India’s biotech startup, Utopia Therapeutics, which is developing next-generation vaccines for chronic metabolic diseases, has announced that it has secured seed funding of $1.5 million from Whale Tank, a leading early-stage venture firm focused on breakthrough life science innovations. The announcement was made at the BIO International Convention 2025.
The proceeds from this round of funding will accelerate the preclinical development of UT009, Utopia’s lead immunotherapeutic candidate targeting obesity. UT009 is a novel vaccine designed to modulate the immune system to reduce fat accumulation and improve metabolic health by targeting lipid-associated antigens. This investment will also support the advancement of UT009 toward regulatory toxicology studies, IND-enabling milestones, and Phase I human clinical trials.
Speaking on the company’s seed round of funding, Dr. Uday Saxena and Dr. Gopi Kadiyala, founders of Utopia Therapeutics said, “We are thrilled to have Whale Tank as a strategic partner in our journey to redefine obesity treatment. Obesity is a global epidemic with limited long-term therapeutic options. UT009 represents a paradigm shift by differentiating it from current obesity drugs by address the root causes of weight gain. This investment enables us to move swiftly toward clinical translation.”
Speaking on the occasion Dr. Jitendra Kumar, MD, BIRAC, said “This partnership reflects the strength of India’s translational biotech ecosystem. A vaccine for metabolic disorders and a regenerative product pipeline coming out of India and entering global markets demonstrates the scientific depth and entrepreneurial maturity that BIRAC has consistently fostered. It’s especially heartening to witness this in my presence. I’m happy to see that some of the companies now being funded by Whale Tank were previously supported by BIRAC. This is a great enabling system — and we’ve always envisioned such investor-driven support for Indian deep-tech science.”
Whale Tank’s Managing Partner, Dr Markandeya Gorantla, added: “Utopia’s approach is bold, scientifically rigorous, and offers enormous potential to disrupt the obesity market. We are excited to support their mission of bringing Immunotherapeutics to the forefront of chronic disease management.”
