrbiMed, 8VC, and 5AM Ventures, with additional backing from Lux Capital and Wing VC.
The company plans to use artificial intelligence throughout its operations to speed up drug development timelines and improve access to therapies for patients worldwide. Mendra will deploy the Series A capital to build its initial portfolio of rare disease assets through strategic acquisitions and in-house development programs.
Rare diseases affect millions of patients globally, yet developing treatments for these conditions remains difficult and time-consuming. Patient populations are often small and geographically dispersed, making clinical trial enrollment slow and expensive. Many promising therapies struggle to reach patients who need them most.
Mendra aims to tackle these obstacles by integrating AI across the drug development lifecycle. The technology will support patient identification, clinical trial design and enrollment, regulatory strategy, and commercialization planning. By streamlining these processes, the company believes it can bring therapies to market faster and expand access to underserved populations.
"We are building Mendra to deliver high-potential rare disease medicines more effectively to patients on a global scale," said Joshua Grass, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mendra. "By combining deep rare disease expertise with AI-driven capabilities across asset selection, clinical development, and global commercialization - some of the greatest challenges in rare disease drug development - we believe we can accelerate timelines, improve execution and expand access for these underserved patients."
The Series A proceeds will primarily fund Mendra's strategy to identify and acquire promising rare disease programs that have stalled or lack the resources to advance. The company will evaluate assets based on clinical potential, unmet patient need, and feasibility for AI-enhanced development.
Beyond acquisitions, Mendra plans to invest in infrastructure that supports rapid clinical execution and global regulatory submissions. This includes building data systems for patient identification, real-world evidence collection, and post-market surveillance across multiple countries. The goal is to create a repeatable model that can efficiently move multiple therapies through development simultaneously.
Mendra is led by executives who have spent decades building companies and launching rare disease drugs. CEO and Co-founder Joshua Grass brings over 20 years of biopharmaceutical experience, including successful exits at Modis Therapeutics and Escient Pharmaceuticals. He also played a key role in developing BioMarin's rare disease portfolio during the company's growth phase.
Jeff Ajer serves as Chief Commercial Officer, bringing more than 25 years of global commercialization expertise. At BioMarin, Ajer built the company's commercial infrastructure from the ground up and led worldwide launches of multiple rare disease therapies. His experience will be vital as Mendra prepares to navigate complex international markets.
The technology backbone is overseen by Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Lalarukh Haris Shaikh, Ph.D., who previously served as Executive Vice President of Life Sciences and Aerospace at Palantir Technologies. Her background bridges life sciences, healthcare, and software development—a rare combination that positions Mendra to effectively deploy AI tools across clinical and commercial functions. Gregory Balani, Pharm.D., leads business development as Vice President, drawing on experience from Escient Pharmaceuticals, Zogenix, Bayer, and most recently as a venture investor at Avego Bioscience Capital.
The Series A was co-led by three firms with deep expertise in biopharmaceutical investments. OrbiMed is one of the largest healthcare investment firms globally, with a long history of backing rare disease companies. 8VC and 5AM Ventures co-founded Mendra and bring strategic guidance on company building and early-stage biotech development.
Lux Capital and Wing VC joined the round, adding capital and networks that will support Mendra's growth. The oversubscribed nature of the financing reflects investor confidence in the team's ability to execute on a differentiated approach to rare disease drug development. Mendra is headquartered in San Francisco and was founded in 2025.
