London-based Basecamp Research has secured $140 million in a Series C funding round. The investment was led by S32, with participation from new investors including Anthropic’s Anthology Fund, the NATO Innovation Fund, Catalio, Rockefeller, European Tech Collective, and the UK government’s Sovereign AI Fund. Returning investors NVentures, Firebrand, River Capital, King Philanthropies, and Redalpine also contributed to the round.
Founded in 2019 by Glen Gowers and Oliver Vince, the startup focuses on using AI to accelerate the development of medicines for cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company has raised a total of $225 million to date. Basecamp plans to utilize the new capital to train its next generation of AI models and advance its pipeline of AI-designed therapeutics, specifically targeting in vivo cell therapy.
Basecamp utilizes its proprietary Eden foundation models, which are trained on genomic data collected through partnerships in over 30 countries. The company aims to address limitations in current cell therapies, which are often costly and complex to manufacture. By combining AI-designed DNA sequences with specialized enzymes, the firm intends to create more sophisticated and customizable treatment options.
The company’s development process stems from the founders' background in synthetic biology and a 2019 expedition to Iceland, where they conducted off-grid DNA sequencing. Following positive preclinical results across multiple disease areas, the startup is now moving its therapeutic pipeline toward clinical development. The firm maintains its headquarters in the UK, emphasizing its commitment to local operations.
