General Proximity, a biotech company advancing induced proximity medicines, has emerged from stealth with $16 million in funding to accelerate its proprietary OmniTAC platform. The platform targets undruggable proteins linked to cancer, cardiometabolic disease, neurodegeneration, and longevity, aiming to revolutionize small-molecule drug discovery.
“Proximity medicines are the future of therapeutics, with the potential to reduce the global disease burden like no other modality,” said Armand B. Cognetta III, PhD, Founder and CEO of General Proximity. He explained that their approach uses biological proximity to precisely control interactions between molecules, providing unprecedented ability to modulate previously undruggable targets.
The oversubscribed seed round was led by Aydin Senkut, managing partner at Felicis, known for backing companies like Recursion and Ginkgo Bioworks. “General Proximity’s technology is poised to tackle some of the most ambitious challenges in drug discovery,” Senkut said, emphasizing its potential to extend healthspan and longevity.
The round also included investments from Y Combinator, age1, Modi Ventures, Wilson Sonsini, and renowned angel investors such as Jeff Dean (Head of Google AI), Ben Mann (Co-Founder Anthropic), and Trevor Martin (CEO Mammoth).
The company was founded by Cognetta, a veteran of Benjamin Cravatt’s research group, alongside a team of scientists from top institutions including Scripps Research, Broad Institute, Yale, and MIT. Team members bring experience from pharmaceutical giants like Novartis, Merck, Genentech, and Alnylam. Collectively, they have contributed to over 200 clinical programs and 36 FDA-approved medicines.
General Proximity has also attracted industry attention, earning five ‘Golden Ticket’ awards from pharma pitch competitions hosted by companies like AbbVie, Servier, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Additionally, it secured a spot in Johnson & Johnson’s JLabs incubator.
The company’s advisory board includes industry leaders Martin Babler (Genentech, Principia, Alumis), Lawrence Hamann (Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis), and Andy Crew (Astellas, Arvinas). Together, they support General Proximity’s goal to usher in a new era of drug discovery.
By leveraging the OmniTAC platform, General Proximity aims to address diseases previously considered undruggable, positioning itself at the forefront of therapeutic innovation.
