A-Alpha Bio
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle
- Sectors
- Biotechnology Research
- Founded
- 2017
- Type
- Corporation Seattle business license
- Employees
- 50
- Registered name
- A Alpha Bio Inc Seattle business license
- Stage
- startup
- Total raised
- $23.1M SEC Form D filings Total of this company's SEC Form D filings
- Last round
- $20.3M · Aug 2021 SEC Form D
- Founders
- David Younger, PhD, Randolph Lopez, PhD
Saray Covey announces Harell Data early-access platform connecting AI modelers with proprietary datasets from A-Alpha Bio and Adaptive Biotechnologies
Harell Data launched an early-access platform to connect AI modelers with proprietary biotech datasets so data owners and model builders can earn from training runs and model usage; initial partners include A-Alpha Bio and Adaptive Biotechnologies. The announcement links to a GeekWire article and was posted by Saray Covey.
Harell Data founded by Harlan Robins raises $15M to let data owners securely monetize AI training
Harlan Robins, co-founder and former CSO of Adaptive Biotechnologies, launched Harell Data with $15 million in funding to let proprietary data owners securely host datasets for AI model training and receive direct revenue shares instead of waiting for downstream royalties.
ScopeSys raises $1.1M to commercialize CLiC instruments that visualize individual RNA/DNA for genomic medicine makers
Vancouver startup ScopeSys, founded in 2017 and spun out of UBC research, builds analytical instruments using Convex Lens-induced Confinement (CLiC) to let drugmakers observe individual RNA/DNA molecules and nanoparticles. The seven-person company recently closed a $1.1 million seed round and aims to improve characterization, formulation development, and manufacturing control for genomic medicines.
Harlan Robins launches Harell Data with A-Alpha Bio and Adaptive Biotechnologies datasets to enable AI on proprietary antibody and TCR data
Harell Data, founded by Harlan Robins, provides an integrated compute environment that lets researchers train AI models on proprietary biological datasets while keeping data providers' ownership and preventing data export. It launches with large antibody-antigen affinity data from A-Alpha Bio and over one million validated TCR αβ–peptide interactions plus 500 million negatives from Adaptive Biotechnologies, and features blind benchmarking, a public leaderboard, and revenue share for model developers.
A-Alpha Bio, led by CEO David Younger, launches AI antibody data consortium with GSK and Boltz among five founders
A-Alpha Bio, a company spun out of David Baker's work and led by CEO David Younger, has launched a first-of-its-kind AI antibody data consortium with five founding members including GSK and Boltz to supply data for AI models designing antibodies.
Seattle Startups Yoodli and A-Alpha Bio Appoint New C-Suite Execs, TiE Seattle Names Siddhartha Srinivasa as President
Seattle startups Yoodli, A-Alpha Bio, and MoxiWorks have added senior executives, including Andy Larson as Yoodli's CFO and Troy Lionberger as A-Alpha Bio's chief business officer, while TiE Seattle appointed Siddhartha Srinivasa as president. These moves highlight growth and leadership shifts in the Seattle tech sector, with companies focusing on AI, biotech, and robotics.
Fred Hutch-Led Synthesize Bio Raises $10M to Accelerate Drug Discovery Using AI Gene Expression Model
Seattle-based Synthesize Bio, led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center researchers, raised $10 million from Madrona to accelerate drug discovery using their AI model GEM-1, which predicts gene expression outcomes with lab-level accuracy. The startup aims to reduce drug development time and costs by simulating hypothetical lab experiments with generative genomics.
Trump-Era Funding Cuts and Hiring Freeze Stall UW Protein Design Startups Led by Nobel Laureate David Baker
The University of Washington's Institute for Protein Design, led by Nobel laureate David Baker, faces a hiring freeze and funding cuts under the Trump administration, stalling its promising protein design startups and reducing opportunities for graduate students and postdocs. Despite Nobel-driven interest and advances in AI-designed proteins, budget constraints threaten future innovation and company spinoffs.
UW Students' Jaundice Detection Tool Wins $17,500 at 2024 Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge
A University of Washington student team named Luminovah won the grand prize and another award at the UW Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge for developing a non-invasive jaundice detection tool effective across all skin tones. The team is partnering with Seattle Children’s for human trials aiming for FDA approval and plans to offer rental devices to parents of affected newborns.
Nobel Laureate David Baker Drives Protein Design Innovation and Startup Growth at University of Washington
David Baker, Nobel Prize winner and head of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington, is focused on advancing protein design research and entrepreneurship, having helped spawn over 20 startups in Seattle's biotech hub. He plans to continue accelerating scientific innovation in the field, which develops new proteins for therapeutics, vaccines, and materials.
CoMotion Endorses AUTM COVID-19 Licensing Guidelines to Facilitate Access to University Innovations
CoMotion supports rapid access to university COVID-19 innovations by endorsing AUTM's humanitarian licensing guidelines and provides ongoing resources like webinars and podcasts for startups navigating the pandemic.
University of Washington’s CoMotion Innovation Arm Moving to Condon Hall Near Startup Hall in 2023
The University of Washington's innovation arm, CoMotion, will relocate from the Blume building to Condon Hall near Startup Hall later this year, expanding its space and event capabilities. Startup Hall is part of the Portage Bay Crossing neighborhood, which aims to foster research, education, and entrepreneurship.
Seattle Biotech Startup A-Alpha Bio Raises $22.4M to Advance AI Platform for Protein Interaction Analysis
Seattle biotech startup A-Alpha Bio raised $22.4 million to advance its AI-driven platform that measures protein interactions, partnering with major drug companies like Bristol Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences to accelerate therapeutic development. Its platform combines computational tools and yeast experiments to analyze nearly 500 million protein-protein interaction measurements for drug discovery.
University of Washington Students' Endozene Wins $15,000 for Endometriosis Menstrual Blood Test at 8th UW Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge
University of Washington students' startup Endozene won the top prize and $15,000 at the 8th annual UW Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge for developing a menstrual blood test to detect endometriosis using a lateral flow assay. Other winning teams included Amor, creating an artificial liver support device, and OneCourt.
University of Washington Launches Vilya with $50 Million to Develop Membrane-Permeable Peptide Drugs
University of Washington researchers developed custom peptides that penetrate cell membranes, enabling a new class of drugs with combined benefits of small molecules and protein therapeutics. They founded Vilya, backed by $50 million from Arch Venture Partners, to commercialize this drug platform described in Cell.
GeekWire returns in person for 2022 Awards at Showbox SoDo, honoring 60+ finalists across 15 categories with 16,000+ votes
GeekWire held its first in-person GeekWire Awards in three years at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, honoring 60+ finalists across 15 categories with over 16,000 community votes and appearances by local tech leaders and entertainers.
DoD awards $1.1M to Seattle’s A-Alpha Bio to hunt antibodies for COVID-19 variants with LLNL collaboration
Seattle biotech A-Alpha Bio received a $1.1 million DoD sub-contract to collaborate with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, using its AlphaSeq platform and machine learning to identify high-affinity antibodies against current and future COVID-19 variants.
Andreessen Horowitz, Madrona and other tech VCs ramp up bets on AI-driven biotech startups as founders from software enter life sciences
Tech venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Seattle’s Madrona Venture Group are increasingly investing in life-science startups that use AI, machine learning and data science to speed drug discovery and development. Investors are following founders who transitioned from software to biotech—such as Sujal Patel of Nautilus and Terry Myerson of Truveta—seeing reduced perceived risk and new opportunity at this intersection.
Madrona Venture Group leads $60M Series A in Terray Therapeutics to fund AI‑powered drug discovery
Pasadena-based Terray Therapeutics raised $60 million in a Series A led by Seattle’s Madrona Venture Group to advance its nanotechnology chips and AI-driven drug discovery screening.
Cyrus Biotechnology signs protein-engineering deal with Selecta Biosciences worth up to $1.5 billion to develop IL-2/ImmTOR immune therapy
Seattle-based Cyrus Biotechnology struck a protein-engineering collaboration with Boston’s Selecta Biosciences to engineer IL-2 combined with Selecta’s ImmTOR, a deal that could pay Cyrus up to $1.5 billion if milestones are met. Cyrus will use its software and lab testing to enhance IL-2 stability and function, adding to its existing partnerships and commercial sales of Cyrus Bench.
A-Alpha Bio raises $20M Series A led by Madrona to expand Seattle lab and scale protein-discovery platform
University of Washington spinout A-Alpha Bio raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Madrona Venture Group to expand downtown Seattle lab space and grow its machine-learning team for its protein-discovery platform. The company combines computational tools and yeast-based experiments to generate large protein-interaction datasets used to predict therapeutic protein candidates for diseases including COVID-19.
Former Tech Leaders Join Biotech: Isilon Founder Sujal Patel, Ex-Microsoft Terry Myerson and Others Lead AI-Driven Life Sciences Startups
Several former software and tech executives are moving into biotech and life sciences startups, bringing AI, machine learning, and tech-style business models to companies that analyze proteins, microbes, and medical records. Their tech backgrounds are reshaping product development and funding approaches at firms such as Nautilus Biotechnology, Truveta, insitro and Viome.
Lumen Bioscience raises $16M Series B to scale Spirulina platform for orally delivered antibodies; total funding $68M
Lumen Bioscience raised $16 million in a Series B to advance its Spirulina-based platform that produces orally delivered antibodies and biologics for GI diseases, claiming dramatically lower costs and three clinical programs. The Seattle startup, co‑founded in 2017 by CEO Brian Finrow and CSO Jim Roberts, has partnerships with the Gates Foundation, NIH and others and has raised $68 million to date.
Gates Foundation Awards $800,000 to A-Alpha Bio to Fund AlphaSeq Antibody Research Targeting SARS-CoV-2 and Intestinal Pathogens
Seattle biotech A-Alpha Bio received an $800,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support research using its AlphaSeq platform to develop multi-target antibody treatments for respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and intestinal pathogens such as campylobacter, in partnership with Lumen Bioscience.
A-Alpha Bio wins $620,472 NSF Phase II SBIR to develop molecular-glue discovery system
Seattle startup A-Alpha Bio received a $620,472 NSF Phase II SBIR grant to develop a system that identifies molecular glues which tag disease-causing proteins for cellular degradation, aiming to target previously 'undruggable' proteins for diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer and autoimmune disorders.
People
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David Younger Founder, Co-Founder and CEO, Executive Officer, Director
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Randolph Lopez Founder, Co-founder & CTO
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Matt McIlwain Director, Board Member
