All posts tagged: Chai Discovery

Dimension Capital’s 0M third fund shows the intersection of science and compute is booming

Dimension Capital’s $800M third fund shows the intersection of science and compute is booming

Published by skeptic

While many newer VC firms are still struggling to raise fresh capital, Dimension Capital, founded in late 2022, has been raising increasingly larger funds in quick succession.  On Tuesday, the New York firm — which invests at the intersection of science and compute — announced an $800 million fund, which is 60% larger than its $500 million second vehicle announced just 18 months ago. When Zavian Dar and Adam Goulburn — formerly partners at Lux Capital —teamed up with Obvious Ventures alum Nan Li to launch the firm four years ago, they bet that founders would increasingly want to build deep-tech companies that crossed the boundaries of biotech and software. Now, the three partners admit to being impressed by how quickly their thesis has played out. In 2024, they co-led a $30 million seed investment in Chai Discovery. The startup, which is developing open-source AI foundation models for drug development, announced last week that it raised $400 million at a $3.8 billion valuation. The firm also backed anti-aging startup New Limit at its Series A round in January …

From OpenAI’s offices to a deal with Eli Lilly — how Chai Discovery became one of the flashiest names in AI drug development

From OpenAI’s offices to a deal with Eli Lilly — how Chai Discovery became one of the flashiest names in AI drug development

Published by skeptic

Drug discovery, the art of identifying new molecules to develop pharmaceuticals, is a notoriously time-consuming and difficult process. Traditional techniques, like high-throughput screening, offer an expensive scattershot approach — one that is not often successful. However, a new breed of biotech companies are leveraging AI and advanced data technologies in an attempt to accelerate and streamline the process. Chai Discovery, an AI startup founded in 2024, is one such company. In a little over 12 months, its young co-founders have managed to raise hundreds of millions of dollars and rally the backing of some of Silicon Valley’s most influential investors, making it one of the flashiest firms in a growing industry. In December, the company completed its Series B, bringing in an additional $130 million and a valuation of $1.3 billion. Last Friday, Chai also announced a partnership with Eli Lilly, a deal in which the pharmaceutical giant will use the startup’s software to help develop new medicines. Chai’s algorithm, called Chai-2, is designed to develop antibodies — the proteins necessary to fight illnesses. The …