SUMMARY
- Theranautilus has secured $1.2 million in its seed funding round led by pi Ventures.
- Golden Sparrow Ventures, and angel investors also participated in the round.
- With the fresh funding, Theranautilus plans to establish an ISO-certified manufacturing facility, among other goals.
Deeptech startup Theranautilus has secured $1.2 million in its seed funding round led by pi Ventures, and with contributions from Golden Sparrow Ventures, and angel investors such as Tracxn founder and CEO Abhishek Goyal and Groww founder and CEO Lalit Keshre.
Theranautilus was established in 2020, and offers magnetically-controlled nanorobots that traverse dental tissues for targeted treatment delivery.
These nanorobots are made from biocompatible substances like food-grade glass and minuscule amounts of iron, and are engineered to precisely target and repair damaged areas within teeth, creating bone-like structures to address issues like dental hypersensitivity.
With the fresh funding, Theranautilus plans to establish an ISO-certified manufacturing facility, advance its clinical research, and get ready for human trials scheduled for 2025.
The investment will also promote its efforts to scale up production from lab to commercial scale and enhance its marketing strategy.
“We manipulate these tiny nanoscale objects, and we give them magnetic properties. Using these magnetic fields, we are able to move these things in a very controllable manner inside the organ,” shared professor Ambarish Ghosh, cofounder of Theranautilus.
Ghosh and other co-founders Debayan Dasgupta, and Dr. Peddi Shanmukh Srinivas, worked on this technology for over 15 years at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
The startup affirms that the technology is effective, having demonstrated promising outcomes in animal trials.
Theranautilus aims to introduce its product to the market by 2026, following the successful completion of human trials in 2025.
This innovative approach to treating dental hypersensitivity marks a significant departure from conventional methods, which often necessitate the continuous use of specialized toothpaste.
“In our case, we just need 10 minutes of use time and that’s it. The problem has been solved for a long period of time,” said Dr. Peddi Shanmukh Srinivas.
Theranautilus plans to introduce an over-the-counter device for mild to moderate cases that patients can use at home, alongside a professional version for severe cases available at dental clinics.
The treatment is expected to be priced at less than Rs 2,500 per unit.
The Bengaluru-based startup is exploring the potential of its nanorobotics technology for cancer therapy and other medical conditions.
Ghosh mentioned, “This is a platform technology. And this is the first big problem we are solving.”
The startup has secured five patents related to its technology for treating dental hypersensitivity.
Notably, nanotech innovation in dental care is attracting the interest of investors. In February 2024, IIT-Bombay incubated startup Piscium secured Rs 6 crore in its Series A funding round led by Unicorn India Ventures for its nano diamond dental burs.
Earlier this week, oral care startup Perfora had raised Rs 39.8 crore in a funding round led by its existing investor RPSG Capital Ventures.
According to an Insights10 report, the dental care market in India was valued at $653 million in 2022 and is estimated to grow to $1.4 billion by 2030, with an expected compound annual growth rate of 9.40%.
