Theranautilus Raises $1.2 Mn Seed Round Led by Pi Ventures

Theranautilus, a pioneering deep-tech company developing nanorobotic solutions for healthcare, has raised USD 1.2 million in seed funding. The round led by pi Ventures also saw participation from Golden Sparrow Ventures and angel investors including Abhishek Goyal, Founder of Tracxn, and Lalit Keshre, Chief Executive Officer of Grow.

With the recently raised funding, the company aims to become the first company globally to commercialise nanorobotics-based medical devices, initially targeting dental care applications. Additionally, the funds will be utilised to develop Theranautilus's go-to-market strategy and to advance its efforts in extending innovative technology beyond dental applications.

Incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Theranautilus was founded in 2020 by Professor Ambarish Ghosh, Debayan Dasgupta, and Peddi Shanmukh Srinivas, bringing together a team of seasoned experts with years of experience across diverse fields. Their collective vision and groundbreaking work continue to drive innovation in Theranautilus and the work they are doing in developing targeted therapeutic technologies. 

Theranautilus aims to be at the forefront of developing innovative nanorobotic solutions that address critical dental health challenges. This platform is set to transform issues like dental hypersensitivity, which affects over 2 billion people worldwide and represents a USD 6 billion market. 

Unlike traditional treatments that rely on the continuous use of specialized toothpastes, Theranautilus’s approach offers a long-term solution by manoeuvring precision-manufactured nanorobots to targeted locations within dental tissues to deliver biocompatible materials. These materials can be externally triggered to form bio-mimetic structures that repair damaged tissue, providing lasting relief. The treatment will significantly improve people’s lives by providing long-lasting relief from hypersensitivity through just a 10-minute procedure. This technology has been extensively tested in animals and the company aims to launch the first-of-its-kind human trials for a nanorobotic medical device in 2025.

Additionally, the company, backed by international patents and cutting-edge technology, aims to develop and commercialize precision theranostics-based interventions to manage cancer therapy and other diseases.

Talking about the funding, Shanmukh Srinivas, Co-founder, Theranautilus, said, "What sets our technology apart is its ability to address health challenges at a microscopic level with unprecedented precision. With this funding, we're not just developing a product, we're introducing a new paradigm in healthcare where nanorobots can navigate and perform different therapeutic and diagnostic procedures within the human body. Our initial focus on dental care represents the first step in what we envision as a revolution in medical treatment. "