Vineti bags $34M to support CAR-T logistics

Vineti has raised $33.5 million to further its cloud-based cell therapy platform. The investment sets up the Kite Pharma-partnered firm to refine and expand software to automate and orchestrate the many steps involved in the production of cell and gene therapies. 

GE Ventures and Mayo Clinic founded Vineti, then known as Vitruvian Networks, two years ago to address the emerging logistical challenges associated with cell and gene therapy. The founders bet software could mitigate the challenge by orchestrating the interactions of the hospitals, blood banks, couriers and manufacturers involved in the production of personalized therapies. Within nine months of opening its doors, Vineti had a deal with Kite Pharma. 

Since then, the significance of the Kite deal and the broader cell therapy sector have increased as the FDA has approved the first CAR-T therapies and Celgene and Gilead have bought into the field.  

Against that backdrop, Vineti has pulled in its second financing round in 10 months. The June series A gave Vineti almost $14 million to support the commercialization of its cloud-based logistics platform. This week’s series B gives Vineti a further $33.5 million to further the evolution and globalization of its offering. Further expansion in Europe and Asia-Pacific is next on Vineti’s roadmap.

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Canaan and DFJ led the round with assists from Bill Maris’ Section 32, GE Ventures, Casdin Capital and LifeForce Capital. The mix of life science and tech investors reflects Vineti’s position at the intersection of the two industries. 

“We are leveraging the best of SIlicon Valley 'critical path' enterprise software to ensure that the right therapy gets to the right patient at the right time, safely and cost effectively,” Vineti CEO Amy DuRoss said in a statement.