2025-10-25 07:02:54
OpenAI, Founders Fund and Lux Capital has invested $30 million in Valthos Inc., a New York-based biotech startup developing artificial intelligence tools to prevent bioterrorism and AI-enabled bio-attacks.
Valthos – which was co-founded by former Palantir Technologies executive Kathleen McMahon and Tess van Stekelenburg of Lux Capital – emerged from stealth on Friday (10.24.25) with backing from the ChatGPT maker, Founders Fund, and Lux Capital.
The nine-person startup is building an AI-powered early warning system that pulls together biological data – from air, wastewater, and government monitoring sources – to detect emerging biothreats and accelerate the design of countermeasures.
McMahon said in a statement given to Bloomberg: “The only way to deter an attack is to know when it’s happening, update countermeasures, and deploy them fast.”
She emphasized the need for speed in responding to engineered pathogens.
The company’s software uses large-scale AI modeling to analyze global bio-data and predict threat vectors in real time.
Valthos is also developing systems that can automatically update the design of vaccines or antivirals when new pathogens appear, partnering with pharmaceutical firms for rapid manufacturing and distribution.
OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon called Valthos the company’s first biosecurity investment, adding that it represents a broader effort to build “countervailing technologies” against potential misuse of AI.
He said: “There needs to be a system of countervailing technologies out there to make the system robust.”
The timing reflects growing concern that AI could accelerate bioweapon development.
The Center for AI Safety recently warned of a “worst-case scenario” where generative AI helps create synthetic superviruses.
Meanwhile, U.S. government funding for biodefense has declined, leaving private investors to fill the gap.
Founders Fund partner Delian Asparouhov said biosecurity is now being treated as “a threat on the same level as nuclear or cyber,” while Lux’s Brandon Reeves predicted Valthos would be the first of many startups in the space.
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