Persist AI Launches Robotic Cloud Lab for Formulation Development, Raises $12M Series A

Persist AI, a startup focused on accelerating pharmaceutical formulation development through AI-guided robotics, has launched its Cloud Lab platform and secured $12 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Spero Ventures, with participation from investors including Eli Lilly, Shimadzu Future Innovation Fund, MBX Capital, SignalFire, and others.

Clients use the Cloud Lab by selecting formulation parameters online; Persist’s robotic systems then build and analyze the formulations using integrated high-throughput equipment such as HPLC, spectrophotometry, and Raman spectroscopy. Experiments can be scaled from a single run to thousands in parallel. The system supports both solid and liquid formulations, including microspheres, in situ depots, amorphous solid dispersions, and IV parenterals.

Formulation compatibility of the Cloud Lab platform

The company reports that its automated platform delivers a 90 percent reduction in labor time, 66 percent cost savings, and 50 percent faster development compared to traditional methods. In one client engagement, Persist tested 700 long-acting injectable formulations in two months and identified an optimal recipe, a process that typically takes a year or more.

Persist retains no rights to any formulations developed through its Cloud Lab. All formulation-related intellectual property, including commercialization rights, is contractually assigned to the client. The platform is structured as a fee-for-service offering, and onboarding is completed within one week, beginning with a material transfer agreement and drug sample submission.

Persist AI's robotic lab schema

Series A funding will also support the construction of a GMP manufacturing system for long-acting injectables in partnership with Nivagen Pharmaceuticals. Persist plans to expand its automation capabilities, lab capacity, and AI model training using the data generated from its growing client base, which includes several top-ten pharmaceutical companies and early-stage biotech firms.

Topic: AI in Bio