Warp Sciences has raised a $215 million Series A led by Lightspeed to build a United States chemistry contract lab for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Rather than develop its own medicines, the startup says customers will choose the molecules and retain control of their drug programs.
Its first service will focus on lead-optimization analog synthesis, the process of making variations of a promising small molecule and testing which version should move forward. It is the physical step between an AI model’s suggested structure and evidence a drug team can use.
TechCrunch reported that Warp’s chemists will wear cameras and sensor gloves while they work, creating training demonstrations for robots. Lightspeed said people will initially perform much of the chemistry; the plan is to automate repetitive steps such as setting up reactions and purifying samples while scientists handle harder decisions.
Former OpenAI product and science executive Kevin Weil co-founded Warp with medicinal chemist Solomon Reisberg, former Meta AI leader Mano Paluri and former White House chief data scientist DJ Patil. Premji Invest, Mayfield, IVP, Lux Capital and Menlo Ventures joined Lightspeed in the round.
The launch answers questions left by an August report about Weil’s unnamed venture. Inc., citing Business Insider, said he was seeking $150 million at a valuation of at least $750 million, with the terms unfinished and the data-collection method unclear. The official round is $65 million larger, and Warp has now identified the first chemistry service it plans to provide.