IAN Angel Fund, the evergreen investment arm of IAN Group, has led a ₹8 crore funding round in Biodimension, a life sciences startup working on next-generation alternatives to animal testing. The round also saw participation from existing investor Campus Angels Network, Dr. Sampath Srisailam, and angel investor Mr. Aaryan Baid.
The startup plans to use the raised capital to speed up product development, build out its laboratory infrastructure, grow its scientific and commercial teams, and push its products into both domestic and international markets.
What Does Biodimension Actually Do?
Founded by Manojkumar S., Ranjith Kumar Velusamy, and Pradeep Arunachalam, Biodimension is in the business of creating biofabricated human tissue and organoid models. In simpler terms, they build lab-grown human tissue that can be used instead of animals when testing drugs, cosmetics, and other products.
This matters because nearly 90% of drugs that work well in animal studies go on to fail in human clinical trials. The gap between how animals and humans respond to treatments has long been a challenge for the pharmaceutical industry. Biodimension’s approach directly targets this problem by giving companies access to human-relevant data much earlier in the research process, helping them make faster and more informed decisions.
Their product portfolio includes BioDEpi, a reconstructed human epidermis model used for safety and toxicity testing; BioDFT, a full-thickness skin model that closely mirrors real skin biology; BioDPigma, a pigmented skin model built for dermatology and cosmetics research; the Pan-Cancer Tumour Microenvironment Biobank, which aids cancer drug discovery and translational research; and BaaS, short for Bioassay as a Service, which allows pharma, biotech, and cosmetics companies to access validated human testing solutions on demand.
Despite being one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical manufacturing countries, India has largely depended on imported human tissue models and testing systems. Biodimension is working to bridge that gap by developing and manufacturing these alternatives locally, at lower costs and with faster access for researchers and industry players.
The company’s locally built platforms also align with evolving global regulatory standards, which are increasingly pushing for the adoption of human-relevant testing technologies over conventional animal models.
What the Founders and Investors Are Saying
Manojkumar S., Co-founder and CEO of Biodimension, described this funding as a defining moment for the company. He said the investment would help accelerate development of their 3D tumour microenvironment platform and expand their BioDEpi skin model line. His broader vision is to build not just individual products but an entire infrastructure for predictive and ethical testing that can serve Indian pharma and biotech companies as well as global partners.
IAN Angel Fund’s decision to invest aligns with a wider industry shift, as regulators around the world push companies to adopt more reliable testing methods that generate human-specific data.
Looking ahead, Biodimension plans to expand its Pan-Cancer Tumour Microenvironment Biobank, add new oncology and immunotherapy research models, and strengthen its Bioassay as a Service platform. The company is also targeting geographic expansion across Southeast Asia and intends to build partnerships in Europe, the United States, and Japan.
The global in vitro toxicology testing market is currently valued at around USD 14 billion and is expected to grow steadily, driven by increasing pharmaceutical R&D investments, pressure from regulators to reduce animal testing, and rising adoption of advanced 3D cell culture technologies. For a company like Biodimension that is building indigenous platforms, this represents a significant and well-timed opportunity.
Source: IAN Group press release
