Aureka Biotechnologies

About Aureka Biotechnologies

Aureka Biotechnologies is a TechBio company founded in 2023 by Dr. Weian Zhao (CEO) and Alon Wellner (VP Biology). With locations in Laguna Hills, California, and Shanghai, the company aims to reshape the drug discovery process. Aureka has developed an AI-native platform that integrates digital biology, machine learning, and high-throughput experimental platforms to design and optimize protein and antibody therapeutics. The firm's business model involves both developing its own pipeline of drugs and forming strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical companies to co-discover and develop new medicines. Over the past two years, Aureka has generated tens of millions of US dollars in commercial revenue. The company has secured significant funding, reaching a total of nearly $200 million by August 2026. This includes a Series A round in November 2025, a Series A+ in April 2026, and a $100 million Series B round in August 2026. Key investors include Granite Asia, HighLight Capital, Qiming Venture Partners, 5Y Capital, and HSG. The capital is being used to advance its biological foundation models, such as its flagship protein model AuraIDE, and to upgrade its "Lab-in-the-Loop" experimental feedback engine. Aureka's technology platform combines several key components to create a closed-loop system that accelerates therapeutic design. This includes high-throughput synthetic biology for generating vast libraries of therapeutic candidates, proprietary single-cell functional screening (AuraGlow), and an autonomous evolution platform in yeast. The data from these wet-lab experiments continuously trains the company's generative AI engine, AuraPicasso, which designs and refines antibody candidates. This 'Generate-Test-Learn-Optimize' cycle allows the company to tackle difficult targets and develop therapeutics for autoimmune, cardiometabolic, and inflammatory diseases.