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§ Private Profile · Brisbane, CA, USA
Biotech company developing molecular gates, small molecule therapeutics for human health, eliminating disease-causing secreted proteins.
Gate Bioscience is a biotechnology company based in Brisbane, California, that develops a novel class of small molecule therapeutics called molecular gates to eliminate disease-causing secreted or membrane proteins at their source. The firm's proprietary drug candidates specifically target the Sec61 channel within the secretory translocon, blocking the biological pathway through which approximately four thousand human proteins must pass to exit the cell. By addressing this shared cellular mechanism, the enterprise focuses on treating complex human health conditions where conventional pharmaceutical interventions currently remain inadequate. The venture-backed business emerged from stealth mode operations after securing $60 million in Series A funding led by Versant Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, with additional equity participation from ARCH Venture Partners and GV. Gate Bioscience was officially established in the year 2021 by co-founders Jordi Mata-Fink, Raman Talwar, and Pat Sharp.
Gate Bioscience has raised $125.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Gate Bioscience has raised $125.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Gate Bioscience is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing Molecular Gates, a novel class of small molecule therapeutics that selectively block and eliminate disease-causing extracellular proteins at their source inside cells, preventing secretion.[1][2][3][7] These oral drugs target the secretory translocon—a cellular channel essential for protein secretion—and address proteins implicated in cancer, neurodegeneration, fibrosis, inflammatory, and neurological diseases, including prion protein (PrP).[1][3][4] Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Brisbane, California, the company has raised $60M in Series A (2023) and an oversubscribed $65M Series B, serving the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries with a platform enabling rapid discovery against high-value targets.[1][2][3] Gate serves patients with unmet needs in these areas, solving the challenge of targeting "undruggable" extracellular proteins that biologics struggle to address due to poor oral bioavailability and blood-brain barrier penetration.[1][3][5]
Gate Bioscience was founded in 2021 by Jordi Mata-Fink, Ph.D. (Co-founder and CEO), emerging from stealth with a $60M Series A led by Versant Ventures, a16z Bio + Health, ARCH Venture Partners, and GV.[1][2][5] The idea stems from expertise in protein secretion mechanics, particularly the secretory translocon (e.g., Sec61), driven by scientific founders and advisors like Pat Sharp, Rebecca Voorhees, Ramanujan Hegde, and Ville Paavilainen.[1] Early traction included building the Molecular Gate Discovery Platform, which integrates a privileged compound library, secretion assays, and secretory pathway biology know-how.[3][7] Pivotal moments feature the 2023 public launch, a Lilly collaboration and license agreement for novel molecular gates (with upfront payment, equity, milestones, and royalties), a Series B raise, and appointing biotech veteran Jeff Hatfield to the board in August 2024.[2][3][5]
Gate Bioscience rides the trend of targeted protein degradation and secretion modulation, expanding beyond intracellular PROTACs to extracellular proteins via the translocon, amid rising demand for oral alternatives to injectables in immunology, neurology, and rare diseases like prion disorders.[1][3][4] Timing aligns with advances in translocon biology and AI-driven drug discovery, unlocking >1,000 disease-linked proteins; market forces favor small molecules for their scalability, cost, and CNS access in a biologics-dominated field.[1][3] Gate influences the ecosystem through its platform's modularity—potentially disrupting treatments for fibrosis, cancer, and neurodegeneration—and partnerships like Lilly, accelerating clinical translation and validating the modality for broader adoption.[5]
Gate Bioscience is poised to advance its lead programs into the clinic post-Series B, with the Lilly collaboration likely yielding first proof-of-concept data in inflammatory or neurological targets within 2-3 years.[3][5] Trends like oral CNS drugs and secretion-targeted therapies will propel growth, especially if PrP-lowering succeeds for prion disease prevention.[4] Influence may evolve via expanded partnerships, additional financings, or platform licensing, positioning Gate as a leader in redefining protein elimination—transforming "Molecular Gates" from preclinical promise to a new therapeutic category that outpaces biologics in accessibility and impact.[1][3]
Gate Bioscience has raised $125.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $65.0M Series B in November 2025.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2025 | $65M Series B | Vanessa Carle | Andreessen Horowitz, ARCH Venture Partners, Scott Biller, Versant Ventures, A16z Scout Fund, ELI Lilly And Company, GV | Announced |
| Oct 1, 2023 | $60M Series A | Versant Ventures, Vineeta Agarwala | Andreessen Horowitz, ARCH Venture Partners, Scott Biller, GV, Mohamad Makhzoumi, Westlake Village BioPartners | Announced |
Gate Bioscience has raised $125.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Gate Bioscience's investors include Vanessa Carle, Andreessen Horowitz, ARCH Venture Partners, Scott Biller, Versant Ventures, Eli Lilly and Company, Google Ventures, Vineeta Agarwala, GV, Mohamad Makhzoumi, Westlake Village BioPartners.