# Mendra

> Mendra is an AI-native biopharmaceutical company based in San Francisco that acquires, develops, and commercializes therapies for rare and ultra-rare diseases with high unmet need. Founded in 2025 and launched publicly in January 2026 with an $82 million Series A, the company is run by veterans of BioMarin, Palantir, and other rare disease programs. Rather than discovering compounds from scratch, Mendra systematically scans, scores, and acquires shelved or under-resourced rare disease assets from academia, small biotechs, and big pharma, then uses AI to accelerate patient identification, clinical trial enrollment, and global market access.

- **Founded:** 2025
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founders:** Joshua Grass (Co-founder & CEO), Lalarukh Haris Shaikh (Co-founder & CTO)
- **Team size:** 9 employees
- **Products:** AI-driven asset selection, Clinical development acceleration, Global commercialization
- **Notable:** Launched in January 2026 with an oversubscribed $82 million Series A., Assembled a leadership team spanning BioMarin, Palantir, Modis Therapeutics, and Escient Pharmaceuticals., Backed by top-tier investors OrbiMed, 8VC, 5AM Ventures, Lux Capital, and Wing VC.

## Products & services

- **AI-driven asset selection** — Systematically scans, scores, and prioritizes rare-disease assets across academia, small biotechs, and big pharma portfolios to identify where the company can add value.
- **Clinical development acceleration** — Uses AI to speed patient identification, data curation, and clinical trial enrollment for rare and ultra-rare diseases.
- **Global commercialization** — Handles regulatory strategy, reimbursement planning, and worldwide market access for acquired rare disease therapies.

## Achievements

- Launched in January 2026 with an oversubscribed $82 million Series A.
- Assembled a leadership team spanning BioMarin, Palantir, Modis Therapeutics, and Escient Pharmaceuticals.
- Backed by top-tier investors OrbiMed, 8VC, 5AM Ventures, Lux Capital, and Wing VC.
- Founded and incubated by 8VC and 5AM Ventures in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Mendra emerged from stealth and announced an $82 million oversubscribed Series A co-led by OrbiMed, 8VC, and 5AM Ventures to acquire and develop its initial rare disease assets.

## Links

- Website: https://mendra.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mendrainc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mendra
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-11