Life sciences software startup Artificial Inc. today disclosed that it has reeled in a $21.5 million funding round led by Microsoft Corp.’s M12 venture capital arm.

The investment comes as Microsoft increasingly prioritizes the healthcare sector not only with its startup investment decisions, but also with product strategy.   

Artificial, based in Palo Alto, California, sells a cloud-based application suite for managing lab equipment and the experiments scientists perform using that equipment. Life sciences companies can already choose from multiple software products that promise to simplify the management of their lab operations. However, those products are often difficult to use and can require time-consuming customization, challenges that Artificial says its platform addresses.

The centerpiece of the platform is a scheduling tool that allows researchers to have experiments automatically carried out at specific times by lab equipment. The tool, Artificial says, makes it possible to schedule experiments across multiple robotic lab systems, and several different labs if needed, via a single interface. Research teams can also use it to coordinate tasks that have to be performed by lab staff manually. 

Artificial displays operational data from lab equipment that teams can consult to help them optimize their work. For example, if the data shows that a certain step in a scientific experiment usually takes three days to complete, researchers can schedule the next step to be carried out automatically on the fourth day. Artificial also provides access to other information such as lab equipment maintenance logs.

The other major component of the startup’s platform is a so-called digital twin environment. The component allows companies to create a three-dimensional simulation of their labs, complete with all the hardware inside, and add in interactive tutorials that explain how to use each piece of equipment. Artificial says its lab simulations make it possible to train researchers more efficiently than traditional methods.

“Biology labs today are light- to semi-automated — the same state they were in when I started my academic research and biopharmaceutical career over 20 years ago,” said M12 investor Kouki Harasaki. “Most labs operate more like test kitchens rather than factories. Artificial’s platform, Harasaki added, is well-positioned to change that because “it’s accessible, low-code, easy to use, highly configurable and interoperable with common lab hardware and software.”

The investment in Artificial comes as M12 parent Microsoft makes the healthcare sector a bigger focus of its growth strategy. The company last month inked a landmark $19.7 billion deal to acquire Nuance Communications Inc., whose software is used by more than half of U.S. physicians to create medical notes. Microsoft has also been adding more healthcare-focused features to its Azure public cloud, such as the recently introduced Azure Health Bot for building patient-facing chatbots.

Artificial will use its latest funding to grow its team, build more feature and establish additional partnerships with life sciences companies. The startup sees large growth opportunities ahead: It says more than $10 billion is spent annually on lab informatics and automation software. 

Photo: Artificial