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Kerna Labs — Series A
In Conversation Fund: StoryHouse Fund II
Dossier generated 2026-05-27 by /deal-dossier  ·  Deal record: rectspvOlz2Jhu37s  ·  Source: Airtable appjxAR3LPe3fkHOp

One-Liner & Thesis

Kerna Labs builds foundation models of RNA to unlock the full potential of mRNA as a therapeutic modality (beyond vaccines) Kerna Labs operates in Biotech; this dossier captures the Series A we participated in.

via StoryHouse Fund II.

Deal Box

Fund
StoryHouse Fund II
Funding Round
Series A

Company Snapshot

Sector
Biotech
Location
Bay Area, California
Year Founded
2024-04-01
Total Raised
$6.1M
Website
kernalabs.ai
Status
Private

Founders

Julia Peng
Co-founder and CEO. Previously led GTM initiatives at Confluent and founded a biomaterials company. Enjoys yoga, hiking, exploring deserts, and time with her dog.
LinkedIn julia@kernalabs.ai
Amit Deshwar
ML-in-bio PhD; ex-Google; ex-SVP Platform at Deep Genomics; certified yoga instructor.
LinkedIn amit@kernalabs.ai
Michael Swift
Scientist and founder building Kerna Labs to develop foundation models for RNA, applying AI-driven optimization to advance mRNA design, delivery, and therapeutic performance beyond vaccines.
LinkedIn michael@kernalabs.ai

Latest Meeting Notes

2026-05-22 — DDeal Call Notes - 2026-05-22

RAW NOTES: Good brief conversation with Amit Deshwar, co-founder of Kerna Labs. According to Amit, data has progressed well, and they feel ready for a good story with Series A (or next financing). Amit says they have nearly finalized all their investment materials in the data room and are just waiting on some more data and are already having pre…

Source: Meeting Notes recnM1tDPtlaBKdbz
StoryHouse Ventures · Private · Generated 2026-05-27 05:00 UTC