7 years ago

BenevolentAI Raises $115M for AI-Driven Drug & Energy Solutions

  • BenevolentAI, a London-based startup developing drugs and energy solutions using AI, has raised $115 million in a funding round led by Woodford Investment Management

  • The company, valued at $2.1 billion post-money, has been developing its core "AI brain" to address challenges in healthcare and energy

  • BenevolentAI's drug development division, Benevolent Bio, currently has two drugs in more advanced stages of development, including a Parkinson's drug in Phase 2B clinical trials and an ALS medication expected to reach trials in five years

  • The company's AI approach aims to solve complex problems in various fields, including cancer, by analyzing billions of data points and identifying potential solutions

  • Although the company does not disclose all investors, the round includes family offices and strategic backers, primarily from the U.S., with no participation from traditional VCs

  • BenevolentAI's focus on AI-driven drug development and its application to other areas, such as material science, positions it as a leading player in the race to develop the most intelligent and impactful AI applications.

      • ProblemTechnology

      "Drug development is incredibly slow, expensive, and inefficient, with many promising drugs failing in clinical trials. This is because it's hard to predict how different mutations of diseases will react to different treatments, leading to wasted time and resources."

      Solution

      "BenevolentAI's AI platform analyzes billions of data points from medical research, helping scientists identify promising drug candidates and accelerate the development process. It's like having a super-smart assistant that can predict which drugs will work best for different types of diseases."

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