Mendra Launches with $82 Million to Focus on Unmet Needs in Rare Disease

Rare Daily Staff

Mendra, a biopharmaceutical company seeking to advance rare disease therapies utilizing artificial intelligence, announced its launch and the closing of an $82 million, oversubscribed Series A financing.

OrbiMed, 8VC, and 5AM Ventures co-led the round, with participation from Lux Capital and Wing VC.

Mendra said it aims to modernize the development and commercialization of rare disease therapies to more efficiently reach patients globally. The company plans to employ AI to accelerate patient identification, clinical trial enrollment, and access to global markets. Funds from the financing will be used to acquire and develop initial rare disease assets for Mendra’s portfolio.

The Mendra leadership team includes co-founder and CEO Joshua Grass, who brings more than 20 years of biopharma leadership experience, including successful exits at Modis Therapeutics and Escient Pharmaceuticals, and an integral role in building BioMarin’s rare disease portfolio. Chief Commercial Officer Jeff Ajer has more than 25 years of global commercialization experience, including serving as chief commercial officer at BioMarin, where he built and led the company’s commercial infrastructure and launched multiple rare disease therapies worldwide.

Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Lalarukh Haris Shaikh brings deep experience at the intersection of life sciences, healthcare, and technology; she previously served as executive vice president of life sciences and aerospace at Palantir Technologies.

“We are building Mendra to deliver high-potential rare disease medicines more effectively to patients on a global scale,” Grass said in a statement. “By combining deep rare disease expertise with AI-driven capabilities across asset selection, clinical development, and global commercialization — some of the greatest challenges in rare disease drug development — we believe we can accelerate timelines, improve execution, and expand access for these underserved patients.”