Chai Discovery Eli Lilly AI drug discovery: A $1.3 billion leap for biotech

In just over 12 months, Chai Discovery has gone from a stealthy startup to a $1.3 billion heavyweight. By securing $130 million in Series B funding this December, the company is positioning itself as the "CAD suite" for molecular design, aiming to replace expensive trial-and-error with precision AI.

The Chai Discovery Eli Lilly AI drug discovery deal

Last Friday, the startup announced a milestone partnership with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly. Lilly will utilize Chai’s flagship algorithm, Chai-2, to design therapeutic antibodies—the specialized proteins used to combat complex diseases. This collaboration isn't just a pilot; it's a strategic move to push the frontier of how generative AI can build better molecules from scratch.

Born from the OpenAI inner circle

Chai’s rapid ascent is no accident. Co-founders Josh Meier and Jack Dent have deep ties to OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. Meier, a former OpenAI researcher, was encouraged by Altman years ago to start a proteomics firm. OpenAI eventually became an early investor, even providing office space in San Francisco during the company's infancy. Meier’s previous work at Facebook on the ESM1 protein-language model serves as the technological precursor to Chai’s current innovations.