CHF 6.9M seed round for Alithea Genomics to advance large-scale RNA sequencing
04.03.2026
Lausanne-based Alithea Genomics has secured a total of CHF 6.9 million in seed financing to accelerate the commercialization of its high-throughput RNA sequencing kits for drug discovery and toxicology.
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Alithea Genomics, a Venture Kick winner and Venture Leaders Biotech participant, announced the closing of its seed round with an additional CHF 3 million, bringing total funding to CHF 6.9 million.
The round was led by Genku Ventures, with participation from Novalis Biotech, Zürcher Kantonalbank, and several private investors.
The proceeds will primarily support the commercialization of the company’s new 1536-well MERCURIUS™ DRUG-seq kits, designed to expand the use of cell transcriptomics in primary drug screening and exploratory toxicology. By enabling large-scale RNA sequencing at lower cost and higher throughput, the kits aim to broaden the use of transcriptomic profiling in early-stage pharmaceutical research.
Founded in May 2020 as a spin-off from EPFL in Lausanne, Alithea Genomics develops RNA-seq technologies and kits that simplify the generation of large-scale RNA data. The company positions transcriptomics as a core component of future research and medicine, supporting the identification of novel biomarkers and providing data for drug development with reduced time and cost compared to traditional approaches.
Concurrent with the financing, current Chairman Frederik Decouttere has assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer, marking a leadership transition as the company advances its commercial activities.
The round was led by Genku Ventures, with participation from Novalis Biotech, Zürcher Kantonalbank, and several private investors.
The proceeds will primarily support the commercialization of the company’s new 1536-well MERCURIUS™ DRUG-seq kits, designed to expand the use of cell transcriptomics in primary drug screening and exploratory toxicology. By enabling large-scale RNA sequencing at lower cost and higher throughput, the kits aim to broaden the use of transcriptomic profiling in early-stage pharmaceutical research.
Founded in May 2020 as a spin-off from EPFL in Lausanne, Alithea Genomics develops RNA-seq technologies and kits that simplify the generation of large-scale RNA data. The company positions transcriptomics as a core component of future research and medicine, supporting the identification of novel biomarkers and providing data for drug development with reduced time and cost compared to traditional approaches.
Concurrent with the financing, current Chairman Frederik Decouttere has assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer, marking a leadership transition as the company advances its commercial activities.