News

AIN Ventures and VIPC Invest in Cerbrec to Accelerate AI Innovation

Cerbrec, a leading Virginia-based AI platform provider, announced that AIN Ventures has invested in its seed funding round. This investment will enable Cerbrec to accelerate its mission of equipping biotech and pharmaceutical companies, along with those in other industries, with cutting-edge tools for creating tailored AI solutions.

Cerbrec’s flagship product, Graphbook, is an innovative drag-and-drop AI platform that allows subject matter experts to design advanced, customized AI solutions without the need for coding or prior AI development experience. Graphbook effectively tackles critical challenges in AI development, such as reducing technical barriers, shortening time to delivery, and improving AI transparency for review and documentation, all while ensuring compliance with regulations.

“We are redefining the AI development process by empowering everyone to create bespoke AI solutions using natural language or drag-and-drop,” said Garrett Wang, CEO of Cerbrec. “This new funding allows us to enhance our platform and expand its reach across biotech, pharma, higher education, and beyond. We are excited to partner with investors who share our passion for pushing the boundaries of AI and are grateful for the support that will help us make a lasting impact on both the AI landscape and the broader technology ecosystem.”

Cerbrec stands out in the AI landscape due to its intuitive visual programming interface while also accepting natural language queries. This combination lets non-coder users without prior AI development experience easily design complex AI workflows, and organizations quickly create and deploy AI solutions that are tailored to their specific needs and use cases. Furthermore, Cerbrec prioritizes AI model transparency, auditability, and regulatory compliance with its solution.

Seed funding will be strategically allocated to expand the Cerbrec team, focusing on engineering and customer success roles, speeding up product development and feature enhancements for Graphbook, and scaling go-to-market efforts in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors.

“Cerbrec’s approach to AI development is truly transformative. By putting the power of AI development directly into the hands of domain experts, they are unlocking the potential for innovation across many industries,” said Sherman Williams, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of AIN Ventures.

AIN Ventures’ investment in Cerbrec was carried out in collaboration with Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC)’s Virginia Venture Partners (VVP) and its Virginia Invests fund of funds initiative. Launched in 2024, Virginia Invests has taken LP positions in six fund managers, including AIN Ventures, to accelerate the infusion of capital into Virginia startups and generate new opportunities for Virginia entrepreneurs to grow and innovate. The program, powered by the U.S. Department of Treasury State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), is designed to catalyze over $250 million in investments over the next 3-5 years.

“AIN Ventures and VIPC share a unified commitment to advancing innovation and driving economic growth in Virginia by strategically focusing on emerging technologies and empowering visionary entrepreneurs to bring transformative ideas to life,” said Aurelia Flores, Director of the Virginia Invests program. “This investment into Cerbrec is a prime example of how the Virginia Invests program is helping fuel the growth of pioneering startups. We are proud to partner with AIN Ventures in this exciting journey, reinforcing Virginia’s role as a leader in innovation and creating an environment where startups like Cerbrec can thrive.”

Joining AIN Ventures in Cerbrec’s funding round are SRI International, Inner Loop Capital, Gurtin Ventures, among others, underscoring strong investor confidence in Cerbrec’s vision. Cerbrec is also part of the AWS Generative AI accelerator and Techstars Boston.

 

Read more here.

Recent News

07/30/2026

Governor Spanberger Announces $2.4 Million in Grants for Virginia’s Biomedical Innovation Ecosystem

Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced a $2.4 million investment in Virginia’s life sciences ecosystem through Virginia Catalyst’s highly competitive grant program. Virginia Catalyst was founded in 2013 as Virginia’s research consortium through the efforts of the Virginia General Assembly and five of Virginia’s premiere research institutions. These non-dilutive grants — funding that does not require

07/29/2026

Slone Partners Names Sona Stroud and Kim Wilson as Senior Partners

Slone Partners, a nationwide executive search firm for life sciences and healthcare organizations, today announced the appointments of Sona Stroud and Kim Wilson as Senior Partners. Stroud has been promoted to the role following nearly 15 years with the firm, while Wilson returns to the organization, further strengthening its leadership team with nearly 17 years

07/28/2026

NanOptical Biomedical Commercializes Cancer Imaging Technology

NanOptical Biomedical Inc., a biotechnology company working on next-generation contrast agents for photoacoustic imaging, has started operations at the Endeavor incubator in Innovation Park, Manassas. The company will manufacture SonoVanta™, a patent-pending contrast agent that improves the precision of cancer margin imaging, supporting more accurate biopsies and tumor removal. SonoVanta™ originated from research conducted at