Key takeaways:
- Isomorphic Labs, an AI-first drug design and development company, raised $600 million in its first external funding round.
- The round was led by Thrive Capital and included participation from GV (Google Ventures) and Alphabet.
- The funding will accelerate Isomorphic’s AI research, drug candidate pipeline, and team expansion to bring new treatments to market faster.
Introduction
In a significant boost for the AI-powered drug discovery industry, Isomorphic Labs has announced a staggering $600 million funding round. This marks the company’s first external investment and signals growing investor confidence in leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize drug development. The funding round was led by Thrive Capital, a prominent backer of AI firms like OpenAI, with participation from Google’s venture capital arm GV and Alphabet, Isomorphic’s existing investor.
Detailed Analysis
Founded in 2021 as a spin-off from Google’s DeepMind AI research lab, Isomorphic Labs is at the forefront of applying cutting-edge AI models to drug discovery. The company aims to accelerate the traditionally lengthy and costly process of bringing new treatments to market by harnessing the power of AI.
Isomorphic Labs has developed a suite of next-generation AI models, including the groundbreaking AlphaFold 3, which can accurately predict the structure and interactions of all biological molecules. This technology forms the core of the company’s unified AI drug design engine, enabling it to work across multiple therapeutic areas and drug modalities.
“We’re excited to bring together a top-tier investor group with deep AI and life sciences expertise as we aim to transform this industry through an interdisciplinary approach,” said Isomorphic Labs founder and CEO, Sir Demis Hassabis. “This funding will further turbocharge the development of our next-generation AI drug design engine, help us advance our own programs into clinical development, and is a significant step forward towards our mission of one day solving all disease with the help of AI.”1
The substantial funding will fuel Isomorphic’s frontier AI research and development efforts, enabling the company to refine its AI models and accelerate the progress of its drug candidate pipeline. Additionally, the investment will support the expansion of Isomorphic’s team of talented scientists and engineers as the company enters its next phase of growth.
Joshua Kushner, founder and CEO of Thrive Capital, expressed confidence in Isomorphic’s potential, stating, “We believe Isomorphic has earned a rare position to define a new age of drug discovery and design, and we are deeply inspired by their mission and the extraordinary progress they have made to date.”2
Isomorphic Labs has already established partnerships with pharmaceutical giants like Eli Lilly and Novartis, showcasing the industry’s growing interest in AI-driven drug discovery. As the company advances its internal programs, primarily focused on oncology and immunology, it aims to bring novel treatments to clinical trials by late 2025.
Conclusion
The $600 million funding round secured by Isomorphic Labs underscores the immense potential of AI in transforming the drug discovery process. With the backing of prominent investors and the support of tech giants like Google, the company is well-positioned to drive innovation and potentially deliver groundbreaking therapies to patients more efficiently. As AI continues to evolve, the pharmaceutical industry is poised to embrace this technology, reshaping the way new treatments are developed and potentially unlocking cures for some of the most challenging diseases.
References
1 Isomorphic Labs (March 31, 2025). “Isomorphic Labs announces $600 million funding to further develop its next-generation AI drug design engine and advance therapeutic programs into the clinic”. PR Newswire. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
2 Finimize Newsroom (March 31, 2025). “AI Drug Pioneer Isomorphic Labs Raises $600 Million In New Funding”. Finimize. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
3 Reuters (March 31, 2025). “Google-backed AI drug discovery startup raises $600 million”. Reuters. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
4 Nicol-Schwarz, Kai (March 31, 2025). “DeepMind spinout Isomorphic Labs raises $600m from Thrive Capital”. Sifted. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
5 SN, Vikas (March 31, 2025). “Alphabet-backed Isomorphic Labs bags $600 million funding to build next-gen AI drug design engine”. Moneycontrol. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
6 Palma, Genaro (March 31, 2025). “Isomorphic Labs Gets $600M to Push New AI Drug Models”. Technews180. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
