Deep Genomics vs Exscientia

Neither company has publicly disclosed a valuation, making a definitive size comparison difficult. Deep Genomics employs 100-500 people, while Exscientia has 100-500 employees.

Exscientia has raised more in total funding at $500M, compared to Deep Genomics's $180M — a gap of $320M.

Exscientia holds the higher Awaira Score at 72/100, compared to Deep Genomics's 68/100. The Awaira Score is a composite metric factoring in valuation, funding, stage, team size, and market presence — a 4-point gap that reflects meaningful differences in scale or traction.

Deep Genomics was founded by Brendan Frey in 2015. Exscientia was founded by Andrew Hopkins in 2012. Visit each company's profile on Awaira for a full founder biography.

Deep Genomics: Deep Genomics applies deep learning to genetic medicine discovery, using AI models trained on genomic sequence data to predict the functional consequences of genetic variants, identify RNA splicing defects that underlie genetic diseases, and generate novel therapeutic candidates including antisense oligonucleotides and small molecules that correct disease-causing genetic variants. The Toronto company was founded by Brendan Frey, a University of Toronto machine learning professor who collaborated with Geoffrey Hinton on deep learning research.\n\nThe company raised approximately $180 million in venture funding from investors including True Ventures, AlleyCorp, and GV (Google Ventures). Deep Genomics has built an AI drug discovery platform called the AI Workbench that integrates genomic data, disease biology, and AI prediction across the therapeutic discovery pipeline, and has entered a strategic alliance with Agenus to develop cancer treatments using its AI-designed oligonucleotide candidates.\n\nDeep Genomics competes in the AI genetic medicine space against Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Insitro, Exscientia, and gene therapy companies building computational biology capabilities. Its specific focus on RNA biology and oligonucleotide therapeutics, which represent a growing class of approved genetic medicines, differentiates it from platforms focused on small molecule drug discovery or cell therapy. The Toronto University of Toronto AI ecosystem, including connections to the Vector Institute and the Hinton research lineage, provides research credibility and talent access that distinguishes Canadian AI drug discovery from international competitors. Exscientia: Exscientia is an AI-driven drug design company that uses automated design-make-test-analyse cycles to generate drug candidates with the goal of reducing the time and cost of small molecule drug discovery. The Oxford-originated company builds generative chemistry models and automated laboratory robotics that together create a closed-loop system for molecular design, synthesis, and assay testing, producing candidates in months rather than the years required by conventional medicinal chemistry programmes.\n\nThe company went public on NASDAQ under the ticker EXAI, having raised over $500 million in combined public and private funding from investors including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, SoftBank, and GT Healthcare Capital Partners. Exscientia has clinical-stage programmes in oncology and neuropsychiatry and reports being the first company to advance AI-designed drug candidates into human clinical trials. The company has multiple pharma partnerships including agreements with Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi, and Evotec that provide milestone and royalty revenue.\n\nExscientia competes in the AI drug design space against Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Schrodinger, Relay Therapeutics, and Insilico Medicine. The company differentiates through its integrated automated laboratory approach, which combines computational design with physical synthesis and testing in a single workflow rather than treating AI design as a separate step before conventional chemistry. Its public market position and disclosed clinical programmes provide transparency benchmarks against which the broader AI drug discovery sector is measured by investors and pharmaceutical partners.

Exscientia was founded first in 2012, giving it 3 years of additional market experience. Deep Genomics was founded later in 2015. In AI, even a year or two of head start can translate into significantly more training data, customer relationships, and institutional knowledge.

Both Deep Genomics and Exscientia report similar employee counts of approximately 100-500. Team size is often a proxy for operational scale, though lean AI companies can punch well above their headcount.

Yes, Deep Genomics and Exscientia are direct competitors — both operate in the AI Healthcare space and likely target overlapping customer segments. This comparison is especially relevant for buyers evaluating both platforms.