AlphaFold has transformed our understanding of protein structure in the biotech industry, demonstrating AI’s transformative role in biological research. Now, Latent Labs, headquartered in London and San Francisco, has emerged from stealth with $50M in total funding. The company aims to design synthetic proteins with customisable properties to address specific scientific challenges.
The funding includes a $40M Series A co-led by Radical Ventures and Sofinnova Partners, with participation from Flying Fish, Isomer, and existing investors 8VC, Kindred Capital, and Pillar VC. Notable angel investors include Google Chief Scientist Jeff Dean, Transformer architecture inventor and Cohere founder Aidan Gomez, and ElevenLabs founder Mati Staniszewski.
This funding will enable Latent Labs to develop AI-driven research platforms that, for the first time, will allow scientists to computationally identify and design new proteins for a new generation of drugs — ones with higher chances of success in clinical trials and regulatory approval.
From the AlphaFold team to Latent Labs
Latent Labs was founded in 2023 by Dr. Simon Kohl, former co-lead of DeepMind’s protein design team and senior research scientist on AlphaFold2 — the project that earned Demis Hassabis and John Jumper the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In his new venture, Kohl is advancing generative techniques to design proteins from scratch.
Kohl has assembled an elite team of AI experts, including several from Google DeepMind, to make biology programmable. Using generative AI models for protein design, the team aims to help biotech and pharmaceutical companies accelerate drug discovery, reduce treatment costs, and advance precision medicine. The company has drawn exceptional talent from leading organisations, including DeepMind, Microsoft, Google, Stability AI, Exscientia, Mammoth Bio, Altos Labs, and Zymergen.
Latent Labs strives to make biology programmable and establish itself as the world’s leading AI biology research unit. The global pharmaceutical industry spends $300bn annually on R&D, with typical therapeutic drug development taking a decade. The company’s funding announcement comes amid growing VC interest in Europe’s life sciences sector, which has already attracted €1.2bn of investment this year (excluding this round).
Behind the platform: AI-driven molecular engineering
Latent Labs’ platform enables researchers to create therapeutic molecules computationally, including antibodies and enzymes. The AI lab helps partners address previously challenging targets and explore new paths in personalised medicine. Through the platform, partners can design proteins with enhanced features — such as improved affinity and stability — accelerating drug development and increasing success rates.
Latent Labs CEO and founder Simon Kohl said: “Every biotechnology or pharmaceutical company wants to be at the forefront of finding the best therapeutic molecules, but not all can develop the most advanced AI models. That’s where Latent Labs comes in. We push the frontiers of generative biology, giving our partners instant access to tools that accelerate their drug design programs.”
With the global biologics market projected to reach $1.37 trillion by 2033, Latent Labs offers a distinctive business model. While not alone in AI-driven protein design — competitors include Bioptimus, which raised $76 million for its “GPT of biology,” and Cradle Bio, which secured $73 million in Series B funding — the field also includes established players like Exscientia, Atomwise, and Tempus.
Latent Labs offers broader access through project-based partnerships rather than following competitors’ traditional model of providing technology to large enterprises through one-off, multimillion-dollar deals. This approach makes programmable biology available to more organisations while maintaining scalability and sustainability.
Transforming the pharma industry
Latent Labs’ innovations will transform the pharmaceutical industry — and all industries relying on biological processes — by making protein identification, selection, and testing faster and more predictable.
Radical Ventures partner Aaron Rosenberg, former Head of Strategy & Operations at DeepMind and contributor to the Isomorphic Labs spinout said: “We’ve partnered with Latent Labs because we believe this team will realise the therapeutic and commercial potential of de novo protein design. This groundbreaking capability can benefit humanity in profound ways. As Latent leads innovation in computational biology and accelerates the development of more effective treatments, we are excited to join them on this journey.”
Edward Kliphuis, partner at Sofinnova Partners, said: “Latent Labs transforms biology from an observational science into an engineering craft, giving us precise control over life’s building blocks. This means we can create custom molecules to tackle previously insurmountable challenges. It’s a breakthrough in harnessing nature’s components for developing revolutionary treatments. As pharmaceutical companies increasingly seek agile, next-generation tools to speed up discovery and improve patient outcomes, Latent Labs is perfectly positioned to meet this growing market need.”
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