Opentrons Announces $40M Series E Round to Standardize AI-Driven Science on Its Robots
By Greg Bock · · 3 min read
Insider Brief
- Opentrons has raised $40 million in Series E funding to expand its laboratory robotics, software and data infrastructure for AI-driven experiments.
- Avego led the round, with BroadOak Capital Partners participating, and Opentrons plans to invest in experimental software, automation capabilities, data infrastructure and expansion into new markets.
- The company said more than 11,000 of its robots are deployed across more than 80 countries, including at 14 of the 15 largest global biopharma companies and every top-20 U.S. research university.
Opentrons has raised $40 million in Series E funding to expand its laboratory robotics, software and data infrastructure as it develops systems that use AI to help design and run experiments.
According to Opentrons, Healthcare investor Avego led the round, with participation from BroadOak Capital Partners. Existing investors in the New York-based company include SoftBank Vision Fund and Khosla Ventures. The company is using its installed base to pursue what it calls autonomous science, in which AI systems and laboratory robots work together to design, execute and learn from experiments with less manual intervention.
Opentrons said the funding will support AI-driven experimental execution, additional automation capabilities and expansion into new markets and regions. The company also plans to improve the software used to develop experimental protocols and integrate its robots and instruments more closely with other laboratory systems.
The company develops robotic systems that automate laboratory tasks and generate structured data from experiments. Its Opentrons Flex platform combines laboratory robots with software and AI tools intended to create a cycle in which experiments can be designed, carried out and refined using the results of previous runs.
“Millions of scientists spend much of their day on manual work a robot can do. Giving that time back to discovery is the biggest opportunity in science,” CEO of operations James Atwood, PhD, said in the announcement. “We made lab automation accessible for any lab, and our systems are built for AI to run experiments directly. That is why autonomous science is standardizing on Opentrons.”
Automating Physical Experiments
Opentrons is going after a gap between AI systems that can generate scientific hypotheses and the physical laboratory work required to test them. Its approach uses robotic equipment to carry out repeatable experiments while recording the resulting data in a structured format. According to the company, that data can then be used by AI systems to help guide subsequent experiments.
The Series E will fund several areas of development.
Experimental software — Opentrons plans to use AI to speed the creation and execution of laboratory protocols.
Robotics and instruments — The company will expand the range of work its automation systems can perform.
Data infrastructure — Opentrons is developing systems intended to connect experimental results with AI models and subsequent laboratory work.
The company reported that more than 11,000 of its robots have been deployed in laboratories across more than 80 countries. Opentrons also said its systems are used by 14 of the 15 largest global biopharma companies and at every top-20 U.S. research university.
