Bio Protocol Raises $6.9M from Maelstrom and Animoca to Merge AI, Biotech and Crypto in DeSci Revolution

Decentralized science platform Bio Protocol has secured $6.9 million in seed funding in a round led by Arthur Hayes' Maelstrom Fund and Animoca Brands. The funding, announced on September 18, 2025, will accelerate the development of Bio Protocol's AI-native biotech research framework that integrates artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and community engagement to transform drug discovery processes.

The platform aims to compress the traditional drug discovery pipeline by using blockchain-based funding and coordination mechanisms. Instead of waiting years for traditional grants or pharmaceutical partnerships, researchers can utilize decentralized AI agents called "BioAgents" that generate hypotheses, connect to on-chain wallets, and channel community-raised capital into experiments. Each step of the research process is recorded on-chain, ensuring proper attribution and maintaining an immutable record of progress.

Arthur Hayes described Bio Protocol as a potential "category-defining launchpad" for scientific research, stating: "If it works, it's not just a launchpad – it's the birth of an AI-native research market." Hayes emphasized how the platform opens up research opportunities that communities find appealing, not just what academics find interesting.

Bio Protocol employs crypto-native incentives including tokenized intellectual property, staking systems, and loyalty rewards to align investors, researchers, and community members around shared outcomes. Paul Kohlhaas, CEO of Bio Protocol, compared the transformation to digital publishing's impact on content creators: "Just as digital publishing gave content creators new monetization channels, Bio empowers scientists to operate outside the traditional pharma ecosystem."

Simon Dedic of Moonrock Capital, another investor in the round, acknowledged that DeSci's early stages "can sometimes look like a meme" but believes Bio Protocol can play a major role in fixing the academic science system. Dedic, who comes from academic science himself, stated: "I know firsthand how broken the system is, with massively misaligned incentives that have fatal consequences across the board."

The funding will be directed toward enhancing engineering capabilities, AI development, and regulatory compliance practices as Bio Protocol positions itself as part of the larger DeSci movement aimed at reducing reliance on universities, government grants, and pharmaceutical companies while making research more accessible to communities and independent scientists.