Merck Digital Sciences Studio

Name

Merck Digital Sciences Studio

Legal name

Merck & Co., Inc.

Website

https://mds.studio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biotech Startup Accelerator

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Captive CVC Fund (Dedicated corporate fund structure) (FSANAHAB), Corporate Deep Tech / R&D Commercialization CVC (FSANAHAL)

Keywords

• Digital health accelerator
• Biopharma venture funding
• Drug discovery technology
• Biotech startup mentoring
• Clinical development innovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Equity Investment Returns: MDSS provides $100,000 USD SAFE investment from Merck Global Health Innovation Fund to selected startups in exchange for equity. Returns are realized through portfolio company exits, IPOs, or acquisitions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Merck Digital Sciences Studio is a nine-month corporate accelerator program that invests in and supports early-stage startups developing digitally enabled technologies for drug discovery, pre-clinical, and clinical development. Selected startups receive a $100,000 USD SAFE investment from the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, personalized mentoring from Merck experts and Centech advisors, structured workshops with industry leaders and investors, and access to a global network of founders, alumni, and corporate innovators.

Product overview

The Merck Digital Sciences Studio (MDSS) is a nine-month accelerator program — not a unified software product — that empowers early-stage startups specializing in digitally enabled technologies for drug discovery, pre-clinical, and clinical development. The program offers four integrated components: a $100,000 USD SAFE investment from the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, tailored mentoring from experienced mentors including health-sector experts and Merck professionals, structured workshops with industry leaders and investors, and access to a supportive community of founders, alumni, and corporate innovators. MDSS collaborates with regional partners The Venture Collective (United States) and CQDM (Canada) to connect innovators, researchers, and industry leaders to accelerate breakthroughs in health technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Merck Digital Sciences Studio Accelerator Program A nine-month accelerator program that invests in and supports early-stage startups developing digitally enabled technologies for drug discovery, pre-clinical, and clinical development. Selected companies receive a $100,000 USD SAFE investment from the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, tailored mentoring from Merck experts and Centech advisors, structured workshops with industry leaders and investors, and access to a supportive cohort community of founders, alumni, and corporate innovators. The program operates annual cohorts (Cohort 2022 through Cohort 2026) with US and Montreal-based selection committees.

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CentechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontreal-based technology incubator providing personalized mentoring from advisors to selected startups; hosts MDSS Montreal operations and regional selection committee.
• CQDMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian partner collaborating on regional operations; supports startup selection and program delivery in Canada alongside Centech.
• The Venture CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS-based regional partner collaborating on program delivery; supports startup selection and ecosystem development in the United States.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS: J&J's flagship life-sciences incubator/accelerator offering mentorship, lab space, and capital to early-stage biotech and digital health startups — directly comparable to MDSS as a pharma-led corporate accelerator targeting similar founder profiles.
• Pfizer Healthcare Hub: Pfizer's accelerator-style programs partnering with health-tech and biotech startups globally; shares MDSS's pharma-sponsored accelerator structure and digital health focus.
• Boehringer Ingelheim opnMe / BI X: Boehringer Ingelheim's open innovation and digital lab initiatives providing funding, data, and collaboration opportunities to early-stage biotech and digital health startups — analogous to MDSS in pharma-led accelerator model.
• AstraZeneca BioVentureHub: AstraZeneca's onsite incubator hosting biotech and digital health companies at its R&D sites; offers corporate access and tailored collaborations comparable to MDSS's Merck expert engagement model.
• Bayer G4A / Bayer CoLaborator: Bayer's digital health accelerator and life-sciences co-working lab, providing funding, mentorship, and corporate access to early-stage digital health and biotech startups — operates with a similar pharma-CVC accelerator thesis to MDSS.
• Eli Lilly Catalyze360: Eli Lilly's recently launched external innovation platform offering capital, lab space, and collaboration across early-stage biotech, digital health, and therapeutics startups — a direct competitor to MDSS for top-tier digital biopharma founders.
• Novartis Biome: Novartis's digital health innovation hub connecting health-tech startups with Novartis resources; comparable to MDSS as a pharma-led accelerator targeting digital health and biotech founders.
• Roche Pharma Partnering / Innovation Programs: Roche's partnering and innovation initiatives that invest in and partner with early-stage biotech and digital health startups; comparable to MDSS as a major-pharma-led CVC/accelerator channel.

Emerging players

• Centech (Montreal): Montreal-based deep-tech incubator that is itself a core operational partner of MDSS; comparable as a regional startup accelerator serving early-stage science and tech founders, including health/biotech verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Amgen Ventures: Amgen's corporate venture capital arm investing in therapeutics, digital health, and biotech startups; broader and more established than MDSS but operates in the same pharma CVC landscape.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mds-studio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments20 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Merck Digital Sciences Studio