After six months of discreet operations, Latent Labs has secured $50 million in funding and unveiled an AI model for bio-programming accessible through web browsers. The startup's CEO Simon Kohl, former co-leader of DeepMind's AlphaFold team, highlighted their protein design models achieved state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance across multiple metrics in physical lab testing. "We use computational methods to evaluate design quality," Kohl explained to TechCrunch, noting the high success rate of laboratory-validated proteins generated by their system. The core biological platform LatentX enables academic researchers, biotech startups and pharmaceutical firms to create novel proteins using natural language input directly within web browsers. This breakthrough technology goes beyond natural discoveries by generating precise atomic structures for innovative molecular designs like nanobodies and antibodies. According to Kohl, this capability distinguishes LatentX from AlphaFold, which only predicts existing protein structures without enabling new molecule creation. Unlike AI-driven drug discovery companies such as Xaira, Recursion, or Isomorphic Labs focusing on proprietary drug development, Latent Labs employs a licensing model allowing external organizations to access their technology. "Not every organization has the resources to build AI infrastructure and maintain dedicated teams," Kohl noted. While currently available at no cost, the company plans to introduce paid premium features in the future. Competitors offering open-source AI platforms for drug discovery include Chai Discovery and EvolutionaryScale. The funding round was supported by Radical Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, and prominent figures including Google's Chief Scientist Jeff Dean, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Eleven Labs founder Mati Staniszewski.