· Exsure has built India’s first patented Exosome-based drug that works to reduce side-effects and toxicity of anti-cancer drugs
· With its cutting-edge technology, Exsure aims to improve the overall survival and therapy outcomes of cancer patients
· Company’s mission is to revolutionize and democratize cancer therapy by making quality and affordable cancer treatment available for all
· Exsure also reported a 5 fold growth last fiscal year
· The funds raised will be used to complete the milestones of non-clinical study with its Exosome-based drug delivery vehicle and will also support Exsure’s global expansion with its in-house manufactured R&D products and promote Exosure, Leucosure, PlantExosure & Dr Berries.
· Exsure has recently launched India’s first plant exosome isolation reagent.
Bhubaneswar based biotech startup Exsure has raised Rs 3 Cr in a seed round led by Unicorn India Ventures. The funds raised will be used to complete the milestones of non-clinical study with its exosome-based drug delivery vehicle and will also support Exsure’s global expansion plan with its in-house manufactured R&D products and promote Exosure, Leucosure, PlantExosure & Dr Berries.
Founded in 2021 by Swastika Paul and Abhishek Dutta, Exsure is a biotech startup working to reduce side-effects and toxicity of anti-cancer drugs by its patented exosomal drug-delivery platform that targets both cancer and cancer-stem cells. With its cutting-edge technology the company aims at reducing the toxic effects of chemotherapy and chances of cancer relapse improving the quality of lives of patients suffering from cancer.
In the last 12 months, Exsure has initiated the non-clinical study in India in collaboration with a CRO and completed one of its milestones in the preclinical study using its patented technology. The company also reported a 5 fold growth last fiscal year and is on track to service more than 50 clients this year with its R&D products, Exosure (3-in-1 exosome isolation reagent), Leucosure (PBMC isolation reagent) and PlantExosure (India’s 1st Plant exosome isolation reagent). It has also been selected for the OIST Innovation Accelerator program in Japan for business expansion and conducting clinical trials.
Commenting on the investment, Bhaskar Majumdar, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, says, The fear of Big C is real not just for the patients but even their families. Exsure with its advancement in scientific tools, technology and cutting edge medical research has built a powerful Exosome based drug that commits to staying at the forefront of advancement in therapeutics science. The funding accelerates Exsure’s mission to deploy solutions at a global level. We believe Exsure will not only continue to sustain its momentum but also grow due to its potential for transformative breakthroughs through its nano delivery platform. The company has witnessed remarkable progress in the last 12 months and has launched more innovative products. Hence, we believe the market opportunity is huge and the company has built the right momentum to capitalise on this segment.”
In the coming 12 months, Exsure will finish the non-clinical study and work on team building. The company also plans to present its data for CDSCO approval, strengthen the team size along with expanding its product marketing and sales at a global level.
Swastika Paul, CSO & Co-founder, Exsure ,says “During our PhD journey, we witnessed the toxicity of the present-day chemotherapy drugs and how 13% of the in-treatment cancer patients die due to toxicity of the chemotherapy drugs. Exsure is on a mission to reduce the toxicity of the chemotherapy drugs and make them more targeted to the cancerous cells. Our vision is to empower millions of cancer patients around the world and improve their quality of life.”
The company has launched its first in-house manufactured products and gained collaborators/partners Pan India for its products and services. Exsure has also signed contracts with distributors to expand the market for products at global level.
According to IBEF (INDIA BRAND EQUITY FOUNDATION) The Indian biotechnology industry is expected to reach$ 150 billion by 2025 and has the potential to reach$ 270-300 billion by the year 2030. By 2025, the contribution of the Indian biotechnology industry to the global biotechnology market is expected to grow to 19%, giving hyper growth opportunity to Exsure.
About Unicorn India Ventures
Started in 2016 by Bhaskar Majumdar and Anil Joshi, Unicorn India Ventures is a technology focused early-stage venture fund that invests in emerging and visionary startups. Unicorn India Ventures launched its first fund with a corpus of Rs 100 crore and invested in 17 companies like SmartCoin, Open Bank, Sequretek, Pharmarack, Genrobotics, Clootrack, FutureCure to mention some. The Fund has emerged as the best performing early stage fund in India with the stellar exits provided by the fund to its LPs.
Fund II is a Rs 300 Cr fund launched in 2020 that has invested in 20 companies so far like Gamerji, Probus, Daalchini, Windo, HiWi. Most of the portfolio is scaling up fast and has had several uprounds.
Unicorn India Ventures is closing its Rs 1000 Cr Fund III. The first close was reached at Rs 225 crore. The Fund is expected to reach its final close this year. With this Fund, UIV aims to build a portfolio of 20 startups that are focused mostly in the deep tech sector that includes semiconductor, space tech, and medical diagnostics apart from SaaS and India digital platforms. Unicorn has already made 11 investments from this fund and includes companies like Netrasami, Qubehealth, Orbitaid, Aurassure amongst others.
About Exsure
Founded by Swastika Paul and Abhishek Dutta in 2021, Exsure is a biotech startup working to reduce side-effects and toxicity of anti-cancer drugs by its patented exosomal drug-delivery platform. With their technology, Exsure aims to improve the overall survival and therapy outcomes of cancer patients.