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Proxima

Category: AI in Healthcare

An AI-native drug discovery platform specializing in induced proximity and geometric deep learning to design therapeutics for previously 'undruggable' protein targets. Proxima was founded in 2019. The company is led by Zachary Carpenter. Based in New York, USA. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: $80M. Latest round: Series B ($80M, Jan 2026 at $1.3B+ valuation) - AI sales intelligence; NOT Seed. Key investors include ["DCVC","NVentures (Nvidia)","Roivant Sciences","Mucker Capital"].

Founded
2019
Headquarters
New York, USA
Team size
11-50
Total funding
$80M

Value proposition

Accelerates the discovery of molecular glues and protein degraders by using 3D geometric AI to model complex protein-protein interactions, unlocking therapeutic pathways that traditional small molecules cannot reach.

Products and solutions

["Proxima Design Platform (Foundation models for biomolecular interactions)","Molecular Glue Discovery Engine","Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) Suite","Geometric Deep Learning (GDL) Structural Models"]

Unique value

Unlike traditional AI drug discovery that focuses on single-protein binding, Proxima focuses on 'induced proximity'—designing molecules that act as bridges to bring two proteins together to trigger a biological response.

Target customer

Global pharmaceutical companies (Biopharma), biotechnology firms, and internal therapeutic pipelines.

Industries served

["Biotechnology","Pharmaceuticals","Healthcare AI","Life Sciences"]

Technology advantage

Leverages Geometric Deep Learning (GDL) to treat proteins as 3D graphs/shapes rather than linear sequences, allowing for high-fidelity prediction of protein-protein interfaces and the design of highly specific 'molecular glues.'

How they differentiate

Proxima utilizes Geometric Deep Learning (GDL) to model proteins as 3D shapes rather than linear sequences, allowing for the de novo design of 'molecular glues' and induced proximity therapeutics for targets previously considered undruggable.

Main competitors

["Monte Rosa Therapeutics","C4 Therapeutics","Neomorph","Kymera Therapeutics"]

Key partnerships

["Nvidia (NVentures) - Strategic investor and compute partner","Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) - Multi-year drug discovery collaboration","Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) - Research partnership in protein degradation","Boehringer Ingelheim - Strategic AI-driven discovery alliance","Roivant Sciences - Ecosystem partner and incubator"]

Notable customers

["Bristol Myers Squibb","Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)","Boehringer Ingelheim"]

Major milestones

["Founded in 2019 as VantAI within the Roivant Sciences ecosystem","Established strategic AI-driven drug discovery partnership with Janssen in 2022","Expanded multi-target collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb in 2024","Rebranded from VantAI to Proxima in January 2026","Closed $80M Series B funding round led by DCVC and Nvidia's NVentures in 2026"]

Growth metrics

Significant commercial traction through multi-year pharmaceutical collaborations, including a deal with Bristol Myers Squibb valued at up to $674M.

Market positioning

AI-native biotechnology leader specializing in induced proximity and protein-protein interaction design.

Geographic focus

North America (HQ in New York) and Europe (via strategic pharmaceutical partnerships).

Patents and IP

Proprietary computational architectures for geometric deep learning and a growing portfolio of chemical matter patents for specific therapeutic leads discovered via the platform.

About Zachary Carpenter

Zachary Carpenter is the Co-Founder and CEO of Proxima (formerly VantAI). He previously served as a Strategic Lead at Roivant Sciences, where he was a key architect in the 'Vant' model of company creation. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from Columbia University and is a recognized expert in induced proximity and the application of geometric deep learning to protein-protein interactions.

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