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Executive Summary: Which are the Top 10 New Pharma Automation Companies to Watch?

  1. Synfini (USA) develops AI-driven chemistry automation that combines molecular design with robotic synthesis to speed up drug discovery.
  2. ExtensityAI (Austria) – builds drug discovery automation using AI agents that scan literature, design experiments, and integrate directly into lab workflows.
  3. Intrepid Labs (Canada) – creates a robotic drug formulation platform that uses machine learning to design and test optimized medicines with fewer experiments.
  4. pixlbio (Sweden) – develops an AI-powered phenomics platform that analyzes cell images to predict drug mechanisms, targets, and toxicities.
  5. Dash Bio (USA) – provides a clinical bioanalysis platform that uses robotics and techniques like ELISA, LC-MS, and qPCR for fast and reliable drug testing.
  6. SmartLink (South Korea) – builds medical dispensing automation systems that measure, mix, and deliver reagents while streamlining DNA extraction and quality control.
  7. Persist AI (USA) – develops an AI and robotics platform for drug formulation discovery, combining high-throughput labs with predictive models and cGMP manufacturing.
  8. Spacebox (Germany) – creates an organ-on-chip platform that uses robotics and microfluidics to model diseases and improve drug testing.
  9. SYDRA Biotech (Switzerland) – develops a robotic screening platform that combines AI and in vivo testing to discover molecules with aging-related benefits.
  10. Fluidichem (France) – provides a flow chemistry robot that automates real-time synthesis and purification of compounds with AI-guided optimization.

Global Startup Heat Map highlights New Pharmaceutical Automation Companies to Watch

Through the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering over 9M+ startups, 20K+ technology trends, plus 150M+ patents, news articles & market reports, we identified the new pharma automation companies.

The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights emerging new pharma automation companies you should watch in 2026, as well as the geo-distribution of 210+ startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research.

According to our data, we observe high startup activity in the USA and India, followed by the UK. The top 5 Startup Hubs for new pharma automation companies are New York, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, and London.

 

Discover New Pharma Automation Companies to Watch in 2026

We hand-picked startups to showcase in this report by filtering for their technology, founding year, location, funding, and other metrics. These emerging pharma automation companies work on solutions ranging from AI cloud foundry and robotic drug formulation to medical dispensing automation and robotic screening.

1. Synfini – AI-driven Chemistry Automation

US-based startup Synfini develops AI-driven chemistry automation that integrates virtual molecular design with robotic synthesis to accelerate drug discovery. Its platform, Synfini AI Cloud Foundry, applies generative algorithms to propose synthetically accessible molecules and organizes structured workflows to guide discovery programs.

 

 

Moreover, the platform integrates automated synthesis and testing with hosted models for target-specific exploration and evaluates compounds with precision. Further, it incorporates AI-guided multiparameter optimization to refine molecular properties across different stages of development. Thus, the startup streamlines the development of preclinical drug candidates for a faster and more cost-efficient route to new therapeutics.

2. ExtensityAI – Drug Discovery Automation

Austrian startup ExtensityAI specializes in drug discovery automation of complex research workflows in pharmaceutical robotics and drug discovery. The platform integrates networks of specialized AI agents with human scientists to accelerate pharmaceutical innovation. Moreover, it combines pattern recognition with symbolic reasoning for agents to trace evidence, test hypotheses, and explain conclusions.

The startup also embeds its systems into laboratory data pipelines to document transparent chains of reasoning and scale research without reducing rigor. Then, its agents scan scientific literature, identify knowledge gaps, design and simulate experiments, validate outcomes, and generate publication-ready reports. This reduces inefficiencies that drive drug development costs.

3. Intrepid Labs – Robotic Drug Formulation

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: Toronto, Canada
  • Funding: USD 7 million
  • Startup Stage: Seed

Canadian startup Intrepid Labs creates a robotic drug formulation platform to accelerate the creation of optimized medicines. It applies ML with modular lab automation to design, prepare, and analyze multiple formulation candidates in parallel. This replaces inefficient design of experiment methods with informed iterations that generate accurate predictive models from limited training data.

 

 

Further, the platform reduces material use by producing optimized formulations with fewer experiments while incorporating downstream drug development measurements to strengthen results. As a result, it enables faster, more efficient, and resource-conscious drug product development.

4. pixlbio – AI-powered Phenomics

  • Founding Year: 2022
  • Location: Uppsala, Sweden

Swedish startup pixlbio develops an AI-driven drug discovery platform that integrates phenomics, automation, and advanced image analysis. The platform employs cell painting to generate high-content morphological profiles of cells by capturing intricate cellular signatures through organelle-specific fluorescent dyes and high-resolution imaging.

Additionally, these profiles feed into AI models, which analyze morphological changes induced by various perturbations to predict mechanisms of action, targets, and potential toxicities.

5. Dash Bio – Clinical Bioanalysis Platform

  • Founding Year: 2024
  • Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
  • Funding: USD 11 million
  • Startup Stage: Seed

US-based startup Dash Bio provides a clinical bioanalysis platform that utilizes robotics and automation to accelerate drug development. The platform processes assays through automated method development, validation, and high-throughput techniques like enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). This ensures precise and reproducible results across diverse modalities.

Also, the platform employs advanced chromatography, robotic sample preparation, and locked protocols with full audit trails to maintain accuracy and regulatory compliance. This reduces turnaround times compared to traditional methods, while enhancing both speed and quality without increasing costs.

 

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  • Founding Year: 2021
  • Location: Incheon, South Korea

South Korean startup SmartLink specializes in medical dispensing automation for pharmaceutical, bio, and chemical industries. Its automated dispensing technology precisely measures, mixes, and delivers reagents while reducing manual handling and ensuring consistent experimental conditions.

Further, it integrates complementary bio automation devices like nucleic acid extractors, automated evaporators, and inspection systems. These devices streamline laboratory workflows from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction to quality control. They utilize machine vision algorithms, precision control, and customizable hardware and software to ensure accuracy and adaptability.

7. Persist AI – AI-driven Robotics for Pharma Formulation

US-based startup Persist AI develops an AI and robotics-driven platform for drug formulation discovery and manufacturing. It combines high-throughput robotic labs and ML models to predict, build, and analyze thousands of formulations in parallel. The platform integrates tools such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Raman, and spectrophotometry to capture critical process parameters.

The platform allows scientists to remotely design experiments that robots execute. This generates data to refine AI predictions until a target product profile is achieved. Persist AI also provides analytical support, formulation development, and commercial current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) manufacturing to accelerate R&D, reduce costs, and bring therapies to market faster.

8. Spacebox – Organ-on-Chip Platform

  • Founding Year: 2021
  • Location: Cologne, Germany

German startup Spacebox develops an automated organ-on-chip platform that enables high-precision disease modelling for pharmaceutical research. The platform integrates microfluidic environments with robotics to replicate physiological conditions. This allows researchers to produce uniform spheroids and organoids for reliable drug testing.

Additionally, it incorporates customizable control mechanisms and intuitive software that streamline experimental workflows. This ensures compatibility with existing laboratory protocols while reducing manual intervention.

9. SYDRA Biotech – Robotic Screening

  • Founding Year: 2024
  • Location: Zurich, Switzerland
  • Prominent Partnerships: Venture Kick, Venturelab, NVIDIA, EWOR

Swiss startup SYDRA Biotech provides a robotic screening platform that utilizes artificial neural networks with autonomous in vivo testing to identify small molecules with geroprotective properties. It operates as a closed-loop discovery engine, where AI-driven predictions guide robotic experiments, and experimental outcomes continuously refine the models to accelerate drug discovery.

Moreover, the startup creates a robotic assistant that increases throughput, reduces costs, and improves the reliability of live screening. This scales geroprotector testing and shortens development timelines.

10. Fluidichem – Flow Chemistry Robot

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: Mulhouse, France

French startup Fluidichem offers a synthesis robot to automate continuous flow chemistry for pharmaceutical applications. The robot feeds reagents into a compact reactor for real-time synthesis and purification of chemical compounds.

Moreover, it integrates AI to rapidly identify optimal reaction conditions for enhancing efficiency and precision. Its modular design allows for easy scalability and adaptation to various chemical processes.

Discover All Emerging Pharma Startups

The pharma startups showcased in this report are only a small sample of all startups we identified through our data-driven startup scouting approach. Download our free Pharma Innovation Report for a broad overview of the industry or get in touch for quick & exhaustive research on the latest technologies & emerging solutions that will impact your company in 2026!