BioNexus Raises Seed Funding to Advance AI Scientist Agent Platform

AI-powered biotech R&D startup BioNexus announced on August 7 that it has secured Seed funding from Bass Ventures and SMB Investment Partners.

The company did not disclose the amount.

BioNexus plans to use the investment to enhance the core technology of its AI scientist agent platform, strengthen R&D capabilities, and accelerate domestic and international business expansion.

BioNexus develops an AI-based bio-data intelligence and scientist agent drug-discovery platform. Built on its core engine NexusScience—which structures the thinking and research process of scientists—the company operates a suite of tools including NexusRAG, a customized research search tool; Nexus Co-Scientist, a multi-agent collaborative research platform; and NexusDrugLab, a drug and target analysis platform.

The flagship product, Nexus Co-Scientist, is an AI scientist agent that analyzes large volumes of scientific literature and biomedical data related to specific diseases or research topics to generate new research hypotheses. Multiple AI agents divide roles across information retrieval, hypothesis generation, review, and evaluation, supporting the entire research workflow from hypothesis formulation and data analysis to validation and experimental design.

Since its founding, BioNexus has accumulated commercial references by completing over 30 research projects. The company has also built a collaborative research network with 15 institutions, including the Korea Basic Science Institute, National Primate Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, and AI Aging Research Institute. It is expanding its business foundation through technology validation and commercialization experience linked to actual research data.

CEO Tae-hyung Kim brings nearly two decades of experience in bio big-data analysis and previously served as a division head at TheragenBio. He has participated in projects such as the Korean genome map and whale genome map initiatives. BioNexus has assembled an R&D team composed of bioinformatics PhDs, AI and LLM engineers, and specialists in drug development, clinical research, and omics, enabling the company to execute end-to-end workflows from data construction and model development to field validation.

“The AI scientist agent is a technology that can fundamentally change the way researchers formulate and validate hypotheses,” CEO Kim said. “With this investment, we will further advance our technology and create tangible outcomes that improve the speed and productivity of biomedical research.”