Ex-OpenAI researcher's startup eyes $15M raise
By Abha Lohia ·
Empirical Machines: funding and every story →
- Empirical Machines is an AI startup building tools to speed up scientific discovery, including work on chemical compounds
- Its founder Shyamal Hitesh Anadkat, a former OpenAI researcher, is in talks for about $15 million from Peak XV and Bessemer
- The talks value the company near $80 million and terms may still change; it would be its first institutional round
What happened
- Empirical Machines is in talks to raise about $15 million.
- Peak XV Partners and Bessemer are the likely investors.
- The valuation under discussion is around $80 million.
Why it matters
- It would be the first outside round for the company.
- The founder returned to India after almost four years at OpenAI.
The business
- The company applies AI to scientific discovery.
- Early work covers chemical compounds.
The founders
- Spent nearly four years in applied AI at OpenAI
Who put in money
- Peak XV Partners In talks
- Bessemer Venture Partners In talks
What happens next
- Deal terms and investor mix may change.
Terms in this story
- Startup: A startup is a young company built to find a new way of doing something and to grow fast, usually by serving many customers at low extra cost. India's government also has a narrower legal definition that decides who gets scheme benefits.
Everything on Empirical Machines → · All startup news on 13 October 2026 →
Is this Empirical Machines? Get your “Featured on StopDown” badge →