Founded by DeepMind alumnus, Latent Labs launches with $50M to make biology programmable

Latent Labs, led by Simon Kohl, raised $50M to advance computational protein design for biotech collaboration.

: Latent Labs, founded by DeepMind alumnus Simon Kohl, has secured $50 million to develop AI models for programmable biology. With 15 employees across sites in London and San Francisco, the startup aims to partner with biotech firms to generate and optimize proteins. The business won’t focus on in-house drug development but will support partners with access to its models. Major investors include Radical Ventures and Sofinnova Partners, with funds directed towards scaling infrastructure and hiring.

Led by former DeepMind scientist Simon Kohl, Latent Labs enters the biotech and pharmaceutical industry with $50 million to make biology programmable. The startup emerged from stealth with a mission to enable researchers to computationally create new therapeutic molecules, eliminating the need for extensive wet lab reliance over time.

Currently headquartered in London and San Francisco, Latent Labs employs 15 staff, including experts from DeepMind and Microsoft. By focusing on building novel AI models for protein design, the company plans to collaborate with biotech firms to expedite and de-risk the R&D stages through project-based partnerships.

The financial backing includes a $10 million seed round and a $40 million Series A, co-led by Radical Ventures and Sofinnova Partners. A significant portion of funds is allocated to expanding computational resources and hiring, with the goal of establishing commercial traction and enhancing model capability.

Computational BiologyProtein DesignAI Models