The company pivoted in 2023 to concentrate on these areas, resulting in a successful product-market fit and a fourfold increase in revenue. Apheris's Compute Gateway is already in use by the AI Structural Biology Consortium, which includes major pharmaceutical companies collaborating on AI-driven drug discovery. The startup aims to enhance its focus on protein complex prediction and other areas where public data is limited but valuable data can be unlocked safely. Röhm emphasizes that addressing data owners' concerns is crucial to fully realizing AI's potential in these fields.
Key takeaways:
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- Apheris addresses the challenge of using sensitive health data for AI by employing federated computing, allowing data to remain secure and decentralized during AI model training.
- The startup has secured $8.25 million in Series A funding, co-led by OTB Ventures and eCAPITAL, to further develop its federated data network solutions.
- Apheris pivoted in 2023 to focus on the data owner side in pharma and life sciences, achieving product-market fit and quadrupling its revenue since the launch of its new product.
- The Apheris Compute Gateway is being utilized by the AI Structural Biology Consortium for AI-driven drug discovery, emphasizing the importance of secure data sharing in life sciences.