Warp Science Raises $215M to Put Robots in Drug Discovery Labs

Kevin Weil, who previously led science work at OpenAI, has launched Warp Science, a startup that trains robots to make and test the compounds drug researchers want to try. TechCrunch reports the company raised $215 million at an $865 million valuation in a round led by Lightspeed, with IVP, Mayfield, Lux Capital, Premji Invest and Menlo Ventures participating.

The training method is hands on. Human chemists wear cameras and sensor gloves while they work, and that data teaches robots to repeat the same lab tasks.

Why it matters: much of the repetitive synthesis work in biotech is outsourced to contract labs in China. Weil is pitching lab robots as a way to bring that work back to the U.S. and cut supply chain risk from drug development.