Warp Sciences emerged from stealth on October 22 with $215 million in funding at an $865 million valuation, to build a U.S. chemistry lab where AI and robots make and test drug compounds around the clock. Why it matters: the work Warp wants to automate is the slow, hands-on step of drug discovery that many biotech companies currently outsource to contractors in China.
October 22, 2026
What happened
Warp Sciences is a new U.S.-based chemistry contract research organization — a CRO — that brings expert chemists, AI and robotics together to make and test the molecules research teams need. Its first service will focus on lead optimization analog synthesis: making variations of a promising molecule so scientists can compare them and search for a better drug candidate.
The company was founded by Kevin Weil, who most recently served as chief product officer and vice president of science at OpenAI, where he led the company’s AI-for-science work. He is Warp’s co-founder and CEO. The other founders are Solomon Reisberg, who held medicinal chemistry leadership roles at Terremoto Biosciences and is now chief scientific officer; Manohar Paluri, a former vice president at Meta’s Superintelligence Labs and a founding member of FAIR, now chief technology officer; and DJ Patil, a founding executive at Devoted Health and the first U.S. chief data scientist, now chief operating officer.
The details
The $215 million round was led by Lightspeed, with participation from IVP, Premji Invest, Lux Capital, Mayfield, Menlo Ventures and others. The valuation is $865 million after the new money, according to the company. Angel investors include OpenAI chief financial officer Sarah Friar, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.
Warp is starting with a team of about 20 people and has already bought equipment including robotic arms and AI chips, according to Bloomberg reporting. Its human chemists will wear cameras and sensor gloves while they work, recording how experiments are done so that data can train AI models and teach robots the same tasks. The idea is a loop: experimental data trains better AI, better AI powers more capable labs, and each experiment helps decide what to make next.
Warp is not developing drugs of its own and has no proprietary drug pipeline. Customers keep control of their drug programs; Warp sells the infrastructure and the chemistry work.
Why it matters
Drug discovery has a physical bottleneck that software alone cannot fix. A promising design still has to be made, tested and remade many times, and much of that labor-intensive synthesis work has gone overseas — a 2024 Biotechnology Innovation Organization survey cited in Warp’s announcement found 74% of respondents reported contracts with Chinese companies for preclinical and clinical services. Weil’s pitch is that AI has sped up software and mathematics but not yet the physical sciences, because chemistry advances only when something is made and tested. If Warp’s automated U.S. labs can match overseas contractors on speed and cost while keeping sensitive research at home, it gives biotech and pharma teams a domestic option that did not really exist at scale — and it is a clear example of AI moving from generating answers to generating the experimental data itself.
Frequently asked questions
What does Warp Sciences do?
Warp is a U.S. chemistry contract research organization. It uses expert chemists, AI and robotics to make and test variations of promising molecules for biotech and pharmaceutical customers, starting with lead optimization.
Who founded Warp Sciences?
Kevin Weil, formerly OpenAI’s chief product officer and vice president of science, is co-founder and CEO. His co-founders are Solomon Reisberg, Manohar Paluri and DJ Patil, with backgrounds at Terremoto Biosciences, Meta and Devoted Health.
How much did Warp Sciences raise?
Warp emerged from stealth with $215 million in funding led by Lightspeed, at an $865 million post-money valuation, with IVP, Premji Invest, Lux Capital, Mayfield, Menlo Ventures and prominent angel investors also taking part.
Will Warp develop its own drugs?
No. Warp says it has no proprietary drug pipeline. It builds lab infrastructure and performs chemistry work for customers, who decide which molecules to pursue and retain control of their programs.
Sources: TechCrunch, Business Wire (via Morningstar), Bloomberg via Drug Development