Anthropic acquires biotech startup Coefficient Bio for $400 million

The artificial intelligence research company Anthropic has purchased Coefficient Bio, a stealth biotechnology startup specializing in artificial intelligence for biological research. The transaction, which has already closed, represents an expansion of Anthropic’s resources in the healthcare and life sciences sectors. This acquisition marks a step in the company’s ongoing efforts to develop tools for scientific discovery.

The transaction was first reported by the technology news publication The Information and independent journalist Eric Newcomer, who identified the acquisition as a $400 million stock deal. In a stock deal, the acquiring company pays for the transaction using its own shares rather than cash, meaning the shareholders of the acquired startup receive equity in the acquiring company. While representatives from Anthropic and Coefficient Bio declined to comment on the financial terms or the valuation of the transaction, sources close to the deal subsequently confirmed to TechCrunch that the acquisition has officially closed, though they declined to comment on the specific amount.

Coefficient Bio was co-founded eight months ago by Samuel Stanton and Nathan C. Frey. Prior to launching the startup, both founders worked in computational drug discovery at Prescient Design, which is a division of the biotechnology company Genentech. Computational drug discovery is the practice of using computing systems and artificial intelligence to identify new drug candidates and simulate biological processes. During its eight months of operation, Coefficient Bio operated in stealth, focusing on using artificial intelligence to make drug discovery and other forms of biological research more efficient for scientists.

Following the close of the transaction, Coefficient Bio’s team, which consists of around 10 people, is expected to join Anthropic’s health and life science team. This transition comes as Anthropic continues its push into the healthcare and life sciences sectors. The acquisition follows Anthropic’s October announcement of Claude for Life Sciences, which is an artificial intelligence tool that aims to help scientific researchers make discoveries. By bringing the Coefficient Bio team into its health and life science division, Anthropic continues its push into healthcare and life sciences, leveraging the founders’ expertise in applying artificial intelligence to biological research.

Why it matters

The acquisition highlights Anthropic’s ongoing expansion into the life sciences sector. By integrating talent from Coefficient Bio, the company aims to enhance its research tools, building on its October launch of Claude for Life Sciences.