Mendra, a new rare‑disease company founded by former BioMarin executives, raised $82 million in a Series A to acquire, develop and commercialize under‑resourced rare disease programs. The financing was co‑led by OrbiMed, 8VC and 5AM Ventures and positions Mendra to scout academia and shelved industry assets for accelerated development. Mendra plans to apply AI to streamline patient identification, trial enrollment and global commercialization, and to pursue strategic partnerships as it builds an initial portfolio. The deal illustrates a roll‑up strategy by experienced executives aiming to rescue promising assets from academic labs or larger firms that deprioritized them.