China-based biotech Navi Therapeutics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (“Navi”) has completed a Series A financing round, marking the company’s second fundraising since its founding roughly 18 months ago and bringing its cumulative funding to several hundred million RMB.
The financing underscores growing investor interest in next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and emerging approaches that combine artificial intelligence with experimental drug development. According to reports from VCBeat Health and Fineline Cube, the Series A was led or co-led by major Chinese investment firms, with existing seed-stage investors also participating.
The company previously completed an angel round led by Trinity Innovation Fund, with participation from Oriza Seed and Fenglei Capital. For the Series A, Legend Capital and Bayland Capital were identified as lead investors, alongside participation from additional institutional and strategic investors. Existing angel investors also increased their commitments, according to the reports. (VCBeat Health)
Building an AI-in-the-Loop ADC Platform
Founded approximately a year and a half ago, Navi is positioning itself as one of China’s emerging AI-in-the-loop ADC developers, with a focus on developing differentiated therapies for solid tumors.
The company’s strategy is built around integrating AI throughout the ADC discovery and development process rather than using AI solely as a computational screening tool. Its stated workflow combines AI molecular design, laboratory validation, data feedback and iterative algorithm optimization, creating a closed-loop R&D model in which experimental results continuously inform subsequent computational design. (VCBeat Health)
Navi is developing two proprietary technology platforms: NaviMIG®, a multi-specific antibody platform, and ReviLOAD®, a payload platform. Together, the platforms are designed to support multiple components of ADC development, including antibody discovery and engineering, linker-payload development, site-specific conjugation and preclinical efficacy evaluation. (VCBeat Health)
The company’s approach reflects a broader shift in the ADC field. While first-generation ADC development largely centered on identifying tumor-associated targets and combining them with established payload technologies, newer developers are increasingly exploring novel antibody formats, payloads, conjugation technologies and computational approaches to improve efficacy and therapeutic index.
Tackling Tumor Heterogeneity and Drug Resistance
Navi says its development strategy is focused on some of the most difficult challenges in solid-tumor treatment, particularly tumor heterogeneity and acquired drug resistance.
These challenges are particularly important for ADCs because therapeutic activity depends on several interconnected factors, including target expression, antibody binding and internalization, intracellular trafficking, payload release and the sensitivity of tumor cells to the payload.
By combining multi-specific antibody engineering with differentiated payload technologies, Navi aims to develop ADC candidates capable of addressing limitations associated with conventional single-target approaches. The company believes that incorporating AI into this process can accelerate the identification and optimization of candidate molecules.
The company was co-founded by Dr. Han Pei and Dr. Li Wei, whose previous experience reportedly includes R&D and overseas licensing of innovative ADC programs with transaction values exceeding US$1 billion. Navi has assembled expertise spanning ADC discovery, translational medicine, CMC and clinical development, while also recruiting specialists in AI-driven drug design. (VCBeat Health)
Two Lead ADC Programs Targeted for 2027 IND Filings
Navi Therapeutics currently has two lead ADC programs with First-in-Class potential in preclinical development.
The company plans to use the new financing to advance these programs toward Investigational New Drug (IND) applications, with submissions targeted for the first half of 2027. (VCBeat Health)
The Series A proceeds are expected to support four principal areas:
- Advancement of preclinical studies for the company’s two lead ADC candidates and preparation for IND submissions;
- Further development of the NaviMIG® multi-specific antibody and ReviLOAD® payload platforms;
- Continued development of its AI-driven closed-loop drug discovery and development system; and
- Recruitment of additional talent in antibody engineering, AI, clinical development and CMC. (VCBeat Health)
If Navi achieves its current development milestones, the company could transition its first programs from discovery and preclinical development into clinical testing within the next year.
Investor Interest Reflects Growing Confidence in AI-Enabled ADCs
The financing also highlights the increasing convergence of two of China’s most active biotech investment themes: ADC therapeutics and AI-enabled drug discovery.
Legend Capital Executive Director Qi Fei said the firm views AI-driven drug discovery as entering a new stage in which AI is increasingly integrated with specific therapeutic modalities rather than operating as a standalone computational platform. The investor particularly highlighted Navi’s integration of AI, multi-specific antibody engineering, payload technology and conjugation capabilities. (VCBeat Health)
The investment comes at a time when ADCs remain one of the most active areas of oncology innovation. Numerous ADC programs have demonstrated the potential of the modality across solid tumors, while pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology investors continue to seek differentiated technologies that can overcome resistance, improve safety and expand the range of treatable tumor types.
For emerging companies such as Navi Therapeutics, however, the key test will be whether an AI-enabled discovery model can translate into clinically meaningful advantages rather than simply faster candidate generation.
Looking Ahead
With several hundred million RMB in cumulative financing secured only about 18 months after its founding, Navi Therapeutics has attracted substantial early institutional backing for its AI-enabled ADC strategy.
The company’s next major milestone will be the advancement of its two lead programs toward IND submission. Success in achieving the targeted first-half 2027 IND filings would provide an important validation point for Navi’s technology platforms and its AI-in-the-loop development model. (VCBeat Health)
For China’s rapidly expanding biotech sector, Navi represents a new generation of companies attempting to combine AI-native drug discovery with sophisticated therapeutic platforms. Whether that combination can produce safer, more effective ADCs will ultimately be determined in preclinical and clinical development, but the company’s rapid fundraising trajectory indicates that investors are willing to place significant bets on the approach.
References
- VCBeat Health — “Navis Biopharmaceuticals Closes Two Rounds of Financing Within 18 Months, Totaling Hundreds of Millions of CNY”
- Fineline Cube — “Navi Therapeutics Completes Angel and Series A Rounds Totaling Several Hundred Million RMB”
- Nature Biotechnology — “Biotech’s coming of age”
Author’s note: Public reports reviewed for this article describe Navi Therapeutics’ cumulative financing as “several hundred million RMB,” but do not disclose the precise amount of the Series A. Investor participation also varies slightly among secondary reports; this article therefore uses the financing information consistently reported across the available sources and avoids assigning a specific Series A dollar amount.
