Fertility startup Inito wants to use AI-designed antibodies to expand at-home health tests

Inito, a pioneering fertility startup, has successfully secured $29 million in Series B funding aimed at enhancing its at-home health diagnostics platform. The company plans to leverage AI-designed antibodies to introduce innovative testing solutions for consumers. Launched in 2021, Inito's initial product was a fertility monitor that enabled users to conduct quantitative hormone testing in the comfort of their homes. Unlike traditional ovulation tests that primarily focus on estrogen and Luteinizing hormone (LH), Inito’s technology measures progesterone metabolite PdG, which confirms ovulation. With its unique test strips, women can now assess levels of estrogen, LH, progesterone (PdG), and FSH simultaneously. Since its inception, Inito has gained traction among women tracking their fertility, analyzing an impressive 30 million hormone data points over the past two years. The startup is committed to expanding its mission of making healthcare accessible at home and aims to evolve from a fertility tracker into a comprehensive hormone and health diagnostics platform. The newly acquired funds will facilitate the development of AI-engineered antibodies, which Inito believes will enhance the accuracy of existing tests and pave the way for new testing modalities. Unlike traditional antibodies, which are cultivated in animals and are often costly and time-consuming to produce, AI-designed antibodies can be synthesized more efficiently. Co-founder and CTO Varun A Venkatesan explained that these antibodies are designed using predictive models that simulate protein folding, allowing for the testing of numerous variants digitally before any lab work is conducted. This innovative approach promises to create antibodies that are not only more sensitive and consistent but also more stable than those generated through conventional methods. As Venkatesan stated, the implications of this technology could usher in a new era of at-home testing. Inito's vision extends beyond fertility tracking. Co-founder and CEO Aayush Rai emphasized that the ultimate goal is to transform the landscape of diagnostics entirely. He envisions a system where individuals can monitor their health without the constraints of clinic visits or rigid testing protocols. With this ambition, Inito plans to incorporate tests related to pregnancy, menopause, and other health markers into its platform. The funding will also allow Inito to scale its manufacturing operations and expand into new international markets, further addressing the rising demand in the United States and beyond. With this latest round, Inito's total funding has reached approximately $45 million, following previous investments from Fireside Ventures and Y Combinator, among others.