Former OpenAI head of science Kevin Weil launches Warp Sciences: $215 million at an $865 million valuation for automated labs for drug development
Prepared by Sintelligent with the help of SI. Published in SI: . Updated: .
Another OpenAI alumnus is betting on automated laboratories for drug development.
Warp Sciences emerged from stealth with a $215 million round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners (also IVP, Premji Invest and Lux Capital); the post-money valuation is $865 million. Besides Weil, the co-founders are Manohar Paluri (formerly a vice president at Meta Superintelligence Labs), DJ Patil and Solomon Reisberg. According to The Next Web, the company builds automated laboratory equipment for the stage at which chemists make hundreds or thousands of versions of a promising molecule to improve its efficacy and reduce side effects; this work is usually outsourced to Chinese contractors. Angel investors include OpenAI chief financial officer Sarah Friar, Coinbase chief executive Brian Armstrong and Reid Hoffman.
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