TLDR: London-based biotech startup, Science Machine, successfully raised a $3.5 million seed round despite having only two full-time employees. Co-founders Lorenzo Sani and Benjamin Tenmann leveraged AI to develop their product, Sam, an AI agent designed to help researchers extract insights from data, showcasing the growing trend of highly efficient “tiny teams” in the AI sector.
London-based biotech startup, Science Machine, has made headlines by successfully closing a $3.5 million seed funding round with an exceptionally lean team of just two full-time employees. This achievement highlights a burgeoning trend of “tiny teams” in the technology sector, where companies leverage advanced AI capabilities to maintain minimal workforces while achieving significant milestones.
Co-founders Lorenzo Sani and Benjamin Tenmann are at the helm of Science Machine. Tenmann, who previously served as a machine learning engineer at BenevolentAI, admitted that the fundraising process was “daunting” and at times “fairly painful,” leading him to question his decision to leave his previous job. However, his counterpart, Sani, a seasoned entrepreneur and Y Combinator alumnus, brought invaluable experience and a robust network to the table, which proved crucial in securing the investment.
The core of Science Machine’s offering is their AI agent product, named Sam. This reflexive interactive dashboard is designed to empower researchers by enabling them to easily adapt and extract critical insights from their complex data. The efficiency gained through Sam’s AI-powered functionalities allows the small team to make substantial progress, a key selling point for investors.
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Addressing investor queries about their minimal headcount, Sani emphasized that their small size was, in fact, a strength. “We can tell this story about how it’s just the two of us but we’ve made so much progress,” Sani told Sifted. He added, “Imagine — as we get more people on board — what we can do.” Tenmann echoed this sentiment, acknowledging that while they won’t remain a team of two indefinitely, they are “very picky with who we hire,” ensuring that future growth maintains their high-efficiency model.
