Variant Bio
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Variant Bio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Variant Bio
- Legal name
- Variant Bio, Inc.
- Website
- https://variantbio.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Variant Bio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Genomics Drug Discovery
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI/ML-Enabled Biologic Discovery Platforms (computational design, in silico screening) (HLAAAIAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- AI/ML Platforms for Drug Discovery & Experiment Optimization (HLAGAJAO), Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI), Translational Medicine & Biomarkers (HLAIALAF)
Keywords
Where Variant Bio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Variant Bio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Pharmaceutical Licensing & Milestone Payments: Variant Bio enters multi-year research collaborations with pharmaceutical companies (Boehringer Ingelheim, Novo Nordisk, Evotec) to discover and validate drug targets. Revenue is generated through upfront payments, milestone payments tied to research and development achievements, and potential running royalties on net sales of any approved products. The Boehringer Ingelheim deal includes potential payments exceeding $120 million, with total collaborations exceeding $200 million.
- Platform Access & Data Licensing: Pharmaceutical partners pay for access to the Inference platform to run target discovery programs, generating upfront license fees and ongoing access fees as part of collaboration agreements.
- Grant Funding: The company receives grant support for specific research projects, such as a Gates Foundation-funded two-year project to map global variation in immune-related genes. This represents non-dilutive funding for targeted research initiatives.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Variant Bio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Variant Bio develops life-saving therapies by leveraging human genetic diversity from underrepresented global populations. The company operates the Inference (VB-Inference) agentic AI-powered genomics platform, which integrates whole genome sequencing with deep phenotyping and multi-omics data to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets. It monetizes these discoveries through multi-year research collaborations and licensing agreements with large pharmaceutical companies, earning upfront fees, development milestones, and potential royalties on commercialized products.
Product overview
Variant Bio operates as a genomic drug discovery company with the Inference Platform (VB-Inference) as its core AI-powered product. This agentic AI genomics platform integrates whole genome sequencing with deep phenotyping and multi-omics data to identify and validate therapeutic targets. The platform is supported by a network of genomic partnerships with underrepresented populations globally. Variant Bio's therapeutic pipeline includes programs at various stages focused on inflammation, fibrosis, and kidney diseases. The company also provides data generation services using gold-standard platforms (Illumina, Olink, Metabolon) and maintains strategic collaborations with pharmaceutical partners including Boehringer Ingelheim and Novo Nordisk.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Inference Platform (VB-Inference)
- Therapeutic Pipeline
- Data Generation Services
- Genomic Research Partnerships
Quantifiable outcome
- Drugs supported by human genetics are over twice as likely to succeed in clinical trials
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Variant Bio
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Variant Bio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature5 records
Variant Bio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Boehringer IngelheimcoreVariant Bio entered a multi-year research collaboration and license agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim to discover and validate novel drug targets for cardiorenal and kidney disease using the Inference AI platform. Variant Bio is eligible to receive upfront, license, and milestone payments totaling over $120 million SEK, with total collaborations exceeding $200 million. The partnership leverages Boehringer Ingelheim's extensive expertise in breakthrough medicine R&D.
- Novo NordiskcoreVariant Bio launched a multi-year research partnership with Novo Nordisk to identify and validate novel targets with strong genetic evidence for the treatment of metabolic disease. The project leverages Variant Bio's Inference analysis platform and expertise partnering with global populations, as well as Novo Nordisk's vast experience in metabolic disease drug discovery. A notable feature of this partnership is that Novo Nordisk agreed to Variant Bio's benefit-sharing commitments with partner communities.
- EvotecmajorVariant Bio entered a strategic partnership with Evotec to elucidate a key fibrotic pathway with strong genetic support identified by Variant Bio and progress the program toward selection of clinical development candidate(s). The collaboration leverages Variant Bio's cutting-edge genomic discovery capabilities and Inference platform as well as Evotec's extensive expertise in antifibrotic drug discovery.
- University of Antananarivo (Madagascar)coreResearch collaboration with the Department of Anthropobiology and Sustainable Development led by Dr. Rindra Rakotoarivony, Pr. Germain Jules Spiral, and Dr. Jean Freddy Ranaivoarisoa. Partnership with Malagasy communities from three villages to understand human genetic diversity in Madagascar.
- University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa)coreCollaboration with the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience at Wits University, building on the H3Africa AWI-Gen Collaborative Centre. Partnership with communities in Mpumalanga (Agincourt), Gauteng (Soweto), and Limpopo (DIMAMO) to create an eQTL database for understanding gene regulation across South African populations.
- African Research on Kidney Disease (ARK) ConsortiumcoreCollaboration with Dr. June Fabian (Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre) and co-investigators Profs. Michèle Ramsay and Stephen Tollman. Working with rural communities in Mpumalanga to understand kidney disease burden, causes, and prevention in Sub-Saharan African populations.
- Bilh i Genetics (Uganda)corePartnership with Bilhi Genetics, founded by Dr. Alain Dessein, to identify genetic risk factors for severe liver fibrosis among communities in the West Nile region of Uganda, where schistosoma parasite infection is highly prevalent.
- George Institute for Global Health IndiacoreCollaboration with Professor Vivekanand Jha's Kidney Research Team to investigate the genetics of chronic kidney disease in the Uddanam region of Andhra Pradesh, India, an area with high CKD prevalence.
- National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS, India)corePartnership with Drs. Atchayaram Nalini and Gautham Arunachal Udupi for the first population-scale genomic study of ALS in India, aiming to understand frequencies of known genetic variants and discover new variants associated with ALS across Indian ethnic groups.
- Mochtar Riady Institute for Nanotechnology (Indonesia)coreCollaboration with the Genome Diversity and Diseases Research Group led by Dr. Herawati Sudoyo and Dr. Safarina Malik. Partnership with communities from six ethnic groups across the Indonesian archipelago and expanded to samples from over 70 ethnic groups, combining genetics, functional genomics, metabolomics, and clinical data.
- FarGen & University of Copenhagen (Faroe Islands)corePartnership with FarGen (Faroe Genome Project, managed by Fólkaheilsustýrið) and Dr. Fernando Racimo from the University of Copenhagen. The Faroese population exhibits increased prevalence of cystic fibrosis, autoimmune disorders, and multiple sclerosis. Goal is to create a genetic reference panel representing the Faroese people for precision medicine.
- University of Otago (Aotearoa New Zealand)coreCollaboration with Dr. Tony Merriman for studies of metabolic disease (gout, kidney disease, diabetes) in people of Māori and Pacific ancestry, where these conditions are 2-3-fold more prevalent. Also a specific Pukapuka community study in Auckland focusing on genetics of gout and kidney disease.
- Groupement des Hôpitaux de l'Institut Catholique de Lille (French Polynesia)corePartnership with Professor Tristan Pascart and the French Polynesian Ministry of Health for a large genetic study of gout across seven islands spanning French Polynesia's five archipelagos. Gout is especially frequent among Indigenous Pacific populations.
- Queensland University of Technology (Norfolk Island)corePartnership with Professor Lyn Griffiths' Norfolk Island Health Study, expanding into new clinical areas and focusing on determining the burden of kidney disease, its causes, and prevention in the Norfolk Island community.
- University of Alabama at BirminghamcoreCollaboration with Dr. Tony Merriman and lab members for gout GWAS analyses and therapeutic target validation in gout based on prior genomic studies with Polynesian populations.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Variant Bio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BenevolentAI: AI platform that mines biomedical and genomic knowledge graphs to surface and validate novel drug targets; comparable AI-for-target-discovery value proposition with pharma partnerships.
- Insitro: AI/ML-driven drug discovery company combining machine learning with cellular and genetic data to identify and validate therapeutic targets; pursues pharma partnerships similarly to Variant Bio.
- Isomorphic Labs: Alphabet-backed AI drug discovery company using computational methods to accelerate target identification and partner with large pharma; direct competitive overlap in AI-genomics for therapeutics.
- Exscientia: AI-driven drug design company with pharma partnerships for target identification and small-molecule design; comparable AI-discovery platform play serving similar pharma customers.
- Recursion Pharmaceuticals: AI-enabled biotech that combines high-throughput biology with machine learning for target discovery and enters multi-year pharma collaborations; overlaps with Variant Bio's enterprise licensing motion.
- Schrödinger: Computational chemistry and biology platform serving pharma customers with target prioritization and molecular design; competes for similar pharma AI-discovery budgets.
Emerging players
- Owkin: AI-biomedicine platform that partners with academic medical centers and pharma to discover targets using multimodal patient data; intersects with Variant Bio's B2B pharma collaboration model.
- Absci: AI-driven biologic drug creation company combining generative AI with wet-lab validation; overlaps with Variant Bio's computational biology approach to therapeutic development.
- Generate Biomedicines: Generative AI platform for designing novel therapeutic proteins and biologics; partially overlapping in AI-biology-for-drug-discovery with a focus on generative rather than genetics-driven target ID.
- Verge Genomics: AI-driven drug discovery using human genomics data to identify targets; comparable genetics-first approach though concentrated in neurodegenerative disease.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Variant Bio social profiles
Digital presenceVariant Bio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Variant Bio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Variant Bio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Variant Bio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Variant Bio
What does Variant Bio do?
Variant Bio develops life-saving therapies by leveraging human genetic diversity from underrepresented global populations. The company operates the Inference (VB-Inference) agentic AI-powered genomics platform, which integrates whole genome sequencing with deep phenotyping and multi-omics data to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets. It monetizes these discoveries through multi-year research collaborations and licensing agreements with large pharmaceutical companies, earning upfront fees, development milestones, and potential royalties on commercialized products.
Is Variant Bio a public or private company?
Variant Bio is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Variant Bio founded?
Variant Bio was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Variant Bio based?
Variant Bio is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Variant Bio make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Pharmaceutical Licensing & Milestone Payments are the primary driver. The others are platform Access & Data Licensing and grant Funding.
Who are Variant Bio's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BenevolentAI, Insitro, Isomorphic Labs, Exscientia, Recursion Pharmaceuticals and Schrödinger. Emerging players are Owkin, Absci, Generate Biomedicines and Verge Genomics.
Does Variant Bio have an API?
No public API is recorded for Variant Bio.
What industry is Variant Bio in?
Variant Bio's product category is Genomics Drug Discovery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAIAE, AI/ML-Enabled Biologic Discovery Platforms (computational design, in silico screening), with a secondary code of HLAGAJAO, AI/ML Platforms for Drug Discovery & Experiment Optimization. Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 8731.