Renowned LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, along with eminent cancer researcher Siddhartha Mukherjee, have together launched an AI-focused pharma startup, Manas AI. Specializing initially in living cell malignancies, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lymphoma, the venture has successfully amassed $24.6 million in seed funding, contributed by Hoffman himself, along with General Catalyst and Greylock.
While appearing modest against some of its AI-driven counterparts in the drug innovation industry, Manas AI’s funding does not compromise its ambition. In 2021, Xaira, another player in the AI drug development sphere, witnessed an astounding $1 billion kickstart in its financing, while Treeline Biosciences raised an impressive $422 million, as reported by Endpts.
Optimistic about its approach, Manas AI plans to adopt AI for constructing molecules, further validating them in a hands-on lab environment, Hoffman conveyed during his recent book launch event for “Superagency”. The startup has placed its bets on Microsoft’s Azure for its cloud computing needs and aims to leverage Microsoft’s AI domain expertise to pioneer novel medication methodologies.
It’s worth noting that Hoffman has well-established connections with Microsoft, which famously procured his prior venture, LinkedIn, in a landmark deal in 2016.
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