Kevin Weil, a former OpenAI executive who led the company’s AI-for-science initiatives, is launching Warp Sciences with $215 million in funding to develop an automated approach to a key stage of pharmaceutical research, according to reporting from Bloomberg.

Warp Sciences is focused on optimizing drug candidates after researchers identify a promising molecule. During this stage, scientists typically create and test hundreds or thousands of molecular variants to improve a compound’s activity, reduce side effects or refine other properties before advancing development. Much of this work has been outsourced to contract research providers in China, where companies such as WuXi AppTec have competed on speed and cost. Warp aims to bring more of the process to the United States by building a highly automated laboratory designed to combine robotics, specialized hardware and artificial intelligence.

The company is starting with a team of approximately 20 employees and has already acquired equipment that includes robotic arms and AI chips. Its approach also involves capturing data from scientists as they conduct experiments. Wearable cameras, gloves fitted with pressure sensors and other devices will record aspects of laboratory work, creating datasets that Warp intends to use to train its own AI models.

The strategy reflects a broader effort to apply AI beyond computational analysis and into the physical work of drug discovery. By linking experimental data with automated laboratory systems, Warp is seeking to develop models that can help guide and improve chemical research. Weil will serve as CEO. The founding team also includes Manohar Paluri, formerly a vice president at Meta Platforms’ Superintelligence Labs; DJ Patil, the White House’s first chief data scientist; and Solomon Reisberg, a former executive at Terremoto Biosciences.

Warp’s launch comes amid growing scrutiny of pharmaceutical companies’ reliance on Chinese research and development providers. Tensions between the United States and China have increasingly affected the sector’s supply chains and outsourcing decisions. In June, the U.S. Department of Defense placed WuXi AppTec on a list of companies it alleged were linked to the Chinese military. Some customers responded by reconsidering or ending their relationships with the company. However, a U.S. judge blocked enforcement of the designation in August after WuXi challenged the government’s action.

For Warp, the combination of pharmaceutical companies’ interest in domestic research capacity and advances in AI-driven automation presents an opportunity to compete in a market where cost, turnaround time and experimental scale are major considerations. Whether its approach can match established providers on those measures will depend on its ability to translate automated experimentation and AI-generated insights into reliable results for drug developers.

The funding round also attracted a group of prominent angel investors, including OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar, former OpenAI executive Fidji Simo, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Lightspeed Venture Partners led the financing, with participation from IVP, Premji Invest and Lux Capital. The investment values the startup at $865 million post-money, according to Bloomberg.