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September 17, 2025 – Bio Protocol, the pioneering decentralized science (DeSci) platform building a new financial layer for biotech innovation, today announced it has successfully closed a $6.9 million seed funding round. The round was led by Arthur Hayes’ Maelstrom Fund, with significant participation from a robust syndicate of investors including Mechanism Capital, Animoca Brands, Zee Prime Capital, Panga Capital, Mirana Ventures, Foresight Ventures, and Big Brain Holdings. This investment will accelerate Bio Protocol’s mission to build "scientific superintelligence" on-chain, transforming biotech funding and drug discovery through AI-native, community-driven research.
This latest funding builds on previous backing from strategic investors, including YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), underscoring strong confidence in Bio Protocol's vision to commercialize the best science, faster.
"Just as digital publishing platforms have given content creators the ability to build and monetize audiences outside traditional media, Bio’s infrastructure can empower scientists to build and monetize research outside traditional pharma structures," said Paul Kohlhaas, Founder and CEO of Bio Protocol. "Our platform is engineered to reshape how biotech breakthroughs are born by enabling global communities of patients, researchers, and crypto users to create user-owned research networks that fund and develop new and emerging biotechnologies from day one."
The Web3 ecosystem has seen exponential growth, yet traditional scientific research and biotech development remain hampered by centralized funding decisions, slow processes, and limited access. Bio Protocol addresses these challenges by leveraging blockchain to widen access to research funding, promote open data, and reward scientists more directly and transparently.
Bio Protocol is designed to help scientists raise funds, create value from their research, and capture and distribute that value through commercial successes. At its core, the platform introduces several innovative components:
- BioAgents: Decentralized AI agents that convert scientific work into on-chain assets. These agents are designed to speed up and reduce the cost of scientific research while raising funding through token sales.
- BioDAOs: Community-led research networks that fund, develop, and govern tokenized scientific innovations from universities, companies, and researchers worldwide.
- IP-Tokens: Tokenized intellectual property, allowing for fractional ownership and transparent funding of scientific discoveries.
- Ignition Sales: A mechanism for low-cap fundraises, enabling promising research to gain community traction and scientific progress rapidly.
- BioXP: A rewards program where users earn points through staking, research contributions, governance participation, and engagement, granting them early access to Ignition Sales.
- BIO Token: The native governance token, allowing holders to gain voting power in a wide range of biotech DAOs and IP assets.
Proven Impact and Future Growth
Bio Protocol has already demonstrated significant traction and impact. Its first BioAgent, Aubrai, developed in collaboration with VitaDAO and longevity researcher Dr. Aubrey de Grey, has minted over 1,000 scientific hypotheses on-chain and raised $250,000 in research funding in less than a month. Aubrai’s token ($AUBRAI) saw an impressive surge, peaking at a $40 million valuation from a $269,000 pre-sale valuation.
"If it works, it’s not just a launchpad – it’s the birth of an AI-native research market," commented Arthur Hayes, Founder and CIO of Maelstrom Fund. He added that Bio Protocol could become a "category-defining launchpad" for community-driven scientific research.
Last month, Bio Protocol launched Bio V2, an upgraded platform introducing enhanced fundraising tools, the BioXP rewards program, and advanced staking features. The platform’s "Ignition Sales" model is specifically designed for rapid, low-cap fundraising of new BioAgents, tokenized intellectual Property, and BioDAOs.
William Fang, Head of Strategy at Bio Protocol, confirmed that the company plans to roll out more BioAgents and IP tokens in the coming months, spanning critical therapeutic areas such as dermatology, microbiome health, brain health, and men's health.
Projects within the Bio ecosystem are also advancing towards clinical milestones, including VITA-FAST, a longevity program preparing for Phase 2 trials in the UAE; Percepta (CLAW), a patented brain health supplement entering human studies; and Curetopia (CURES), a pilot rare-disease program consolidating 40 conditions into a single treatment strategy.
To date, Bio Protocol's network has directed over $50 million in funding to labs worldwide. With this new seed funding, the project aims to expand its BioAgent framework globally, creating a network of decentralized AI "science machines" designed to compress drug development timelines from "decades to months."
About Bio Protocol:
Bio Protocol is building the new financial layer for Decentralized Science (DeSci), engineered to commercialize the best science, faster. By enabling global communities to fund, develop, and govern tokenized scientific innovations, Bio Protocol aims to accelerate life-saving discoveries and make them more accessible. Leveraging AI-native BioAgents, BioDAOs, and IP-Tokens, Bio Protocol is creating a universal coordination layer for biotech innovation, bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and transparent, community-driven funding.About Maelstrom Fund:
Maelstrom Fund is a family office founded by Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX. The fund focuses on strategic investments in innovative projects within the cryptocurrency and blockchain space, supporting ventures that push the boundaries of decentralized technologies and financial innovation.Compiled by CMO Intern team
