Miles Wang, an OpenAI researcher specialising in artificial intelligence applications for scientific discovery, is leaving the company to launch a new venture focused on drug development. Four sources indicate he is in discussions to raise approximately $200 million at a $2 billion valuation, with Lightspeed potentially leading the round. Wang disputed the reported funding figures and company description but offered no specific corrections. Several other OpenAI researchers are expected to join the new firm.
This move highlights continued investor appetite for applying machine learning to life sciences, following recent major funding rounds by competitors like Chai Discovery and Isomorphic Labs. Wang’s startup may focus on repurposing existing FDA-approved medicines or identifying new uses for drugs that previously failed clinical trials. This approach could significantly reduce development time and risk compared to creating novel compounds from scratch, as the safety profile of the base medicine is already established.
- Wang joined OpenAI in 2024 after leaving Harvard to pursue the role.
- He co-authored papers evaluating how AI can automate scientific discovery.
- Investors are increasingly betting on young founders who have not completed university degrees.
