Strong syndicate of investors co-led by Takeda and Flying Fish Partners
Proceeds will advance preclinical programs in immunology and oncology
Strategic partnerships established with Pfizer and Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company, to accelerate translation and expand protein design capabilities
SEATTLE, Nov. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Accipiter Biosciences (“Accipiter Bio”), a biotechnology company developing de novo multifunctional biologics to treat complex diseases, today emerged from stealth with $12.7 million in seed financing. The round was co-led by Takeda and Flying Fish Partners, with participation from Columbus Venture Partners, Cercano Capital, Washington Research Foundation, Alexandria Investments, Pack Ventures and Argonautic Ventures.
Accipiter Bio’s computational platform is paired with high-throughput experimentation to create custom, multifunctional de novo biologic therapeutics—entirely new proteins built from scratch rather than modified from those found in nature. These proteins are designed using proprietary computational methods to combine multiple mechanisms in a single, stable molecule and can be designed for any therapeutic application. In contrast to antibodies and multispecifics, which primarily block cellular pathways, Accipiter Bio’s biologics include agonists, precisely and specifically activating multiple pathways on the same cell simultaneously to leverage biological synergy. The platform also enables rapid iteration and accelerated therapeutic development, with in silico design-to-lab timelines of under two months.
Proceeds from the seed financing will be used to build Accipiter Bio’s pipeline in immunology and oncology, further enhance the Company’s computational platform and advance up to two programs to pre-IND.
“Some of the most challenging diseases of our time are complex in nature and require combination therapies that target multiple pathways. However, drug combinations, in particular biologic combinations, have a number of pitfalls. They often carry high development costs, are time-consuming and expensive to evaluate in clinical trials and can increase the risk of side effects. Further, if individual drugs move through the body differently, they may never work together as intended in the right place at the same time,” said Matthew Bick, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Accipiter Bio. “With our unique post-evolutionary biologics technology, which allows us to design proteins that integrate multiple mechanisms into one single therapeutic, we aim to replace drug combinations by delivering more effective, convenient and precise treatments for patients.”
The Company’s co-founders bring deep expertise in de novo protein design and have utilized novel technologies to deliver multiple INDs, with prior experience from Seagen, Merck, Neoleukin Therapeutics and the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design. Notably, they were integral to the team that advanced the first fully de novo protein therapeutic into clinical trials. The Company is also guided by a seasoned Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board, whose members bring decades of leadership across protein engineering, immunology, and therapeutic development.
Leadership Team
- Matthew Bick, PhD: Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Javier Castellanos, PhD: Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer
- Hector Rincon, PhD: Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer
- William Canestaro, PhD: Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer
“We’ve reached the point where computation isn’t just speeding up biology, it’s expanding what’s biologically possible,” said Heather Gorham, Principal at Flying Fish Partners and Accipiter board member. “Accipiter Bio is building multifunctional biologics that act through multiple mechanisms, enabling therapeutic effects that conventional protein engineering can’t achieve. It’s a real step forward in how AI is reshaping drug design from the ground up. We’re excited to support the Accipiter Bio team as they pioneer a new generation of tunable biologics.”
Strategic Collaborations with Global BioPharma Leaders
Pfizer and Accipiter Bio entered into a research collaboration and license agreement to discover and design biologics for multiple targets. Under the agreement Accipiter Bio received an upfront payment and has the potential to earn milestones of more than $330 million and royalties.
"Accipiter’s platform technology for de novo protein design has the potential to unlock new classes of biologics,” said Jeffrey Settleman, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Pfizer Oncology R&D. “With Accipiter’s platform technology and collaboration, Pfizer aims to solve complex therapeutic problems with biologics that may have previously been unattainable. We are encouraged by this technology and look forward to continuing our collaboration with Accipiter and delivering value to patients."
Accipiter Bio has also entered into a multitarget agreement with Kite Pharma to generate molecules against targets of interest for use in cell therapies. Kite will have the option to acquire selected molecules for worldwide therapeutic development. Under the agreement Kite will make an upfront payment to Accipiter, and Accipiter will be eligible to receive performance-based milestone payments and royalties to expand the Company’s protein design capabilities and help accelerate the translation of its platform toward clinical impact.
About Accipiter Biosciences
Accipiter Biosciences is a Seattle-based biotechnology company pioneering the design of de novo biologics for complex diseases. By leveraging advanced computational methods, the company creates multifunctional proteins that integrate multiple mechanisms in a single molecule, with the goal of delivering safer, more effective, and more convenient therapies for patients. For more information, please visit www.accipiterbio.com.
About Takeda
Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries. For more information, visit www.takeda.com.
About Flying Fish Partners
Flying Fish Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in AI/ML startups and AI infrastructure. The fund was founded by previous Microsoft AI team in 2017 and is heavily indexed to backing technical founders who are solving complex problems in their respective fields.
Media Contact
press@accipiterbio.com
