Post by Verve Ventures

Covalent drugs are among the most potent therapeutic modalities available, yet the field has remained constrained by the limits of wet-lab experimentation. The chemical space of covalent binders is vast, but traditional discovery methods can explore only a few thousand candidates. Axiom Therapeutics, founded by two University of Cambridge PhDs in Computational Chemistry, is building a platform that navigates millions of covalent drug candidates computationally. Why this matters: - SXSW London drew participants from across the global startup ecosystem, making a 1st place result a visible signal of early-stage credibility in a competitive, cross-sector field - Axiom's platform addresses a structural bottleneck in drug discovery: the ratio of compounds that can be computationally screened to those feasible in the wet lab is orders of magnitude in their favour - The win comes as covalent drug modalities are gaining traction in oncology and targeted therapy, with several approved blockbuster drugs validating the underlying mechanism At Verve Ventures, we back companies building at the intersection of computational science and life sciences. Axiom is doing exactly that. They use rigorous chemistry and software to unlock a class of drugs that pharma has historically underexplored. Congratulations to Ryan Geiser and the entire Axiom team. #AxiomTherapeutics #CovalentDrugs #DrugDiscovery #ComputationalChemistry #DeepTech #BiotechStartup #SXSWLondon #TechBio