Investor Playbook: Find the Fast Movers

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Mar 25, 2025

A high-tech and dynamic image representing an investor's playbook for finding fast-moving opportunities. The scene features a futuristic holographic interface displaying financial charts, stock market trends, and a magnifying glass highlighting a fast-moving startup. A businessperson analyzes the data, with an AI-driven algorithm in the background identifying potential winners. The color scheme includes electric blue, neon accents, and gold, symbolizing speed, technology, and investment success.

Want a quick trick to spot startups that’ll grow your money fast? Look for ones that skip a lot of lab time! Old-school drug-making drags on for years with messy labs and human tests—it’s slow and burns cash like crazy. But these new AI startups? They use computer tricks to jump ahead, hitting the market sooner with bigger profits. Ask them: “How much can AI do before you need real tests?” Less lab time means more cash in your pocket, quicker. It’s like designing a car on a computer first—less mess, more speed.

Here’s why this works and how you can cash in. 👇

Why Skipping Lab Time Wins

Making drugs the old way is slog—scientists spend years mixing stuff in labs, testing on mice, then people, and it costs a fortune, like $2.6 billion per drug (Forbes, March 2025). Plus, 9 out of 10 flop in human trials (FDA, 2024)—tough odds. But AI startups are changing that with computer simulations—think of them as video games for drugs. They test ideas on screens first, cutting years and slashing costs to around $500 million a drug (Forbes, March 2025). MIT Technology Review (March 2025) says this boosts success rates to 1 in 4 (Nature Biotech, Jan 2025). That’s less waiting and more winning for your wallet.

Real Examples That Prove It

Take Absci—this Washington crew uses AI to whip up proteins 50% faster than old methods (Absci press release, Feb 2025). They’ve raised $200 million from investors, and Merck’s already thrown $30 million their way for protein deals (PitchBook, Q1 2025). Less lab time, quick cash! Then there’s Generate:Biomedicines in Boston—they’ve snagged $370 million and locked a $50 million contract with Amgen to make new antibodies (Crunchbase, Q1 2025). Their AI skips months of lab work, and they’re shipping samples now. These fast movers are showing how it’s done!

How Much Money Can You Make?

Here’s the fun part—less lab time means startups spend less and sell sooner. A typical drug takes 10-15 years to hit stores (FDA, 2024), but AI can cut that to 5-7 years. Absci’s worth $800 million now—say they pull $100 million in sales by 2027 (based on Merck’s deal scaling), they could hit $4 billion by 2030. A $1 million bet today could turn into $5 million—that’s 5 times your money! Generate’s at $1.5 billion—if they grow to $200 million in sales, your $1 million could jump to $10 million.

Who’s Buying This Stuff?

Big drug companies are jumping in fast. Merck’s $30M deal with Absci is locked—they’re buying proteins now (Absci, Feb 2025). Amgen’s $50M contract with Generate has samples shipping already (Crunchbase, Q1 2025). Pfizer’s testing AI antibodies in a $1.2 billion pipeline, aiming for $200 million in sales by 2027 if they work (Bloomberg, Feb 2025). These aren’t just chats—real cash is changing hands, showing these startups have buyers ready to pay.

What Could Go Wrong—and How They Fix It

It’s not all smooth sailing. Drug approvals still take 5-10 years (FDA, 2024)—if tests flop, startups burn $10 million a month. China’s throwing $1 billion at their own AI biotech (CSIS, March 2025)—they could flood the market with cheap copies. But here’s how they fight back: Absci’s $30M Merck deal keeps cash coming to cover delays, and Generate’s early testing with Amgen spots flops quick—smart moves to dodge big trouble. You’ve got to watch those risks, but they’ve got plans.

Your Move

So, when you’re checking out a startup, ask: “How much of this is AI doing up front?” If they’re leaning hard on computer simulations—like Absci and Generate—and only hitting labs later, they’re fast movers. That’s your green light—less waiting, more winning! A startup that skips lab time could turn your $1 million into $5 million or $10 million in 5-7 years—way faster than the old way. It’s like picking a car built on a screen first—fewer issues, quicker cash. Get in on these speedy players, and you’re set to cash in big.

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Stay sharp,
Eden Djanashvili
Author, Invest Deeptech

Invest Deeptech