Lila Sciences, a fast-growing AI startup focused on scientific discovery, has raised $115 million in an extension of its Series A round led by Nvidia’s venture arm, pushing its valuation above $1.3 billion, the company told Reuters. The latest investment brings Lila’s total Series A funding to $350 million and its cumulative capital raised to $550 million, underscoring investors’ confidence in AI for science.
Founded in 2023 by Flagship Pioneering, Lila aims to create what it calls “scientific superintelligence” — a network of specialized AI systems paired with automated laboratories capable of running continuous experiments. Its investors include General Catalyst and a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
Lila said the funds will speed up the rollout of its AI Science Factories, vast facilities equipped with robotic instruments controlled by AI. The company recently signed a 235,500-square-foot lease in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the largest new lab spaces in the Greater Boston area this year.
The startup plans to open its AI platform to commercial customers, allowing companies in energy, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals to use its automated systems for scientific discovery. Unlike traditional AI labs focused on internet data, Lila’s approach generates proprietary experimental data, which it says is key to the next era of AI-driven innovation.
CEO Geoffrey von Maltzahn said the company’s mission is to accelerate the scientific method itself. “It will set in motion the scientific method in a new form,” he said, describing how Lila’s technology has already produced thousands of discoveries across life sciences, chemistry, and materials research.