Cori Clinical Raises $4M to Cut Trial Protocol Costs

The big picture: London startup Cori Clinical has raised $4 million in seed funding to develop AI software that helps clinical trial teams design protocols and avoid costly amendments.

Why it matters:

• Costly delays: Three in four clinical trial protocols require at least one amendment, according to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. These amendments can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per protocol and significantly extend recruitment and overall study durations.
• Fragmented data: Trial teams often struggle with scattered information across various documents, previous studies, internal knowledge, and regulatory sources, making it difficult to foresee how early design decisions impact later stages.
• Accelerating drug development: By catching errors before a trial opens, Cori Clinical aims to streamline the process, allowing scientific advancements to proceed without being hampered by procedural delays.

How it works:

• AI workspace: Cori Clinical’s platform integrates an organization’s internal clinical trial knowledge with external intelligence from trial registries, regulatory guidance (including the FDA, MHRA, and EMA), and public sources.
• Living blueprint: The AI workspace allows teams to transform an initial trial brief into a comprehensive protocol, submission package, and operational plans. It continuously updates with new regulatory guidance, flagging relevant risks and decisions.
• Error detection: In internal evaluations, Cori’s AI reviewer flagged 82% of protocol errors classified as avoidable, with the company estimating a potential 33% reduction in average trial set-up costs.

The catch: While Cori Clinical reports working with two of the top five global CROs and Erasmus MC, these relationships are still early, and the company has not named its commercial partners. The market for clinical trial optimization is also competitive, with rivals like Barcelona-based Biorce having recently raised a $52 million Series A for its AI platform, and Lindus Health and Qureight securing significant Series B rounds. Cori’s ability to convert growing interest into deeper, named commercial relationships will be key to its long-term success against better-funded competitors.

Key Facts

• Company: Cori Clinical
• Amount: $4M
• Round: Seed
• Investors: Breega (lead), Enzo Ventures, Heartfelt, Together Ventures, Bynd
• Founders: Jorn Jansen Schoonhoven, Patricio Fernández
• Sector: Clinical Trial AI
• Headquarters: London, UK