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YC-backed ReactWise is applying AI to speed up drug manufacturing | TechCrunch

Mar 17, 2025 - techcrunch.com
ReactWise, a YC-backed startup from Cambridge, U.K., is leveraging AI to expedite chemical manufacturing, a crucial phase in drug development. By using an "AI copilot for chemical process optimization," ReactWise claims to accelerate the traditional trial-and-error process by 30 times, aiming to predict the ideal experiment almost immediately. The startup has consolidated five years of academic research into a software solution that interfaces with robotic lab equipment, although it focuses solely on software development. ReactWise has conducted thousands of reactions in its labs to train its AI models, which can significantly reduce the iteration cycles needed for drug manufacturing. The company is currently running 12 pilot trials with pharmaceutical companies and expects to convert these into full-scale deployments soon.

ReactWise recently disclosed its pre-seed funding of $3.4 million, including investments from YC, Innovate U.K., and unnamed venture capitalists and angel investors. The startup's approach could potentially reduce the process development time in drug manufacturing by 60%, contributing to a shorter overall drug development timeline. While other startups are also applying AI to various aspects of drug development, ReactWise claims a competitive edge due to its high-quality in-house data sets and pretrained models that fundamentally understand chemistry. This positions ReactWise as a leader in AI-driven pharmaceutical manufacturing, offering immediate process recommendations based on extensive pre-work conducted in their laboratory.

Key takeaways:

  • ReactWise, a YC-backed startup, uses AI to accelerate chemical manufacturing, aiming to speed up drug development by optimizing chemical processes.
  • The startup's AI models can significantly reduce the trial-and-error process in drug manufacturing, potentially achieving "one shot prediction" in the near future.
  • ReactWise has conducted thousands of reactions to train its AI, focusing on small molecule drugs and collaborating with material manufacturers in polymer drug delivery.
  • The company has raised $3.4 million in pre-seed funding and is conducting 12 pilot trials with pharmaceutical companies, including some Big Pharma players.
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