HexemBio raises $16M to advance stem-cell rejuvenation therapy
What's the deal? Longevity startup HexemBio has raised $15.5 million in early-stage funding to develop a three-generation product line built on its synthetic biology platform. Boost VC, Draper Associates, and Happiness Capital backed the round, with Draper as lead investor.
What's the endgame? HexemBio's lead program is a cell therapy that rejuvenates a patient's own blood stem cells instead of replacing or reprogramming them. Its Synthetic Human Yolk Sac recreates the developmental environment where the body's first blood stem cells form; aged cells are briefly returned to that setting outside the body, then infused back.
The company is developing three generations of products. The first targets bone marrow transplant improvement in patients with blood disease. The second is an injectable in advanced preclinical development, and the third is a skin product in its final development phase.
Why now? HexemBio received Orphan Drug Designation for its lead program in July 2025 and completed its Pre-IND meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration in January 2026. It is targeting first-in-human trials in 2027.
The platform was published in Nature , and the company has filed 17 patent applications worldwide, two of which have been granted. Founded in 2024, HexemBio operates from Berkeley and New York City.
What they said: "Our first generation product and lead program for transplants is still the main priority to get into human clinical trials for 2027," said Gabriel Levesque Tremblay, chief executive officer and co-founder. Tim Draper, founding partner at Draper Associates, said the team's "fundamental breakthrough technology has expanded into three new product categories, maybe more to come."
The signal: At $15.5 million, the round sits in the top 10% of all-time early-stage VC rounds for US health startups. That places HexemBio among the better-funded early bets in a sector where investors are increasingly willing to back science targeting the foundational drivers of aging.
Image credit: HeXem Bio
