Chai Discovery Raises $130 Million for AI Molecule Design

Chai Discovery, a biotech startup backed by OpenAI, has raised $130 million in a Series B funding round at a $1.3 billion valuation, reports TechCrunch. The round was led by General Catalyst and Oak HC/FT, with participation from Menlo Ventures, Thrive Capital, Dimension, Neo, Yosemite venture fund, SV Angel, Glade Brook, and Emerson Collective. This brings the company’s total funding to over $225 million.

Founded in 2024, Chai Discovery develops AI models for drug discovery, focusing on predicting molecular interactions to design new therapeutic antibodies. The company describes its goal as building a “computer-aided design suite” for molecules. Its latest model, Chai-2, improves success rates in designing de novo antibodies—creating them from scratch instead of modifying existing ones.

According to the company, Chai-2 can design molecules with properties suitable for drug development and can address complex biochemical targets that were previously difficult to reach. CEO Josh Meier noted that the platform enables faster and more accurate creation of molecules with therapeutic potential, marking a step forward in AI-assisted drug design.