Lila Sciences raises $235M to scale AI-driven “scientific superintelligence” labs

Flagship Pioneering’s Lila Sciences has raised $235M in Series A funding to expand its AI-powered autonomous research labs aimed at automating the entire scientific method.

Why it matters: If successful, Lila’s “AI Science Factories” could dramatically accelerate drug discovery and redefine how science is done, potentially transforming biotech R&D across disciplines.

Backstory: Founded in 2023 and led by Flagship’s Geoffrey von Maltzahn, Lila debuted in March 2025 with $200M in seed funding. Its core technology, AI Science Factories, uses models that design, run, and learn from experiments autonomously. The company claims its tech has already generated thousands of discoveries in life sciences and materials science, including new antibodies and improved genetic constructs.

Zoom in: The series A was led by Braidwell and Collective Global, with other backers like ARK Venture Fund and a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. The company already has ambitions to expand its AI Science Factories in Boston, San Francisco, and London.

Big picture: Lila is part of a growing push to merge AI with wet-lab automation, potentially redefining R&D across biotech, chemistry, and materials science. The company envisions a future where AI systems fully drive scientific discovery.