Avenue Biosciences secures $2.5M Seed for AI-enhanced proteins

Avenue Biosciences, a transatlantic biotechnology company specialising in novel protein engineering technologies, has raised a $2.5M seed financing round. Led by Voima Ventures, with additional participation from Inventure and US angel investors, the funding will accelerate the development of Avenue Biosciences platform, designed to improve the efficiency of protein production in the biopharmaceutical industry.

The technology promises to shorten development times and lower costs for critical therapies, making treatments such as monoclonal antibodies, gene therapies, and mRNA-based vaccines more accessible to patients globally. By addressing one of biotech’s biggest challenges, efficient and scalable protein production, Avenue Biosciences platform will transform the speed of life-saving therapies being brought to market.

"The potential for impact is immense," said Tero-Pekka Alastalo, CEO of Avenue Biosciences. "With this platform, we are not only optimising the production process but enabling faster access to therapies that could significantly change patients’ lives."

Avenue’s proprietary technology screens and optimises signal peptides, the key to guiding protein delivery within cells, using machine learning to enhance efficiency. Think of the technology like this: You are sending a package through the post. The signal peptide is like the address label, guiding the package (protein) to its destination within the cell. Once delivered, the label is removed, and the package is ready to be used. Avenue Bioscience's technology works like a smart GPS, optimising and improving delivery routes (signal peptides). The result is a platform that accelerates the development of complex proteins critical for next generation treatments, from cancer immunotherapies to synthetic proteins and mRNA vaccines.

The company is poised to launch commercial sales of the platform in Q4, which will further fuel the development of life-changing therapies. With operations based in Helsinki and a strategic headquarters in San Francisco, Avenue is positioned to tap into both Nordic expertise and North American markets, driving growth in the EU and beyond.

Avenue Biosciences was born from years of research at the University of Helsinki. Founded by Research Director Ville Paavilainen and CEO Tero-Pekka Alastalo, who first collaborated during their post-doctoral work at Stanford and UCSF, the company brings together a team of experts. Joined by COO Katja Rosti and CSO Juho Kellosalo, The leadership team is out to solve one of biotechnology’s biggest challenges—scalable and efficient protein production. Their unique approach, backed by deep scientific knowledge, drives forward the next generation of life-saving therapies. Avenue Biosciences' mission is to overcome the critical bottleneck in modern biotech: enabling faster, cost-effective protein production for breakthrough medical treatments.

"This technology taps into a rapidly expanding biopharmaceutical market, poised for substantial growth. By making the production of complex proteins more efficient and affordable, it not only accelerates the development of innovative treatments but also significantly enhances the commercial scalability of these therapies. This positions us to capture significant value while improving access to life-saving medicines across a wider range of diseases." Jenny Engerfelt, Voima Ventures Partner.

Tuomas Kosonen, Inventure Partner commented: “Their innovative approach to a persistent bottleneck in protein production has the potential to disrupt the biopharmaceutical industry. We are especially excited to support Tero-Pekka for the second time as the team works towards realising the full potential of their technology.”