Manas AI Raises $24.6M - Reid Hoffman's Drug Discovery Startup

Manas AI: A New Venture in AI-Driven Drug Discovery

Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, and Siddhartha Mukherjee, a renowned cancer researcher and author of “The Emperor of All Maladies,” have jointly established Manas AI. This newly formed company is dedicated to leveraging artificial intelligence for the purpose of discovering new pharmaceutical treatments.

Initial Focus and Funding

Manas AI will initially concentrate its research efforts on three specific types of cancer: breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lymphoma. The startup has successfully secured $24.6 million in seed funding.

This funding round included contributions from Reid Hoffman himself, as well as venture capital firms General Catalyst and Greylock.

Comparison to Other AI Drug Discovery Startups

While substantial, Manas AI’s seed funding is comparatively modest when viewed against other companies operating in the AI-driven drug discovery space.

For instance, Xaira, a competitor asserting readiness for drug development, debuted with a significant $1 billion in initial funding last year. Similarly, Treeline Biosciences, another AI-focused drug discovery firm, raised $422 million in 2023, according to reports from Endpts.

Manas AI’s Approach and Technology

According to reports stemming from the presentation of Hoffman’s book, “Superagency,” Manas AI intends to utilize AI to design novel molecular structures.

These AI-designed molecules will then undergo rigorous testing in a traditional laboratory setting – a “wet lab” – to assess their efficacy and safety.

The company also plans to integrate Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, Azure, into its operations. This integration will also leverage Microsoft’s extensive expertise in the field of artificial intelligence.

Hoffman’s Connection to Microsoft

Reid Hoffman maintains a strong relationship with Microsoft, stemming from the company’s acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016. This acquisition was a landmark deal in the technology sector.