Paris-based biotech startup Rivercell has exited stealth mode, securing €22 million in a seed funding round. The investment was led by HV, with contributions from HCVC, Alven, and Bpifrance Digital Venture.
The company plans to use the capital to scale its proprietary data generation platform and expand its wet lab facility in Paris. Funds will also support the launch of the AI Virtual Cell program.
Rivercell develops a data engine and an AI model designed to predict how human cells respond to drugs or genetic changes. The platform generates large-scale, multimodal single-cell data to train its AI world model.
The startup was founded in 2026 by Yann Fleureau and Eric Durand. Fleureau previously co-founded Cardiologs, while Durand held leadership roles at Novartis, Owkin, and Bioptimus.
The broader pharmaceutical industry invests nearly €268 billion annually in research and development. Rivercell aims to accelerate this process by reducing the reliance on physical wet-lab experiments.
