Living Models, a startup operating between Paris and Berkeley, has raised $7 million in seed funding as it emerges from stealth to develop large-scale AI models designed for biological systems.
The company focuses on training foundation models using biological data such as DNA, RNA, and multi-omics datasets in order to better understand complex processes in living organisms.
Applying Foundation Models To Biological Systems
Living Models develops transformer-based AI models trained on large genomic and transcriptomic datasets. These models are designed to detect patterns within biological data and help researchers better understand how genetic information influences traits and biological functions.
The company combines expertise in artificial intelligence and plant science, bringing together researchers working on machine learning, genomics, and agricultural innovation.
To support the training of its next generation of models, Living Models has secured access to a computing cluster equipped with 120 NVIDIA B200 GPUs.
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AI For Agriculture And Crop Development
While artificial intelligence has already transformed industries such as finance and software development, its use in agriculture and life sciences is still developing.
Living Models is focusing on plant biology as an initial application area. The goal is to help seed companies and agricultural researchers identify genetic traits linked to crop performance, resilience, and disease resistance.
As part of its launch, the company introduced BOTANIC, a series of transformer models trained on genomic data from multiple plant species.
The models analyze biological sequences to identify genetic markers associated with traits such as climate tolerance and resistance to plant diseases. These insights can help accelerate the development of improved crop varieties.
Reducing Time In Crop Breeding
Traditional plant breeding programs can take many years, partly because identifying promising genetic traits requires extensive experimentation.
Living Models aims to accelerate the early stages of breeding by using computational models to analyze genomic data and highlight the most promising genetic variants before field testing begins.
This approach could help researchers shorten breeding cycles and improve the efficiency of crop development programs.
Expanding Beyond Plant Biology
The company initially focused on plant science due to the availability of large genomic datasets and the relatively faster validation cycles compared with other areas of life science.
Over time, Living Models plans to extend its foundation models to broader biological applications beyond agriculture.
About Living Models
Living Models is a Paris and Berkeley-based company developing foundation models for biological data. By applying large-scale machine learning to DNA, RNA, and multi-omics datasets, the company aims to help researchers analyze genetic information more effectively and accelerate discoveries across plant science and biology.
