Flagship-Backed Lila Sciences Raises $200M for "Scientific Superintelligence" Platform

Lila Sciences, a new artificial intelligence startup incubated by Flagship Pioneering, has emerged from stealth with an ambitious vision and $200 million in seed funding. The company aims to develop what it calls "scientific superintelligence," an AI platform capable of accelerating research across multiple scientific domains.

AI-Powered Autonomous Research

Lila's platform is designed to automate and accelerate the scientific process, from generating hypotheses to designing and conducting experiments. The company claims its AI models can perform these tasks "essentially instantaneously," potentially revolutionizing the pace of scientific discovery.

"We must solve the hard problems to allow AI to autonomously and in a scalable manner run each step—from AI models generating an idea to reducing it to practice with robotics and automation," said Geoff von Maltzahn, Lila's CEO and a general partner at Flagship Pioneering.

Since its founding in 2023, Lila reports that its platform has already achieved significant results, including:

• Developing large language models with advanced scientific reasoning capabilities
• Generating genetic medicine constructs that outperform existing therapeutics
• Discovering and validating hundreds of novel antibodies, peptides, and binders for various therapeutic targets

Broad Applications and Industry Partnerships

While Lila's initial focus appears to be on life sciences applications, the company's ambitions extend to other scientific fields. The startup claims its platform has shown promise in materials science, including the development of non-platinum group metals for catalyzing green hydrogen production at lower costs.

Lila does not intend to develop its own therapeutic candidates. Instead, the company plans to partner with other Flagship portfolio companies and external biotech firms to accelerate their research efforts. This approach positions Lila as a potential enabler of innovation across the life sciences industry.

Leadership and Funding

Lila Sciences boasts an impressive leadership team, including:

• Geoff von Maltzahn, Ph.D. - CEO and Flagship Pioneering general partner
• Andrew Beam, Ph.D. - Chief Technology Officer and Flagship senior fellow
• George Church, Ph.D. - Chief Scientist and renowned geneticist
• Kenneth Stanley - Senior Vice President, formerly of OpenAI
• Molly Gibson, Ph.D. - President of Future Science and Flagship origination partner

The $200 million seed funding round was led by Flagship Pioneering and included participation from General Catalyst, ARK Venture Fund, Altitude Life Science Ventures, and several other investors. This substantial early-stage investment underscores the high expectations for Lila's technology and its potential impact on scientific research.