Apheris, a leading federated computing company powering data networks for the life sciences sector, announced the completion of a Series A funding round, bringing total funding to $20.8 million. The funding round was led by leading European DeepTech VC firms, OTB Ventures and eCAPITAL, followed by existing investors, including Octopus Ventures and Heal Capital.
Launched in 2019 and based in Berlin, Germany, Apheris enables governed, private, and secure access to data for AI and analytics for many top pharmaceutical companies like Roche and Johnson & Johnson.
A large amount of healthcare data ends up completely unused, and the data is siloed across organizations and cannot be shared due to regulatory and commercial sensitivity. And insufficient access to data limits innovations and breakthroughs in life sciences due to privacy and security concerns and a lack of trust. The Apheris Compute Gateway tackles this challenge by making data securely accessible for AI model training without moving sensitive data. This software protects data owners’ data, unlocking the potential for cross-institutional collaboration.
The funding provides the capital to expand Apheris’ reach as the chosen federated computing provider for the world’s leading biopharmaceutical organizations. And this new milestone emboldens Apheris in its goal of building the largest and most secure life science data network through the connection of distributed health and life sciences data for analytics and AI, which it expects to achieve by the end of 2025.
This Series A funding also enables Apheris to host leading foundational models, such as for protein-complex-prediction, surpassing the state-of-the-art model performance based on unprecedented access to more training data currently locked down in private data repositories. Other critical focuses include providing end-to-end functionality around industry critical life sciences use cases where collaborative model training will lead to step changes in performance and cement its position as the most secure solution for life sciences data networks, supported by the robust cybersecurity expertise of its backers, OTB Ventures and eCAPITAL.
KEY QUOTES:
“I’m very excited to welcome OTB Ventures and eCAPITAL as new partners on our journey. Their deep understanding of the complexities of building a high-security, technically advanced product stood out. With their help, Apheris will unlock the potential of AI and machine learning for the life science industry by solving its critical bottleneck: access to large and diverse data.”
- Robin Röhm, CEO of Apheris
“We are thrilled to partner with Apheris as the lead investor in this equity round. Apheris is pioneering the future of distributed data infrastructure, enabling organizations to unlock the full potential of their AI/ML workloads while keeping sensitive raw data secure and local. By addressing the most pressing data challenges and allowing seamless, secure collaboration, Apheris product is setting new standards for data-driven innovations. We are confident that Apheris’ exceptional team and cutting-edge technology will drive significant value and redefine the future of AI-powered decision-making.”
- Marcin Hejka, Co-Founder and General Partner at OTB Ventures
“We have closely followed Apheris’ journey since its inception and have been impressed by Apheris’ technological advancements in federated computing. As cybersecurity investors, we recognize the growing importance of secure and private data collaboration, particularly in the life sciences sector where such capabilities can drive transformative outcomes. Apheris enables organizations to unlock value out of their IP-sensitive data while maintaining full control over it. We are proud to support the Apheris team in scaling its technology and redefining secure data collaboration in healthcare and beyond.”
- Hannes Schill, Managing Partner at eCAPITAL
