View source for Astromech (company)

'''Astromech AI Corp.''' is an American startup building a predictive engine for biology using [[Genomics|genomic]] data.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Knapp |first1=Alex |title=This Billionaire Is Using AI To Forecast Evolutionary Change |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/the-prototype/2026/08/21/this-billionaire-is-using-ai-to-forecast-evolutionary-change/ |magazine=[[Forbes]] |date=21 August 2026}}</ref> It has operated in [[stealth mode]] since August 2025 with plans to become a warning system for evolution by "predicting where biological systems are going, identifying where biological systems may be vulnerable and why those changes could be happening" to forecast disease risk, [[drug resistance]], food supply chain threats and system vulnerabilities.<ref name=dallasnews>{{cite web |last1=Richie |first1=Sasha |title=Colossal AI spinoff hits $3.8 billion valuation, targets aging with first model |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/business/technology/article/astromech-colossal-biological-ai-startup-funding-22394802.php |newspaper=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |date=20 August 2026}}</ref><ref name=austinbusiness/>

Founders [[Ben Lamm]] and [[George Church (geneticist)|George Church]] initially raised $30 million in funding and closed an additional $10.5 million in March 2026, valuing the company at $2 billion.<ref name=dmagazine/><ref name=austinbusiness>{{cite web |last1=Sechler |first1=Bob |last2=Wistrom |first2=Brent |title=Colossal Biosciences co-founders raise funds for new biology-focused AI startup |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2025/08/14/astromech-colossal-biosciences-ai-austin-biology.html |newspaper=[[Austin Business Journal]] |date=14 August 2025}}</ref> In August 2026, Astromech's valuation nearly doubled to $3.8 billion after $20 million in further funding to expand its research team and scale how it trains its [[AI models]].<ref name=dallasnews/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Shen |first1=Lucinda |title=Colossal spin-off Astromech hits $3.8B valuation |url=https://www.axios.com/pro/biotech-deals/2026/08/20/colossal-spin-off-astromech-double-valuation |website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]]|date=20 August 2026}}</ref> The company's first model is working to generate hypotheses for the biological sources of longevity, having mapped 46 genes for cellular maintenance and cancer resistance to date.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Heilweil |first1=Rebecca |title=How Colossal is incubating an empire of startups |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/91592688/how-colossal-is-incubating-an-empire-of-startups |magazine=[[Fast Company]] |date=20 August 2026}}</ref>

The company's name is a reference to [[Astromech droids]] in ''[[Star Wars]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rosas |first1=Leonardo |title=Dallas billionaire sees second startup achieve unicorn status |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2026/04/03/benjamin-lamm-ai-startup-astromech-2-billion-valua.html |newspaper=[[Dallas Business Journal]] |date=3 April 2026}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Biotechnology companies established in 2025]]
[[Category:Biotechnology companies of the United States]]