Cassidy Bio has officially launched with $8 million in seed financing to build what it describes as the first AI-driven genomic foundation model to transform how gene-editing therapies are developed. The round was led by Ahren Innovation Capital, with participation from Lool Ventures and 10D VC, and funding from AstraZeneca and Merck KGaA through AION Labs’ venture seeding track.
Headquartered in Tel Aviv, Cassidy Bio aims to address one of the biggest challenges in genetic medicine: the slow, manual, and often uncertain process of designing effective gene editing therapies. While genome editing has delivered breakthroughs for individual diseases, the industry has struggled to scale these successes due to fragmented workflows, inconsistent data, and limitations in target selection, delivery, specificity, and efficacy.
Cassidy Bio’s platform integrates wet-lab validation, population-scale genomics, and advanced machine learning to predict optimal combinations of guides, enzymes, and delivery methods. By shifting from reactive trial-and-error workflows to predictive design, the company plans to accelerate the development of safe, reliable therapies while providing earlier clinical confidence, which has historically been difficult to achieve.
The founding team unites leaders across gene editing and artificial intelligence. CEO Rom Kshuk, a serial biotech entrepreneur, is joined by CRISPR scientist Ayal Hendel, PhD, and AI researcher Yaniv Shmueli, PhD. The company also introduced its Scientific Advisory Board, which includes Vic Myer, PhD, former CTO of Editas Medicine; Saar Gill, MD, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania; Doron Lipson, PhD, former CSO of Ultima Genomics; and Daniel O’Connell, PhD, formerly of Intellia Therapeutics.
With the new funding, Cassidy Bio will continue building its holistic gene editing design platform, which uses foundation models trained on proprietary biological data. The company believes this approach will allow researchers to move beyond isolated therapeutic successes and instead create a scalable, programmable system capable of designing end-to-end genetic medicines.
Ahren Innovation Capital’s involvement reflects increasing investor interest in AI-enabled biotechnology, and the firm noted confidence in Cassidy Bio’s ability to tackle what it views as one of the most difficult challenges in modern medicine. As gene editing continues to expand beyond single-disease breakthroughs, Cassidy Bio aims to position itself as a central technology provider that enables precision, predictability, and scale across therapeutic programs.
KEY QUOTES
“The promise of genome editing will only be realized when we move beyond isolated successes and build a foundation that can scale. Clinical confidence at the earliest stages of design is essential if we are to unlock the full potential of this field and bring therapies to millions of patients who stand to benefit.”
Rom Kshuk, CEO of Cassidy Bio
“The Cassidy team brings together leaders who have scaled biotech companies, pioneered CRISPR science, and advanced AI at the frontier. That depth of expertise gives us confidence they can tackle one of the hardest problems in medicine with both speed and rigor.”
Oliver Hedaux, Principal at Ahren Innovation Capital
