Recursion aims to change the pace and economics of drug discovery through machine learning and automation. Its primary skill is bringing together data scientists, biologists, and engineers in a rare example of effective collaboration. Its proprietary software underpins an entirely automated approach to running and analysing biological experiments, enabling it to conduct and learn from experimental biology at an unprecedented scale. Put simply, Recursion is automating the age-old practice of looking into a microscope and is replacing human interpretation with AI. This is exciting because it provides the opportunity to profitably pursue more minor diseases that may not have been commercially viable using traditional drug development processes.

Chris Gibson is the company’s Co-Founder and CEO. The culture he envisioned needed to feel different to enable people to let loose and be themselves. He believes that only then can they be creative and voice the wacky idea that could lead to something great. This culture does not strike us as merely a perk but rather a sign of an intentional and thought-through effort to create cohesion and a shared sense of direction.

For Scottish Mortgage, in February 2019 as a private company.