Alexander Derry Alexander Rives Carolyn Kim Chetan Mishra Deniz Oktay Halil Akin Irhum Shafkat Jonathan Deaton Jun Gong Marius Wiggert Neil Thomas Nicholas James Sofroniew Raul Santiago Molina Robert Verkuil Rohil Badkundri Roshan Rao Salvatore Candido Thomas Hayes Tom Sercu Zeming Lin
Nat Friedman Daniel Gross Lux Capital Amazon NVentures
EvolutionaryScale is a startup that develops AI models to generate novel proteins for scientific research. The company was founded by ex-Meta AI researchers and is backed by Amazon and Nvidia. EvolutionaryScale aims to deepen science's understanding of biology to benefit human health and society through its AI models. The company has raised significant funding and is working on creating tools for the scientific frontier.
EvolutionaryScale was founded by Alexander Rives, Tom Secru, and Sal Candido, who are former Meta AI researchers. In 2019, while at Meta's AI research lab, FAIR, they began developing generative AI models to explore proteins. After their team was disbanded in 2023, they left Meta to continue their work and founded EvolutionaryScale.
EvolutionaryScale's flagship product is ESM3, a "frontier model" for biology. ESM3 is an AI model trained on a large dataset of natural proteins and can reason over the sequence, structure, and function of proteins. It enables the generation of new proteins for use cases such as drug discovery and materials science. The company has released ESM3 through its cloud Forge developer platform and has also made a smaller version available for offline use.
EvolutionaryScale has raised over \$142 million in seed funding, with participation from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Nvidia. The company plans to generate revenue through a combination of partnerships, usage fees, and revenue sharing with researchers. As of 2024, the company has approximately 20 employees.
EvolutionaryScale is a public benefit company with a mission to develop artificial intelligence (AI) that understands biology to benefit human health and society. Founded in 2023, the company has quickly made waves in the AI and healthcare sectors with its biological AI models for therapeutic design. EvolutionaryScale's flagship model, ESM3, is a powerful tool capable of generating novel proteins, revolutionizing research in health, environmental science, and beyond. With a recent seed investment round of $142 million, the company is well-positioned to make a significant impact in its field. This analysis report aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of EvolutionaryScale's competitive landscape and offer strategic insights for its future growth.
The healthcare discovery tools sector, particularly the biotech industry, is EvolutionaryScale's primary area of focus. This sector involves the use of AI and large language models to design drugs and therapies, with an emphasis on protein structure prediction. The integration of biological data sources, such as DNA sequences and gene expression, has become crucial for researchers in this field. While the market size of EvolutionaryScale is not publicly available, estimates place its valuation at $184.55 million.
The industry is shaped by several key trends. First, the increasing use of AI in biology, especially in drug discovery, is driving innovation. EvolutionaryScale's focus on biological language models and its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) position it well to capitalize on this trend. Second, the need for efficient drug discovery tools is influencing buyer behavior, with researchers drawn to EvolutionaryScale's breakthrough performance in protein sequence modeling.
EvolutionaryScale's unique selling proposition lies in its ability to develop biological AI models, particularly ESM3, for therapeutic design. This model has achieved success in generating a new Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), highlighting its potential for advancements in biological research. The company's responsible development framework ensures that its models are built and deployed ethically and safely, with weights and source code available on GitHub under a non-commercial license.
EvolutionaryScale targets the biotech industry, specifically researchers and scientists working in drug discovery, carbon capture, plastic degradation, and medicine development. Its AI tools assist professionals in these fields, enabling them to innovate and accelerate applications. The company's growth prospects are promising, with plans to train advanced AI models and build partnerships within the biotech industry to expand its team and applications.
EvolutionaryScale operates in a highly competitive market with 160 competitors, including top players such as Nimbus Therapeutics, Schrodinger, and Evozyne. These competitors offer a range of expertise, from molecular design software to computational drug discovery engines. Schrodinger, for example, offers a unique combination of software and drug discovery services, while Nimbus Therapeutics utilizes computational technologies and machine learning for drug development. Evozyne, a generative AI company, engineers new proteins with functionality for various industries, including biopharmaceuticals and energy.
To enhance its market position, EvolutionaryScale should focus on the following strategies:
EvolutionaryScale has the potential to significantly impact the healthcare discovery tools sector with its biological AI models. The company's competitive landscape is intense, but EvolutionaryScale holds several strengths, including its ESM3 model and ethical framework. By focusing on product innovation, strategic marketing, and expansion, the company can enhance its market position and gain a competitive edge. This analysis highlights EvolutionaryScale's potential and provides insights for future growth, underscoring the importance of AI in driving advancements across various industries.
IntroductionEvolutionaryScale">1[3]
Welcome to the world of EvolutionaryScale.ai, a groundbreaking frontier in protein sequence modeling that is revolutionizing the field of biology. In this video, we will explore the incredible capabilities of EvolutionaryScale.ai and its flagship model, ESM3, which is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the life sciences.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
EvolutionaryScale.ai is a public benefit corporation and a frontier AI research lab dedicated to developing artificial intelligence for the life sciences. Their mission is to create tools that can help us understand and program biology, with the ultimate goal of building a better world. At the heart of their work is ESM3, a frontier language model for the life sciences that is capable of simulating 500 million years of evolution.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
ESM3 is a family of models that come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. These models have been trained on a massive dataset of 2.78 billion proteins across the Earth's natural diversity, using 1 trillion teraflops of compute - more than any other known model in biology. This has enabled ESM3 to become the first generative model for biology that can simultaneously reason over the sequence, structure, and function of proteins.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
One of the most exciting applications of ESM3 is its ability to design novel proteins with unique properties. For example, EvolutionaryScale.ai used ESM3 to design esmGFP, a new green fluorescent protein that is a vast evolutionary departure from natural fluorescent proteins. This demonstrates the power of ESM3 to create proteins with novel functions and properties that could have a wide range of applications in biotechnology and medicine.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
In addition to its protein design capabilities, ESM3 is also being used to accelerate drug discovery, engineer microbes for environmental applications, and advance our understanding of the fundamental principles of biology. EvolutionaryScale.ai is collaborating with leading organizations such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and NVIDIA to bring the power of ESM3 to researchers and developers around the world.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
In this video, we will delve deeper into the capabilities of EvolutionaryScale.ai and ESM3, exploring their potential to transform the life sciences and create a better future for all. So sit back, relax, and get ready to be amazed by the incredible power of artificial intelligence in biology.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
What is EvolutionaryScale.ai?EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
EvolutionaryScale.ai is a frontier AI research lab and Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to developing artificial intelligence for the life sciences. It is a startup focused on biology, with a vision to utilise AI for a wide range of applications, from accelerating drug discovery to engineering microbes capable of breaking down plastic in the environment. The company's founding team left Meta in April 2023 to develop and launch a next-generation model, ESM3.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
The company's AI models, particularly ESM3, are designed to support groundbreaking research and development in health, environmental science, and beyond. ESM3 is a milestone AI model capable of generating novel proteins, and it has already created a new Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), a process that would take 500 million years of evolution to occur naturally. This model allows interactive prompting to create proteins, empowering scientists to advance applications from drug discovery and materials science to carbon capture.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
EvolutionaryScale.ai's models are built with proteins from diverse sources worldwide, enabling them to simulate a variety of proteins and create ones with unprecedented control. The company is committed to developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of human health and society through open, safe, and responsible research in partnership with the scientific community.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
The startup has received significant funding, with a seed round of more than $142 million led by prominent investors, to further expand the capabilities of its models and build a team to partner with the biotech industry. EvolutionaryScale.ai is also collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and NVIDIA to accelerate applications from drug discovery to synthetic biology with AI.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
In summary, EvolutionaryScale.ai is a pioneering company in the field of programmable biology, using AI to revolutionize protein design and engineering, with the potential to drive significant advancements in various scientific and environmental applications.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
The Power of ESM3EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
ESM3 is a family of models that come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. These models have been trained on a massive dataset of 2.78 billion proteins across the Earth's natural diversity, using 1 trillion teraflops of compute - more than any other known model in biology. This has enabled ESM3 to become the first generative model for biology that can simultaneously reason over the sequence, structure, and function of proteins.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
One of the most exciting applications of ESM3 is its ability to design novel proteins with unique properties. For example, EvolutionaryScale.ai used ESM3 to design esmGFP, a new green fluorescent protein that is a vast evolutionary departure from natural fluorescent proteins. This demonstrates the power of ESM3 to create proteins with novel functions and properties that could have a wide range of applications in biotechnology and medicine.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
In addition to its protein design capabilities, ESM3 is also being used to accelerate drug discovery, engineer microbes for environmental applications, and advance our understanding of the fundamental principles of biology. EvolutionaryScale.ai is collaborating with leading organizations such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and NVIDIA to bring the power of ESM3 to researchers and developers around the world.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
Use CasesEvolutionaryScale">1[3]
EvolutionaryScale.ai is a versatile platform with a wide range of potential applications. Its ability to understand and generate biological data, particularly protein sequences, structures, and functions, makes it a powerful tool for various fields. Here are some use cases that highlight the platform's adaptability and potential impact::cite{id="5765-6103" docID="812641c1-727b-4ad4-b3f0-e6dbcb3ee5aa" index="1"}2[3]
Protein Engineering and DesignEvolutionaryScale">1[3]
One of the most prominent use cases of EvolutionaryScale.ai is protein engineering and design. The platform's flagship model, ESM3, can generate novel proteins with desired properties, such as fluorescent proteins or enzymes with specific functions. For example, the platform was used to design esmGFP, a novel version of the Green Fluorescent Protein, which would have taken nature 500 million years to evolve. This demonstrates the platform's ability to accelerate the protein engineering process and create proteins with unique properties.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
Drug Discovery and DevelopmentEvolutionaryScale">1[3]
EvolutionaryScale.ai can also be used in drug discovery and development. By understanding the biological data and generating novel proteins, the platform can help identify potential drug targets and design new medicines. For instance, the platform can be used to evolve antibodies with improved binding affinity, thermostability, and viral neutralization, as demonstrated by Hie et al. This can lead to the development of more effective and targeted therapies.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
Environmental ApplicationsEvolutionaryScale">1[3]
The platform's ability to generate novel proteins can also be applied to environmental applications. For example, EvolutionaryScale.ai can be used to engineer microbes capable of breaking down plastic in the environment, as envisioned by the company's chief scientist Alex Rives. This can help address the growing problem of plastic pollution and contribute to a more sustainable future.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
Scientific Research and Education
EvolutionaryScale.ai can also be used as a tool for scientific research and education. The platform's models have been used by scientists across the world to model and understand proteins, leading to breakthroughs in protein folding and the revelation of the structures of hundreds of millions of metagenomic proteins. Additionally, the platform can be used as an educational tool to teach students about protein structure, function, and evolution.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
Future ApplicationsEvolutionaryScale">1[3]
The potential applications of EvolutionaryScale.ai are vast and continue to expand. As the platform's models are further developed and refined, they can be applied to a wide range of fields, including agriculture, energy, and materials science. For example, the platform can be used to design novel enzymes for biofuel production or to create new materials with unique properties.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
In conclusion, EvolutionaryScale.ai is a versatile platform with a wide range of potential applications. Its ability to understand and generate biological data, particularly protein sequences, structures, and functions, makes it a powerful tool for various fields. As the platform continues to evolve and improve, it has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach protein engineering, drug discovery, environmental applications, scientific research, and education.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
Benefits and ImpactEvolutionaryScale">1[3]
EvolutionaryScale.ai offers a range of benefits to users, including increased efficiency, improved accuracy, and reduced costs. By leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, the platform enables scientists to understand, imagine, and create proteins, accelerating the process of drug discovery and development. The AI models, such as ESM3 and ESM Cambrian, can generate novel proteins and explore a vast space of possibilities, leading to breakthroughs in protein folding and understanding. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the field of biology, enabling the creation of new tools and medicines that can benefit human health and society.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
In practice, these benefits can be realized through the platform's ability to::cite{id="9662-9740" docID="8a20689c-e3c4-4ec6-b053-301164bdf700" index="2"}[3]
Overall, EvolutionaryScale.ai offers a range of benefits that can help scientists and researchers accelerate the process of drug discovery and development, leading to new treatments and therapies that can benefit human health and society.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
Getting StartedEvolutionaryScale">1[3]
To begin using EvolutionaryScale.ai, you must first sign up for an account. You can do this by visiting the website and clicking on the "Sign Up" button. You will be required to provide certain information, such as your contact information, and create a password and username.EvolutionaryScale">1
Once you have signed up, you can log in to your account and start exploring the platform. You can access the various models and tools available, including the ESM3 model, which is a milestone AI model capable of generating novel proteins.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
To use the ESM3 model, you can interact with it through the platform's interface. You can guide the model to create proteins for various applications, such as medicine, biology research, and clean energy. The model can generate proteins by starting with a fully masked set of tokens and iteratively unmasking until all positions are filled.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
You can also access the source code and weights of the ESM3 model on GitHub, under a non-commercial license. This allows you to build on the ideas and architecture of the model and develop your own applications.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
Overall, getting started with EvolutionaryScale.ai involves signing up for an account, exploring the platform's models and tools, and interacting with the ESM3 model to generate novel proteins for various applications.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
ConclusionEvolutionaryScale">1[3]
EvolutionaryScale.ai is a groundbreaking platform that empowers scientists to understand, imagine, and create proteins. With its flagship model, ESM3, the platform sets a new state of the art for representation learning, enabling the generation of novel proteins and the simulation of 500 million years of evolution.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
ESM3 is a multimodal generative language model that reasons over the sequence, structure, and function of proteins. It is trained on a vast dataset of 2.78 billion proteins across the Earth's natural diversity, making it the most advanced model in biology. With ESM3, scientists can explore the frontiers of protein design and synthetic biology, and invent new solutions for some of the most important problems facing our world.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
The platform's success in generating a new Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) underscores its potential for advancements in biological research and life sciences. EvolutionaryScale.ai is committed to open, safe, and responsible research, and is dedicated to developing artificial intelligence for the life sciences.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
We encourage you to try out the platform for yourself and see the power of EvolutionaryScale.ai in action. With its cutting-edge technology and commitment to scientific rigor, EvolutionaryScale.ai is poised to revolutionize the field of biology and benefit human health and society.EvolutionaryScale">1[3]
[1]: EvolutionaryScale Launches with ESM3: A Milestone AI Model for Biology - US Press Center [3]: Evolutionary Scale ยท ESM3: Simulating 500 million years of evolution with a language model
EvolutionaryScale, an artificial intelligence (AI) biotech startup, is pushing the boundaries of biology and AI. Founded by interim CEO Alex Rives, a rising star in the field of AI and computational biology, the company develops biological large language models with a focus on therapeutic design. EvolutionaryScale's mission is to revolutionize the field of biology by creating advanced protein language models that enable programmable biology and accelerate innovations in drug discovery and biotechnology. With a strong foundation in AI research and a unique approach to the life sciences, EvolutionaryScale is poised to make a significant impact on the biotech industry.
At its core, EvolutionaryScale is an AI research lab for biology, dedicated to developing innovative AI language models specifically for biological applications. The company's target market is the biotech industry, particularly drug discovery and protein drug discovery. EvolutionaryScale's unique selling point is its AI-driven platform that expedites drug development, enhances treatment effectiveness, and improves patient outcomes. By simulating evolutionary processes, their AI models can generate novel proteins with specific functions, such as ESM3's ability to create new fluorescent proteins. The company generates revenue through the commercial sale of its AI models, with partnerships from tech giants like AWS and NVIDIA. Additionally, they offer non-commercial research versions of their models, accessible to scientists and researchers worldwide. EvolutionaryScale's business strategy involves continuous innovation and development of its AI models, ensuring their accessibility and utility to the scientific community. The company has already raised an impressive $142 million in seed funding, demonstrating the potential of its technology and the confidence of investors. The cost of training these advanced AI models is significant, with sources estimating it to be in the millions of dollars. AI Innovations and Impact EvolutionaryScale's AI language models for biology are truly groundbreaking. By combining biological data from DNA sequences, gene expression, and epigenetic states, their models can predict protein structures and enable the creation of RNA-based medicinal therapies. The ESM models, including the flagship ESM3, have empowered scientists to achieve breakthroughs in protein folding and understanding the structures of metagenomic proteins. With EvolutionaryScale's AI, researchers can accelerate drug discovery, engineer microbes for environmental applications, and even design proteins from scratch. The training of these models requires substantial computational power and energy, contributing to the high costs. Market Position and Competition In the highly competitive biology-oriented AI language model space, EvolutionaryScale stands out with its therapeutic design focus. Among the 160 companies in this market, EvolutionaryScale's unique AI models and strong financial backing give it a competitive edge. The company's key strengths include its innovative technology, significant funding, and the impact of its models on health, environmental science, and beyond. However, to maintain its market position, EvolutionaryScale must continuously innovate and adapt to the rapid pace of development in the AI industry. Ensuring the accessibility and usability of its technology for scientists remains a key challenge. Financial Projections, Sustainability, and IPO With a successful seed funding round led by prominent investors, EvolutionaryScale has a strong financial foundation. The company has raised $142 million to train its next-generation AI models and expand its team to partner with the biotech industry. While EvolutionaryScale has not announced any plans for an initial public offering (IPO), their focus on sustainability and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) priorities is a positive sign for long-term financial health. The company's financial goals are closely tied to its mission of revolutionizing biology, and its AI technology has the potential to create significant value in the biotech industry. Sources of revenue include partnerships, usage fees, and revenue sharing with pharmaceutical companies and researchers. Conclusion: EvolutionaryScale's Future Outlook EvolutionaryScale's future is filled with promise and potential. With ambitious plans and strong financial backing, the company is poised to make significant advancements in biological research and life sciences. Their AI models, particularly https://doi.bio/esm3 ESM3, have already demonstrated groundbreaking capabilities in protein design and understanding. As EvolutionaryScale continues to push the boundaries of AI in biology, we can expect to see revolutionary innovations in drug discovery, materials science, carbon capture, and beyond. The company's unique approach to AI for biology, coupled with its strong leadership and research focus, positions EvolutionaryScale as a pioneer in the life sciences, with the potential to transform the way we understand and engineer biology.
EvolutionaryScale is a startup that develops AI models to generate novel proteins for scientific research. The company was founded by former Meta AI researchers and is backed by Amazon and Nvidia. EvolutionaryScale aims to create tools for the scientific frontier, deepening the understanding of biology to benefit human health and society. The company has raised significant funding, with a focus on building large-scale AI models for biotechnology applications.
EvolutionaryScale was founded by Alexander Rives, Tom Secru, and Sal Candido, who previously worked together at Meta's AI research lab, FAIR, in 2019. After their team was disbanded by Meta in 2023, the three co-founders left the company to continue their work on generative AI models for protein design.
EvolutionaryScale's flagship product is ESM3, a generative AI model trained on a vast dataset of natural proteins. ESM3 can reason over the sequence, structure, and function of proteins, enabling it to generate new proteins with specific functions. The company claims that ESM3 can be used for drug discovery, materials science, and environmental protection techniques.
EvolutionaryScale has raised over $142 million in seed funding from investors such as Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Lux Capital, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and NVentures (NVIDIA's venture capital arm). The company plans to generate revenue through a combination of partnerships, usage fees, and revenue sharing with researchers and pharmaceutical companies.
Alexander Rives is the founder and CEO of EvolutionaryScale. The company has approximately 20 employees.
EvolutionaryScale is a startup that develops AI models to generate novel proteins for scientific research. The company was founded by former Meta AI researchers who were part of the disbanded "AI protein team" at Meta. EvolutionaryScale aims to revolutionize the field of biology by creating a new type of language model that enables scientists to understand, imagine, and create proteins. The company's flagship product, ESM3, is a powerful AI model trained on a vast dataset of natural proteins and can be used for drug discovery, materials science, and other biotech applications.
As of June 2024, EvolutionaryScale has raised a total of \$142 million in seed funding, with participation from prominent investors such as ex-GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Lux Capital, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and NVentures (NVIDIA's venture capital arm). The company plans to generate revenue through a combination of partnerships, usage fees, and revenue sharing with researchers and pharmaceutical companies.
ESM3, EvolutionaryScale's AI model, is capable of understanding and generating proteins by reasoning over sequence, structure, and function. It was trained on a dataset of approximately 2.78-4 billion natural proteins and their amino acid sequences, 3D atomic structures, and resulting functions. This large-scale training allows ESM3 to predict patterns and design new proteins with specific functions. The model is available for non-commercial use through an API, and a smaller open version, ESM3-open, is accessible on GitHub under a non-commercial license.
EvolutionaryScale was founded by Alexander Rives, Tom Secru, and Sal Candido, who are co-founders and led the former "AI protein team" at Meta. Alexander Rives serves as the CEO and chief scientist of the company.
EvolutionaryScale's ESM3 model has been applied to generate an entirely new fluorescent protein, similar to those found in glowing jellyfish and coral. This achievement highlights the potential of their AI model in accelerating scientific discoveries and drug development. The company offers both open and commercial versions of ESM3, catering to academics and pharmaceutical companies, respectively.
EvolutionaryScale is an artificial intelligence startup that focuses on using AI to generate novel proteins for scientific research. The company's ESM3 model is a "frontier model" for biology that can create proteins for use cases like drug discovery and materials science. The company was founded by Alexander Rives, Tom Secru, and Sal Candido, who previously worked on generative AI models for proteins while at Meta's AI research lab, FAIR, in 2019.
In June 2024, EvolutionaryScale announced it had raised $142 million in seed funding, led by ex-GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, and Lux Capital. Amazon, NVentures (Nvidia's corporate venture arm), and angel investors also participated in the funding round.
EvolutionaryScale plans to make money through a combination of partnerships, usage fees, and revenue sharing. For example, the company might work with pharmaceutical companies to integrate ESM3 into their workflows or revenue-share with researchers for breakthrough discoveries commercialized using ESM3.
The ESM3 model is trained on a large dataset of 2.78-3.8 billion proteins and can "reason over" the sequence, structure, and function of proteins, enabling it to generate new proteins. The model is available in three sizes: small, medium, and large, with the small model being open-sourced for non-commercial research.
Other companies working on generative AI-powered biology or LLMs for this field include InstaDeep (acquired by BioNTech), Profluent, and Google DeepMind's AlphaFold.
The company has approximately 20 employees as of June 2024.