Mendra, a newly launched biopharmaceutical company focused on rare diseases, has closed an oversubscribed $82 million Series A to acquire, develop, and commercialize therapies targeting high-unmet-need indications. The financing was co-led by OrbiMed, 8VC, and 5AM Ventures, with participation from Lux Capital and Wing VC.
The San Francisco-based company said it is being built to modernize how rare disease medicines move from asset selection through development and into global commercialization. Mendra plans to use artificial intelligence to accelerate patient identification, improve clinical trial enrollment, and support access across international markets—areas that often slow timelines and limit reach in rare disease drug development.
Mendra said proceeds from the Series A will be used to acquire and advance an initial set of rare disease assets that will form the foundation of its portfolio. The company is positioning its approach around combining rare disease operating experience with AI-driven capabilities intended to improve execution in clinical development and expand access for underserved patient populations.
Mendra was founded in 2025 by 8VC and 5AM and is headquartered in San Francisco. The company’s leadership team includes executives with backgrounds spanning rare disease drug development, global commercialization, business development, and enterprise software.
Joshua Grass, Mendra’s co-founder and CEO, has more than two decades of experience in biopharma, including leadership roles tied to exits at Modis Therapeutics and Escient Pharmaceuticals, as well as experience building BioMarin’s rare disease portfolio. Jeff Ajer, the company’s chief commercial officer, previously served as BioMarin’s CCO, where he built the company’s commercial infrastructure and led the global launches of rare disease therapies. Lalarukh Haris Shaikh, Ph.D., Mendra’s co-founder and CTO, previously served as EVP of Life Sciences and Aerospace at Palantir Technologies. Gregory Balani, Pharm.D., vice president of business development, previously led business development at Escient Pharmaceuticals and held BD roles at Zogenix and Bayer, and most recently worked as a venture investor at Avego Bioscience Capital.
KEY QUOTE:
“We are building Mendra to deliver high-potential rare disease medicines more effectively to patients on a global scale. By combining deep rare disease expertise with AI-driven capabilities across asset selection, clinical development, and global commercialization – some of the greatest challenges in rare disease drug development – we believe we can accelerate timelines, improve execution and expand access for these underserved patients.”
Joshua Grass, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mendra
