Key Takeaways
- • BigHat Biosciences closed a $75 million Series C funding round co-led by DFJ Growth and Premji Invest, bringing cumulative capital raised to approximately $223 million since inception.
- • The financing round includes participation from Catalio Capital Management, LG Technology Ventures, Sigmas Group, and existing investors spanning pharma (Eli Lilly, Merck, Amgen Ventures), venture (8VC, Andreessen Horowitz), and specialty funds (Section 32), demonstrating sustained institutional confidence in the company's AI-driven protein design platform.
- • Proceeds will fund advancement of BigHat's clinical-stage pipeline, including CDH17 ADC BHB810, which has dosed its first Phase 1 patient, and CEACAM6 T-cell engager BHB299, which is nearing preclinical completion—signaling near-term clinical progression in oncology-focused therapeutics.
- • BigHat's dual strategy combines a proprietary AI-plus-autonomous-experimentation platform for rapid protein design with a pipeline of company-designed therapeutics, positioning the San Mateo-based firm at the intersection of computational biology and drug development.
Summary
BigHat Biosciences, a San Mateo-based biotech firm focused on AI-enabled protein design and therapeutic development, announced on September 24, 2026 the completion of a $75 million Series C funding round. The round was co-led by DFJ Growth and Premji Invest, with participation from Catalio Capital Management, LG Technology Ventures, and Sigmas Group. The syndicate also includes a notable roster of existing investors: venture firms 8VC and Andreessen Horowitz; pharma-aligned venture arms from Amgen Ventures, Eli Lilly and Company, and Merck Global Health Innovation Fund; and specialty biotech fund Section 32. This brings BigHat's total funding to approximately $223 million.
The capital deployment centers on two strategic pillars. First, the proceeds will advance BigHat's clinical-stage therapeutic pipeline, headlined by two programs: BHB810, a CDH17-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that has achieved Phase 1 initiation with the first patient dosed, and BHB299, a CEACAM6-directed T-cell engager currently completing preclinical development. These programs reflect a focus on oncology applications leveraging established modalities with demonstrated clinical validation. Second, BigHat is investing in scaling its proprietary platform—an AI-plus-autonomous-experimentation system designed for rapid protein design and optimization, which CEO and co-founder Peyton Greenside described as the "data platform that powers frontier models for protein design."
The financing underscores sustained institutional appetite for protein-AI ventures that combine computational capabilities with downstream therapeutic development. The participation of both blue-chip pharma venture arms and leading tier-one venture firms indicates alignment around BigHat's dual-track monetization model: generating value through proprietary drug candidates while building a defensible technology platform. With $223 million in cumulative funding and active clinical advancement, BigHat has established meaningful proof points ahead of anticipated data readouts on its lead programs.
The capital deployment centers on two strategic pillars. First, the proceeds will advance BigHat's clinical-stage therapeutic pipeline, headlined by two programs: BHB810, a CDH17-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that has achieved Phase 1 initiation with the first patient dosed, and BHB299, a CEACAM6-directed T-cell engager currently completing preclinical development. These programs reflect a focus on oncology applications leveraging established modalities with demonstrated clinical validation. Second, BigHat is investing in scaling its proprietary platform—an AI-plus-autonomous-experimentation system designed for rapid protein design and optimization, which CEO and co-founder Peyton Greenside described as the "data platform that powers frontier models for protein design."
The financing underscores sustained institutional appetite for protein-AI ventures that combine computational capabilities with downstream therapeutic development. The participation of both blue-chip pharma venture arms and leading tier-one venture firms indicates alignment around BigHat's dual-track monetization model: generating value through proprietary drug candidates while building a defensible technology platform. With $223 million in cumulative funding and active clinical advancement, BigHat has established meaningful proof points ahead of anticipated data readouts on its lead programs.
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