The Startup Building AI Scientists
Cristian Ponce & Théo Schäfer of Tetsuwan
The future of scientific discovery could look very different if AI-powered wet-lab scientists were leading the charge. Imagine automated systems designing, executing, and iterating on experiments at a scale and speed far beyond human capability. That’s the vision behind Tetsuwan, an early-stage startup building the next generation of autonomous lab AI.
On this episode of Discovery Engines, I sit down with Cristian Ponce and Théo Schäfer, Co-founders of Tetsuwan, fresh out of stealth mode following their first client delivery. We dove deep into what it takes to bring AI-driven lab automation to life and explored some of the biggest challenges and opportunities in this space.
Specifically, we covered:
How large language models are transforming lab automation by translating scientific intent into executable code
The challenge of scientific language and biased data, and how to overcome it
How AI can increase transparency and collaboration in lab automation
The differences between launching a deep tech company in the US vs. Europe
The safety implications of AI-driven wet labs and how to manage risk
Why Astro Boy is the unofficial inspiration for their startup
A Tsunami Warning (Literally)
As we sat down to record in downtown San Francisco, our phones went off in unison with a tsunami warning. Fortunately, the tsunami never came, but Cristian and Theo stayed as unflappable as one might expect from founders building a disruptive deep tech company.
Listen Now
If you’re curious about how AI and robotics are reshaping the wet lab, this episode is for you. Catch the full conversation here:
Also available on:
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/42Uvv5J
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/40sQCu9