Montreal- and Boston-based DropGenie, a functional biology startup, has raised $5 million in Seed+ funding to expand its technology for gene editing and drug discovery using patient-derived cells.
The funding round included investments from BDC Thrive Venture Fund and Skeleton Key, with participation from Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, CQDM, Real Ventures and Anges Québec.
DropGenie develops technology that helps researchers conduct gene-editing experiments using primary cells taken directly from patients. Its platform can perform gene edits using up to 100 times fewer cells and significantly less reagent than conventional methods.
“Primary human cells hold the answers drug developers need, but they’ve been too scarce to study at scale,” said Alison Hirukawa, Co-founder and CEO of DropGenie. “We make those experiments practical, and BDC Thrive Fund helps us bring that to more teams, faster.”
The new funding will help the company commercialize its first product, which is already being integrated into workflows at major pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms and research organizations.
DropGenie is also expanding its business model, allowing customers to use its technology in their own laboratories, hire the company to conduct studies, or enter data partnerships to build standardized datasets from primary patient cells.
“DropGenie is building critical infrastructure for the future of drug discovery by making high-quality, human-relevant biological data more accessible and scalable,” said Mona Minhas, Managing Partner, BDC Thrive Venture Fund. “We see an opportunity to build a globally important company from Canada, and Alison has the scientific depth, ambition and vision to lead it. We’re proud to back her and the DropGenie team as they scale globally.”
“We look for science companies that are accelerating discovery with innovative technology and DropGenie is doing just that by generating reliable experimentation data to enable the adaptation of AI-assisted innovation in the future,” said Ann Lai, Managing Partner of Skeleton Key. “We’re excited to have BDC Thrive Fund join the Board and show support for a homegrown deep-tech company.”
The investment from BDC Thrive Venture Fund, a $350 million fund focused on women-led Canadian technology companies from pre-seed through Series B, will also bring a long-term Canadian partner to DropGenie’s board as the business grows.
The company is working with industry partners ahead of a broader product rollout planned for early 2027.
Based in Montreal and Boston, DropGenie supports research in cell therapy, functional genomics and AI-driven drug development through its automated microfluidic platform, research services and data partnerships.
