Rivercell Raises $25M to Build AI Model Predicting Cell Response to Drugs
Rivercell, a Paris-based startup founded in 2025 by Yann Fleureau (previously of Cardiologs) and Eric Durand (formerly of Novartis and Owkin), has secured a $25 million seed round led by HV, with participation from HCVC, Alven, and Bpifrance Digital Venture.
The funding will support Rivercell's data platform development, expand its Paris wet lab, and launch the AI Virtual Cell program. The company aims to create a "world model of the cell," a simulation predicting cellular changes after treatment, by generating its own unique dataset.
Addressing Data Gaps
Rivercell identifies four issues with existing cell response data:
- Limited associations rather than intervention testing.
- Incomplete measurements focusing on one aspect in a few cell types.
- Lack of longitudinal tracking within experiments.
To overcome these, Rivercell plans to film living cells during each experiment and analyze their gene activity. This approach will guide the model's next steps, reducing physical lab experiment requirements.
Key Team Members
- Yann Fleureau (Co-Founder & CEO): Formerly co-founded Cardiologs, acquired by Philips in 2021.
- Eric Durand (Co-Founder & CSO): Spent seven years at Novartis, led data science at Owkin, and co-founded Bioptimus.
- Scientific Advisory Board: Includes Charlotte Bunne from EPFL and Fabian Theis from Helmholtz Munich.
AI Cell Models in Development
Other notable players in this space include London's Relation (collaborating with GSK), Chai Discovery (raised $400M Series C in July), and Anew Labs (by ByteDance, raised $290M in September).
Rivercell declined to provide a valuation or a timeline for its first model's readiness.