Isomorphic Labs, the AI-first spinout from Alphabet, has secured a colossal $600 million in its first external funding round. Led by Thrive Capital with participation from GV and follow-on funding from Alphabet itself, the raise signals growing investor conviction in AI's potential to upend traditional pharmaceutical R&D.

Founded by DeepMind CEO Sir Demis Hassabis, Isomorphic Labs launched with a bold mission: to radically reimagine drug discovery through AI. The company is building what it calls a unified AI drug design engine—a next-gen software platform capable of modeling, predicting, and designing molecules across a wide range of therapeutic areas and drug modalities.

"We're excited to bring together a top-tier investor group with deep AI and life sciences expertise as we aim to transform this industry through an interdisciplinary approach," said Hassabis. "This funding will further turbocharge the development of our next-generation AI drug design engine, help us advance our own programs into clinical development, and is a significant step forward towards our mission of one day solving all disease with the help of AI."

At the heart of Isomorphic's platform is a suite of machine learning models built to predict the structure and behavior of molecules with astonishing precision. One of those models—AlphaFold 3—was co-developed with Google DeepMind and released in May 2024. It made headlines for its ability to model interactions between all of life’s molecules, a major leap from its predecessor, AlphaFold 2, which solved protein structures with historical accuracy.

With tools like AlphaFold 3 in its arsenal, Isomorphic has already struck major partnerships with pharma giants like Eli Lilly and Novartis. Its internal drug programs are also gaining traction, particularly in oncology and immunology. Just over a year after their original deal, Isomorphic and Novartis have now expanded the scope of their collaboration—an early signal of confidence from the industry.

Joshua Kushner, Founder and CEO of Thrive Capital, sees Isomorphic as a category-defining bet. “We believe Isomorphic has earned a rare position to define a new age of drug discovery and design, and we are deeply inspired by their mission and the extraordinary progress they have made to date,” he said.

That optimism is shared by Dr. Krishna Yeshwant, Managing Partner at GV. “AI and machine learning have long held the promise of transforming drug discovery, yet few companies over the past decade have unlocked their full potential. After witnessing the extraordinary pace of innovation at Isomorphic Labs, we believe their pioneering approach will redefine AI-powered drug discovery,” he said.

The fresh capital will fuel further development of Isomorphic's AI models and help bring its in-house drug programs closer to clinical trials. The company also plans to expand its global team, recruiting more top-tier talent at the intersection of machine learning and molecular biology.

If Isomorphic’s ambition sounds far-fetched—solving disease through software—it’s worth remembering that the company’s DNA is rooted in breakthroughs. With DeepMind’s AlphaFold as a scientific springboard, Isomorphic is racing to bring AI out of the lab and into the clinic. Investors are clearly betting that future medicine will be written not in petri dishes but in code.