OpenAI's Secret Weapon Against AI Bio-Attacks: Meet Valthos, the Startup That Could Save Millions

The Nightmare Scenario: AI-Engineered Superviruses

It’s a terrifying thought: a terrorist with minimal training uses artificial intelligence to design a supervirus combining the incubation period of HIV, the contagiousness of measles, and the mortality rate of smallpox. This worst-case scenario, highlighted in a recent report by the Center for AI Safety, is what drives Kathleen McMahon, CEO of Valthos Inc., to work tirelessly on biosecurity solutions.

Valthos Emerges from Stealth with $30M Backing

Valthos Inc., a New York-based biosecurity software startup, is officially stepping out of stealth mode with $30 million in funding from major investors including OpenAI, Founders Fund, and Lux Capital. This nine-person team is dedicated to defending against bioweapon attacks that could be accelerated by AI advancements.

How Valthos’s AI-Powered Defense Works

Valthos’s software integrates biological data from various sources—such as air and wastewater monitoring—and employs AI tools to detect emerging threats and assess risks. The company is also developing AI systems to redesign medical countermeasures for evolving threats, with plans to collaborate with pharmaceutical partners for manufacturing and distribution.

Kathleen McMahon, former leader of Palantir Technologies’ life sciences division, emphasizes: "The only way to deter an attack is to know when it’s happening, update countermeasures, and deploy them fast." She co-founded Valthos with Tess van Stekelenburg, a venture partner at Lux Capital with expertise in computational neuroscience and biology.

The Critical Need for Biosecurity Innovation

While defense tech attracts significant venture capital, biotech funding has hit its lowest point in over a decade, according to PitchBook data. Simultaneously, advances in AI research have heightened the stakes, with the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology warning of a potential "ChatGPT moment for biotechnology" that could shift global power dynamics if not addressed promptly.

OpenAI’s Role and Broader Ecosystem Efforts

OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon confirms that Valthos is OpenAI’s first publicly discussed biosecurity investment. He stresses the importance of building a "system of countervailing technologies" and evolving safeguards to prevent misuse of AI, like in ChatGPT. Kwon advocates for a robust ecosystem involving diverse stakeholders to enhance biosecurity.

Challenges and Opportunities in Biodefense

Federal funding for biodefense has recently been cut, and private investment has slowed due to past disappointments in biotech returns. Daniel Regan, a senior fellow at the Council on Strategic Risks, notes the difficulty for companies to navigate the "investment valley of death" and achieve success.

However, AI breakthroughs and a growing focus on defense technology are changing the landscape. Founders Fund Partner Delian Asparouhov, who has known van Stekelenburg from previous collaborations, believes that recent tech advances have made ventures like Valthos both necessary and feasible. "Pre-2025 there were murmurs, but now it’s really come to the forefront," he says.

Government Collaboration and Future Outlook

With the U.S. government as a primary customer, Valthos will apply principles from McMahon’s Palantir experience to work effectively with officials and commercial clients. Brandon Reeves, partner at Lux Capital, predicts that Valthos will pioneer a wave of startups in the biosecurity space, emphasizing that biothreats should be treated with the same urgency as nuclear or cyber risks.