The tools that make other advances possible.
Sometimes the most important advance is not the final product. It is the instrument, method, model or manufacturing capability that allows many different discoveries to be developed and used. We are interested in those enabling technologies wherever the advantage can be tested and the economics make sense.
Computation and artificial intelligence.
AI may change how proteins are designed, experiments are prioritized, clinical data are interpreted and complex systems are operated. We would judge the underlying result: does the system improve accuracy, cost, speed or a measurable decision? A convincing demonstration is not enough if the result cannot be reproduced or deployed reliably.
Robotics, instruments and automation.
Laboratory automation, precision sensing and advanced instruments can make scientific work more reproducible and scalable. They can also carry difficult hardware economics, long sales cycles and substantial service requirements. Those commercial realities should be treated as part of the technology thesis.
Manufacturing and materials.
New processes and materials can remove a constraint that holds back a whole industry. The questions include yield, throughput, quality, cost, capital expenditure, integration into established systems and whether customers have a compelling reason to switch.
Our position.
We see these tools first through their role in our initial work in biology. Over time, a broader investment strategy might become compelling if Wytham Lane develops a demonstrated edge and the specialist team to support it. We will not invest in a category simply because it is fashionable.