Hermes Biosciences Secures Seed Funding for Advanced EV Isolation Technology

Hermes Biosciences, a life science tools company focused on developing a benchtop, hands-off system for isolating extracellular vesicles (EVs), has successfully raised a Seed financing round aimed at delivering its first commercial instrument in 2026. This initiative targets clinical researchers within academia, Pharma, and clinical settings that require standardized and scalable workflows. The funding round was led by Genoa Ventures, with contributions from Paladin Capital Group and Vertical Venture Partners. Additionally, pre-Seed capital and company formation support were provided by Genoa’s venture studio, General Inception.

Extracellular vesicles are nano-scale packets that facilitate communication between cells, released into bodily fluids like blood and urine. They carry specific molecular cargo that reflects the state of cells and disease biology, making them valuable for understanding, diagnosing, and treating various conditions, including cancer and degenerative diseases. Despite their potential, current EV isolation methods present challenges; they are often slow, inconsistent, and difficult to scale. Traditional ultracentrifugation is cumbersome and unsuitable for clinical workflows, while column-based kits introduce variability, creating a pressing need for reliable, high-quality EV isolation tools.

“EVs carry information that could fundamentally change how we detect and understand disease, but unlocking that value depends on being able to isolate and study them reliably,” said Paco Cifuentes, PhD, CEO of Hermes Biosciences. “Our technology opens the door for the clinical and research community to use EVs as an analyte of choice, addressing the sensitivity shortcomings of circulating tumor DNA and proteins, especially for early disease detection and progression. Providing easy and scalable access to EVs with our platform has the potential to impact lives through better therapeutic insights and earlier disease detection.”

The Hermes platform builds upon nanofiltration technology developed by co-founder and Stanford University School of Medicine professor Utkan Demirci, PhD. It isolates EVs with remarkable yield and purity through a fully automated workflow. The system can produce up to 10 times more vesicles than traditional ultracentrifugation and other commercial platforms while maintaining vesicle integrity and molecular content. Its integrated, hands-off design facilitates high-throughput operation and supports the clinical and translational use of EVs.

“The Hermes platform enables collaborators across translational research to tap into the molecular conversations between cells, revealing how cells grow, communicate, and drive disease progression,” stated Vikram Chaudhery, PhD, Partner at Genoa Ventures and President of General Inception. “Through our venture studio, General Inception, we were able to help translate this breakthrough technology into a company with a great team, great science, and a clear opportunity for outsized impact in human health. This is exactly what we look for in a Genoa portfolio company, and we’re excited to support Hermes Biosciences in the journey ahead.”