Former OpenAI Science Lead Kevin Weil Launches Warp Sciences to Automate Wet Labs with Robots
Kevin Weil, former science lead at OpenAI, has launched Warp Sciences, an AI startup focused on automating laboratory work for drug discovery. The company trains robots to synthesize and test promising compounds identified by researchers. According to Weil, who announced the venture and its funding on X, Warp Sciences has raised $215 million at an $865 million valuation.
Funding Details
The round was led by Lightspeed, with participation from IVP, Premji Invest, and Lux Capital.
Reshoring Drug Development
For years, biotech companies have outsourced the most labor-intensive work—synthesizing thousands of molecule variations—to contractors in China, such as WuXi AppTec. With Warp Sciences, Weil aims to bring that work back onshore and shield the drug development process from geopolitical supply-chain risks. This push aligns with a broader 2026 industry trend toward supply-chain resilience and domestic biomanufacturing capacity.
Training Robots to Run the Lab
Wearing cameras and sensor-equipped gloves, the startup's human chemists will train robots to perform a range of lab tasks. By automating wet-lab work, Warp Sciences aims to accelerate drug discovery with robots capable of operating around the clock—an increasingly common approach as AI-driven biology matures in 2026.