Excelsior Sciences has secured $95 million to advance a new machine executable chemistry platform designed to accelerate how small molecules are discovered and produced.
The financing includes a $70 million Series A co led by Deerfield Management, Khosla Ventures and Sofinnova Partners, complemented by a $25 million grant from Empire State Development in New York. Additional participants include Cornucopian Capital, Eli Lilly and Company, Illinois Ventures and MIT.
A new foundation for automated chemical innovation
Small molecules play an essential role across medicine, materials and agriculture, yet creating them has long depended on slow manual synthesis. Excelsior Sciences is introducing an alternative based on automated chemistry that machines can perform autonomously. At the core of the platform is a system of modular chemical components called smart bloccs which allow iterative carbon based construction that can be orchestrated directly by AI. This transforms discovery into a closed loop process where compounds can be designed, generated and tested rapidly at scale.
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Building the chemistry infrastructure the AI era requires
By automating synthesis and linking it directly to testing systems, Excelsior Sciences aims to provide the dense experimental data needed for modern AI models in drug discovery. The company is developing tools that merge early stage discovery chemistry with scalable manufacturing methods, with the goal of shortening development timelines and enabling new classes of chemical matter.
Strengthening supply chain resilience through reshoring
The company’s launch comes amid mounting pressure for pharmaceutical and industrial supply chains to move production closer to home. With the US investing heavily in domestic manufacturing, Excelsior aims to make local discovery and production economically viable through automation and integrated chemistry infrastructure. Its approach is intended to give both governments and industry stronger strategic control over critical chemical capabilities.
Expanding the platform and advancing internal programs
The Series A will support the expansion of Excelsior’s automated chemistry system, the advancement of its internal molecule pipeline and the establishment of partnerships spanning therapeutics and materials development. The company is building its operations at Cure in New York City and was founded by Michael Foley, Marty Burke, Bartosz Grzybowski and Jana Jensen, combining expertise across synthetic chemistry, automation and AI.
About Excelsior Sciences
Excelsior Sciences develops an automated chemistry platform that enables machines and AI systems to design, synthesise and evaluate small molecules in a continuous loop. Its smart blocc architecture provides modular building blocks that function as a chemical language, powering rapid discovery and scalable manufacturing across pharmaceuticals, materials and other sectors.
