Opentrons raises $40M to make its lab robots a platform for AI experiments

Opentrons Labworks has raised $40 million in a Series E round led by healthcare investor Avego, announced on 29 October 2026. BroadOak Capital Partners joined as a new investor, and existing backers include SoftBank Vision Fund and Khosla Ventures.

What the money is for

Opentrons, founded in 2014, makes benchtop robots that take on repetitive lab work such as pipetting and sample preparation. Its larger Flex system can process more samples and move plates with an optional gripper, while the smaller OT-2 focuses on liquid handling, according to SiliconANGLE.

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The release puts software and data at the centre of the plan. Funds will go on robotics, software and data infrastructure, AI-driven experiment execution, faster protocol development using software and AI, deeper integration with the wider lab automation ecosystem, and expansion into new markets and geographies.

The company describes its robots as open and API-driven, and says each experiment produces structured, reproducible data. The goal is a loop where experiments are designed, run and improved continuously, with AI able to drive the robot directly.

"Millions of scientists spend much of their day on manual work a robot can do." James Atwood, PhD, CEO, Opentrons

The numbers

Opentrons says it has deployed more than 11,000 robots in over 80 countries. No valuation was disclosed. The release also lists Sands Capital, Lerer Hippeau and Y Combinator among its backers, and customers span academic groups, diagnostic labs and global pharma companies. GEN reports that earlier this year the company said it was using Nvidia's Isaac and Cosmos platforms to generate training data for AI-enabled lab robotics.

The bigger picture

AI models can now propose far more experiments than a lab team can physically run, and investors are backing the companies that close that gap. Avego's James Flexner framed it in exactly those terms, saying every AI-driven discovery still has to be tested in a real lab.

For lab software vendors, robotics companies with an open API and a large installed base are becoming part of the data layer, not just hardware suppliers. Expect more partnerships between automation makers and the ELN, LIMS and data platforms that need to talk to them.

What it means for hiring

A Series E aimed at software, AI and new geographies points to hiring beyond engineering. We'd watch for regional sales leaders and partnership managers to build out the lab automation ecosystem.
Selling robots as a platform for AI-run science needs field application scientists who can write protocols, integrate with data systems and talk to computational teams. That mix is hard to find.
As automation and informatics converge, people who have worked on both sides, robotics and lab software, become valuable to vendors in either camp.

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