Innovative AI-powered Search and Discovery Platform; Interview With Robert Marcus
Robert Marcus answered TechBullion's questions about him, ALPHA10X, how AI will improve Life Sciences, and investment.
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ALPHA10X is an innovative AI-powered search and discovery platform using state-of-the-art scientific methods to extract insights from data and shape them into knowledge, connections, and scores that inform future predictions.The project recently received $9.4 Million in seed funding, CEO Robert Marcus will be sharing more information with us in this interview with TechBullion.
Please tell us more about yourself?
My name is Robert Marcus and I am CEO and Founder of ALPHA10X. I specialize in AI and a former Sand Hill Road (Silicon Valley) VC along with being an investment banker, public-company CEO, director on the MicrosoftM&A team, and co-founder of several successfully exited companies.
I am inspired by audacious ideas, dreams, and dreamers … the ones who see things differently, who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, and sometimes do.
What is ALPHA10X and what do you do?
ALPHA10X is an award-winning AI-powered life sciences investment platform. The team includes prominent AI scholars and scientists with PhDs and advanced degrees from elite schools in eighteen countries. The company has been recognized by Microsoft, in partnership with INRIA, France’s National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology, as one of the leading AI startups in Europe, and by the European Union for market-creating innovations that shape the future.
We connect the people, capital, and ideas that promise to solve the world’s greatest challenges. ALPHA10X is shaping billions of life science data points into actionable knowledge and predictions that deliver maximum ROI.
By taking data from different data sources (from business, to talent, to patent …), we use AI and more specifically Machine Learning in order to deliver highly relevant knowledge for investors to understand, value, and manage life science ventures. Our platform identifies technology and companies and pairs investors with the entity the most likely to succeed.
AI promises to improve lives through life science and innovation, what challenges inspired the idea of ALPHA10X?
ALPHA10X is based on my past experiences. Some years ago, I had the opportunity to witness open heart surgeries. Before coming into the surgery room, these doctors were looking for previously performed similar operations in order to compare procedures and results. The idea was to cross-reference data, in a manual and intellectual way, to make decisions based on facts and obtain better probabilities to save and heal the patient.
Today, researchers are overwhelmed with data in such a way that it becomes difficult to navigate the amount of information available to them.
Investors are financially and technically knowledgeable and are able to use AI regarding drug discovery but are missing a full set of data helping them to make better choices.
There is a huge inefficiency in the Life Sciences investment market.Investment is the parent to innovation but:
- 100s of Billions lost every year due to failed investments
- 75% MedTech startups failed, making it a high-risk investment
- More than 70% failure of Life Sciences M&A
- 90% failure rate during clinical development and less than 5% of drug discovery projects ever make it to market
ALPHA10X has been created with the mission to connect people, capital and ideas to solve tomorrow’s greatest challenges today. Our platform shapes billions of life science datapoints into actionable knowledge and predictions that deliver maximum impact and investor return.
AI will generate more life science innovation and impact than any other force in history. What solutions are you promising with these opportunities provided by AI?
We promise to link those innovations with the investment they need.Without investment, research can’t be done, and innovation is just a word that needs action. Thanks to the ALPHA10X knowledge graph, investors will be able to discover, link and find the innovation that will have an impact on millions of people’s lives.
Could you give us a global market overview of the influence of AI in Investment data and investing, what is the level of demand for what ALPHA10X offers?
The total life sciences market has a market size of US$ 2.45T with a projected CAGR of 12.58% for the next 5-year period. Record amounts of money are being raised by biotech and medtech funds for startups, particularly in the US.
There are inefficiencies in the Life Sciences, not only on the investment side, but also on the research side. Let’s look at the pharmaceutical industry for example: the estimated cost of drug development ranges from US$314 million to US$2.8 billion per drug. An estimated 90% failure rate during clinical development, and the other 6% during other stages of the drug discovery process. If less than 5% of drug discovery projects ever make it to market, billions of dollars of investment are being wasted.
All these market inefficiencies, from innovation to different forms of investment, translate to corporate and industry financial losses, up to US$570billion each year in wasted R&D expenses, ROI failure and opportunity costs.
Using AI help see the connection between drug discovery, talent, investment and many other criteria. Increasing the knowledge with a high accuracy would allow more profitable investment. With less losses, innovation would benefit from better investment, and research would be more effective.
Give us more insight into your concept of Knowledge as a service, what does it entail and how does it work at ALPHA10X?
A fundamental problem is the growing asymmetry between the data-generation velocity and the analytical power: when it comes to investors, and business leaders, many of them lack data-driven and AI-powered decision-support systems that help them navigate the complexity of the present.There is a lack of data centralization and refining solutions for siloed heterogeneous data sources in general but, more importantly, data that pertain to Life Sciences investment. Moreover, the use of multiple tools for discovery, analysis, and collaboration allows for knowledge to slip through the cracks.
ALPHA10X offers a one place for all, aggregate and shape knowledge out of data : the AI powered platform visually organizes the connection between technology and companies of the Life Sciences landscape.
How will investors benefit from this AI driven innovation disrupting the world, what predictions and trends should we expect from the AI market this 2022 and beyond?
A global tech survey shows AI and Machine Learning ranking as one of the most important technologies for 2022. Gartner estimates the total AI software revenue for 2022 could reach US$62.5 billion, rising by more than 20%year-on-year.
Combining AI and other tangible engineering innovation with scientific advances and discoveries results in the various domains of deep tech, with the collaboration generating considerably more economic value in the process. AI will be the tool to discover the next innovation, pairing it with talents and investment, to make profitable ROI and delivering asymmetric financial return:ROI will increase, as well as talent, landscape clarity and successes.
Tell us about your team of talented data scientists, engineers, and thought leaders, what makes you special, any opportunities for more talents?
ALPHA10X benefits from exceptional board members, all investors, all deeply involved in the company development, serving as compass, ideas generators, mentors and more on the business side, as well as for the tech team.
We have R&D centers in the South of France and Morocco and ourBusiness center is in the US. ALPHA10X benefits from prominent AI scholars and scientists with PhDs and advanced degrees from elite schools in eighteen countries.Our strength comes from the exceptional background from our team members (PhD advanced degrees from elite schools) and their willingness to go beyond their role, to build their path and bring ALPHA10X to the next level.
Our development center in the US benefits from the recent hire of Dr.Michelle Kim-Danely as chief development officer. Dr. Kim-Danely holds a PhD inBiochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from Columbia University and previously filled investor roles in a series of leading Silicon Valley firms.
What are you currently working on at ALPHA10X and what should we expect from your future roadmap?
We are currently working on the Codex, a personalized and dynamic passive discovery capability based on computing deep similarity and recommendations. What this means is that you will be able to research your specific language and vocabulary, specialized ontological and taxonomical expressions in order to generate tailored insights specific to business use-case.
We also signed a partnership with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.The venture, which comprises a UM6P investment preference, will include joint-development and technology transfer projects. Based on the main UM6P campus in the historic city of Ben Guerir, near Marrakech, the partnership is dedicated to building Africa’s leading AI center concentrated on shaping the future of life sciences innovation and investment.
Do you have more information to share with our readers today?
Our expansion just started, and we are looking to announce more news soon regarding our team, partnership and product. 2022 is the year the rocket take-off, and we’re looking to get you onboard this adventure with us!
