Iterative Health has netted $77m in a Series C funding round to expand and scale its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered clinical research network, which the company claims can address ongoing recruitment challenges faced by trial sponsors.
Through this financing, which was led by Google Ventures and Intrepid Growth Partners, Iterative will expand the applications of its clinical research network platform into cardiology and obesity – areas of strong growth for pharma – while continuing to expand its geography.
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Iterative’s tool, which currently operates across the gastroenterology and hepatology segments, looks to address the ongoing recruitment challenges that often plague sponsors. The company claims it can achieve this through its AI-powered activity, which allows trial operators to secure centralised access to clinical trial sites with diverse patient populations.
Currently, the company’s network comprises more than 100 research sites across four continents. Iterative has also partnered with over 40 biotech, pharma, medical device companies and contract research organisations (CRO), meaning users can unlock faster site activation and patent enrollment rates, the company says.
As Intrepid continues to eye expansion, investors involved in this financing will lend a hand, with Intrepid’s co-founder, Ajay Agrawal, set to join Iterative’s board of directors, while Google Ventures general partner, Anthony Philippakis, will act as a board observer.
Overcoming hurdles in trial recruitment
Currently, trial recruitment is one of the most significant bottlenecks impacting sponsors, as finding suitable study sites with the appropriate patient populations can be a challenging feat.
This is particularly true for ethnic minority groups, pregnant individuals and trans/non-binary patients, all of whom are typically underrepresented in studies.
However, global regulators are now cracking down on this issue, with both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issuing guidance to encourage diverse representation within clinical trials in recent years.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has put out similar guidance, which aims to address the lack of participants from an ethnic minority, as well as those who are LGBTQI+ or in the age extremes, pregnant and lactating individuals, or patients from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
During a panel discussion at Arena International’s Outsourcing in Clinical Trials DACH conference in November 2025, experts noted that equity in clinical trials draws nearer. However, they find that governance and implementation of guidelines intended to reach this goal vary at the regional and institutional level – a feat they must overcome to achieve true equity.
