Isomorphic Labs
London AI drug-discovery company; raised $2.1bn Series B in May 2026, majority Alphabet subsidiary.
Last refreshed: 13 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why did UK taxpayers co-invest alongside Google's parent in a $2.1bn drug-discovery round?
Timeline for Isomorphic Labs
Closed $2.1bn Series B with SAIU as minority equity co-investor
UK Startups and Innovation: Sovereign AI unit backs Alphabet-owned lab- Who founded Isomorphic Labs and what does it do?
- Isomorphic Labs was founded in 2021 by Sir Demis Hassabis, co-creator of AlphaFold, as an Alphabet subsidiary applying machine learning to drug discovery.Source: Isomorphic Labs
- How much did Isomorphic Labs raise in its Series B?
- Isomorphic Labs raised $2.1bn in a Series B round on 12 May 2026, led by Thrive Capital with Alphabet, GV, CapitalG, MGX, and Temasek also participating.Source: Lowdown
- Is Isomorphic Labs part of Google or Alphabet?
- Yes. Isomorphic Labs is a majority subsidiary of Alphabet, Google's parent company, though it operates independently in London.Source: Isomorphic Labs
- Why did the UK Sovereign AI Unit invest in an Alphabet-owned company?
- The SAIU joined the Isomorphic Labs Series B as its third equity investment, marking the first time the unit backed a majority foreign-owned company. DSIT has not published an eligibility threshold for foreign-owned firms.Source: Lowdown
Background
Isomorphic Labs closed a $2.1bn Series B on 12 May 2026, the largest single fundraise in UK life sciences history and a landmark for London's AI drug-discovery sector. The round was led by Thrive Capital, with Alphabet, GV, CapitalG, MGX, and Temasek participating. The UK Sovereign AI Unit joined as an equity co-investor, its first cheque into a majority foreign-owned company.
Founded in 2021 by Sir Demis Hassabis, co-creator of AlphaFold, the company is a majority subsidiary of Alphabet and applies the same machine-learning approach that cracked protein-folding to small-molecule drug design. Its pipeline spans oncology, rare diseases, and metabolic disorders. By 2026 it had active partnerships with several major pharmaceutical firms. Headquartered in London's Knowledge Quarter, it operates as Alphabet's dedicated life-sciences R&D Arm in Europe.
The SAIU's participation marks a deliberate shift in UK sovereign investment policy: prior equity cheques went to domestically controlled companies. The decision to back an Alphabet subsidiary signals that the unit will prioritise strategic capability over ownership purity. Critics have questioned whether the SAIU's undisclosed cheque size constitutes meaningful sovereign leverage in a $2.1bn round.