What ChemLex does

ChemLex is a chemical synthesis contract research organization founded in 2022 by Magera Technology that operates an integrated AI-for-science platform combining proprietary dry lab AI models with a fully automated wet lab robotics system. The dry lab consists of three named proprietary AI modules — RetroPlanner for retrosynthesis route design, Reaction Condition Recommender for experimental condition optimization, and LCMS AutoAnalyzer for spectrum interpretation and purification recommendation — claimed to have "passed the Turing Test for chemistry." The wet lab operates five interconnected automation platforms (high-throughput experimentation at 1000+ reactions per day, auto-analytical, auto-separation, auto-work-up, and auto-flow chemistry), forming a closed-loop system in which robots execute experiments and feed structured data back into continuous model training. The platform runs 24/7 as a self-driving drug discovery laboratory in Singapore, where the company relocated its global headquarters in December 2025.

The company serves over 70 customers including six of the world's top ten global pharmaceutical firms, with commercial expansion into chemicals, semiconductors, automotive, and life sciences sectors. ChemLex generates revenue through what it describes as subscription/recurring AI-driven chemical discovery platform services, though specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting large pharma, chemicals, and electronics firms, supplemented by strategic partnerships — notably an MoU with Merck KGaA for automated chemistry in life sciences and electronics, and an MoU with Singapore's Experimental Drug Development Centre for public-sector drug discovery. The company has raised approximately $104.5 million across three funding rounds (Jan 2024, Apr 2025, Dec 2025), with the most recent $45M round led by Granite Asia funding the Singapore expansion and headcount growth in engineering and chemistry.

Name

ChemLex

Legal name

ChemLex Ltd.

Website

https://chemlex.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ChemLex is an AI-for-science chemical synthesis CRO that combines proprietary dry lab AI models (RetroPlanner, Reaction Condition Recommender, LCMS AutoAnalyzer) with an automated wet lab capable of 1000+ reactions daily, serving 70+ enterprise customers including six of the world's top ten pharmaceutical firms from its Singapore headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI-Driven Drug Discovery and Automated Chemical Synthesis

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

AI/ML Platforms for Drug Discovery & Experiment Optimization (HLAGAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cheminformatics & Molecular Modeling / CADD (HLAGAJAE), Small-Molecule API Process Development & Route Scouting (HLAGAHAA), Liquid Handling & Laboratory Automation (Pipettes, Robots, Workstations) (HLAGAIAD)

Keywords

• AI-driven drug discovery
• Automated chemical synthesis
• AI retrosynthesis platform
• High-throughput experimentation
• Contract research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. AI-driven chemical discovery platform services: ChemLex provides AI-powered chemical synthesis and discovery services to pharmaceutical and chemical companies through its autonomous chemistry platform. The company serves over 70 customers including six of the top ten pharmaceutical firms globally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

ChemLex operates an AI-driven chemical synthesis contract research organization that delivers compounds to clients using proprietary AI retrosynthesis models and a high-throughput automated wet lab platform. The platform combines a dry lab of AI models for retrosynthesis planning, reaction condition recommendation, and LCMS spectrum interpretation with a fully automated wet lab that conducts up to 1000+ reactions per day in a closed-loop system. The company serves pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemicals, semiconductors, and automotive clients with a 24/7 self-driving drug discovery laboratory.

Product overview

ChemLex offers an integrated AI-for-science platform combining a dry lab of proprietary AI models with a fully automated wet lab. The dry lab comprises three core AI modules: RetroPlanner (AI retrosynthesis for designing synthetic routes), Reaction Condition Recommender (generating optimal reaction conditions), and LCMS AutoAnalyzer (interpreting spectra and recommending purification). The wet lab provides five interconnected automation platforms: High-Throughput Experimentation (HTE), Auto-Analytical, Auto-Separation, Auto-Work-up, and Auto-Flow Chemistry — all feeding a closed-loop system where robots collect experimental data that continuously trains the AI models. The company operates a 24/7 self-driving drug discovery laboratory in Singapore, serving over 70 customers including six of the world's top ten pharmaceutical firms. Partnerships, including an MoU with Merck KGaA, expand the platform's reach into life science and electronics research workflows.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RetroPlanner AI retrosynthesis model that autonomously designs optimal synthetic routes for target molecules for pharmaceutical and chemical industry clients.
• Reaction Condition Recommender AI module that recommends optimal reaction conditions for chemical synthesis, integrated into ChemLex's closed-loop AI and automation platform.
• LCMS AutoAnalyzer AI-powered module that automatically interprets LCMS spectra and recommends purification conditions, operating as part of ChemLex's dry lab analytical capabilities for chemistry research customers.
• High-Throughput Experimentation (HTE) Platform Wet lab automation platform supporting 8/40/500 mL reaction vials, heating and light reactions, capable of conducting up to 1000+ reactions per day for chemical synthesis customers.
• Self-Driving Drug Discovery Laboratory 24/7 autonomous chemistry laboratory in Singapore combining AI-driven dry lab models with fully automated wet lab operations to accelerate pharmaceutical chemical discovery for customers including six of the world's top ten pharmaceutical firms.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000+ reactions per day capacity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Merck KGaAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2026Merck and ChemLex signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on advancing automated chemistry and research workflows in life science and electronics. The partnership aims to integrate AI-driven automation to accelerate discovery and innovation.
• Merck KGaAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2026Merck KGaA is using AI as a critical enabler for drug and materials discovery and has signed an MoU with ChemLex Ltd. for AI-driven automated chemical synthesis.
• Singapore's Experimental Drug Development CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2025ChemLex signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore's Experimental Drug Development Centre to advance next-generation small molecule drug discovery through AI-driven automation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Schrödinger: Publicly listed AI-driven computational chemistry and molecular simulation platform serving pharma customers. Directly comparable to ChemLex in retrosynthesis, reaction prediction, and drug-discovery AI capabilities, though Schrödinger is more software-centric without integrated wet-lab robotics at ChemLex's scale.
• XtalPi: China-founded AI + robotics drug discovery company combining computational chemistry with automated wet-lab experimentation. Closest direct peer to ChemLex in combining dry-lab AI models with high-throughput robotic synthesis, also serving global pharma customers.
• Insilico Medicine: AI-driven drug discovery company applying generative AI and deep learning to target identification, chemistry, and clinical development. Comparable to ChemLex in pursuing AI-for-pharma, with overlapping pharma customer base and similar end-to-end platform ambition.
• Recursion Pharmaceuticals: AI-driven drug discovery company combining high-throughput wet-lab experimentation with machine-learning models in a closed-loop platform. Directly comparable to ChemLex's dry-lab/wet-lab integration model, though Recursion's pipeline is more biased toward phenotypic screening and internal pipeline development.
• Exscientia: AI-driven precision medicine company applying AI to small-molecule drug design and discovery with major pharma partnerships. Comparable to ChemLex in serving top-tier pharma customers with AI-generated compounds, though with less emphasis on integrated wet-lab automation.
• Atomwise: AI-based small-molecule drug discovery company using convolutional neural networks for hit identification and optimization. Comparable to ChemLex in applying AI to chemistry and pharma R&D, with a similar enterprise sales motion into pharma customers.

Emerging players

• LabGenius: AI-driven protein engineering company combining machine learning with robotic wet-lab experimentation in a closed-loop system. Closely analogous to ChemLex in dry-lab/wet-lab integration, though focused on biologics rather than small-molecule synthesis.
• Synthace: Cloud-based lab automation platform enabling high-throughput experimental workflows in life sciences. Comparable to ChemLex in automating wet-lab chemistry, though focused on workflow software rather than AI retrosynthesis or integrated service delivery.
• Chemspeed Technologies: Provider of high-throughput automated synthesis workstations and robotic platforms for chemistry R&D. Comparable to ChemLex in providing automated synthesis infrastructure, though Chemspeed is primarily a tools vendor rather than a service provider.
• Iambic Therapeutics: AI-driven drug discovery company combining physics-based modeling with generative AI for small-molecule design. Comparable to ChemLex in AI-pharma focus and use of internally generated data to improve models, with a similar enterprise-customer motion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ChemLex