[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":349},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header":3,"footer":26,"footer-cities":54,"content-\u002Fnews\u002Fchai-discovery-raises-400m-for-ai-drug-design-at-3-8b-valuation":235},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":10,"extension":13,"links":14,"meta":20,"navigation":21,"path":22,"seo":23,"stem":24,"__hash__":25},"header\u002Fheader.md","Central Valley AI",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":9},"minimark",[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":12},"",2,[],"md",[15],{"label":16,"to":17,"icon":19},"News",{"path":18},"\u002Fnews\u002F","mdi-newspaper-variant-outline",{},true,"\u002Fheader",{"title":5,"description":10},"header","ceT4J-WxxOBdbhRC-UD3fo0Npu7vWt2o2B9b_LURPmE",{"id":27,"title":28,"body":29,"copyright":33,"description":10,"developedBy":34,"extension":13,"links":41,"meta":49,"navigation":21,"path":50,"seo":51,"stem":52,"__hash__":53},"footer\u002Ffooter.md","Footer",{"type":7,"value":30,"toc":31},[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":32},[],"© {year} All rights reserved.",{"label":35,"link":36},"Developed by",{"label":37,"to":38,"target":39,"logo":40},"Kaweah Tech","https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech","_blank","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.kaweah.tech\u002Flogo-black-on-transparent-tight.svg",[42,43,46],{"label":16,"to":18},{"label":44,"to":45},"About","\u002Fabout\u002F",{"label":47,"to":48},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy\u002F",{},"\u002Ffooter",{"description":10},"footer","Ras2AGS8Wuda4aBPrbAbOivaxIsAoDbo9SNCA0w554g",[55,85,123,154,181,208],{"id":56,"title":57,"body":58,"county":77,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":78,"meta":79,"navigation":21,"path":80,"seo":81,"stem":82,"tag":83,"__hash__":84},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield.md","Bakersfield",{"type":7,"value":59,"toc":74},[60,65],[61,62,64],"h2",{"id":63},"ai-in-bakersfield","AI in Bakersfield",[66,67,68,69,73],"p",{},"Bakersfield's AI conversation sits at the intersection of municipal government, the ",[70,71,72],"strong",{},"California State University Bakersfield"," community, and the energy and ag operators that drive Kern County's economy. The city was an early mover on AI-assisted permitting and has been a recurring backdrop for parent- and teacher-led debates about classroom AI use. Articles below follow specific Bakersfield initiatives, public-meeting decisions, and Kern County workforce stories — and how they reflect national AI trends from a regional vantage point.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":75},[76],{"id":63,"depth":11,"text":64},"Kern County","Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County are home to some of the most concrete AI-in-government experiments in the Central Valley, from instant municipal permitting to school-district debates about classroom AI. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is reshaping public services, education, and the energy and agriculture economies that dominate the region.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield",{"title":57,"description":10},"cities\u002Fbakersfield","bakersfield","ozFL4HvDA_g7UrRE1mHbKqcS-vDLwbiH9JWVh3rB2Ac",{"id":86,"title":87,"body":88,"county":115,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":116,"meta":117,"navigation":21,"path":118,"seo":119,"stem":120,"tag":121,"__hash__":122},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno.md","Fresno",{"type":7,"value":89,"toc":112},[90,94,109],[61,91,93],{"id":92},"ai-in-fresno","AI in Fresno",[66,95,96,97,100,101,104,105,108],{},"Fresno's AI story spans several distinct ecosystems. ",[70,98,99],{},"Fresno State"," and the ",[70,102,103],{},"California State University"," system anchor a workforce-readiness push, while local ",[70,106,107],{},"Fresno Unified School District"," debates around responsible use have made the city a recurring reference point in California's K-12 AI conversation. The city's economic base in agriculture, healthcare, and public services means most AI adoption stories here are about applied uses rather than model development — a different posture than coastal tech hubs but arguably more consequential for the people living here.",[66,110,111],{},"Use the articles below to follow how AI is showing up in Fresno-area institutions and businesses.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":113},[114],{"id":92,"depth":11,"text":93},"Fresno County","Fresno is the largest city in California's Central Valley and the regional center for AI adoption across agriculture, healthcare, higher education, and small business. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being applied — and contested — in and around the city of Fresno and Fresno County.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno",{"title":87,"description":10},"cities\u002Ffresno","fresno","gOL2xk8y9t9OV6PPxP02OjYhZFHC_Cg-VGijh_V93dI",{"id":124,"title":125,"body":126,"county":146,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":147,"meta":148,"navigation":21,"path":149,"seo":150,"stem":151,"tag":152,"__hash__":153},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced.md","Merced",{"type":7,"value":127,"toc":143},[128,132],[61,129,131],{"id":130},"ai-in-merced","AI in Merced",[66,133,134,135,138,139,142],{},"Merced is a research-heavy node in the Central Valley AI ecosystem. ",[70,136,137],{},"UC Merced"," faculty appear in national conversations about AI safety, autonomous vehicles, climate modeling, and pediatric health applications, while the ",[70,140,141],{},"Merced Unified School District"," and surrounding county institutions navigate the same K-12 and workforce questions the rest of the Valley faces. The articles below cover both the campus research story and the broader applied uses around the city and county.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":144},[145],{"id":130,"depth":11,"text":131},"Merced County","Merced punches above its weight in AI research, anchored by UC Merced — a leading West Coast hub for AI in agriculture, climate, autonomous systems, and health. Coverage on this page tracks both academic research coming out of the campus and how AI is showing up across Merced's schools, businesses, and county institutions.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced",{"title":125,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmerced","merced","pSWWlEzMdcv2_RZrUKdkEHU3bixNboePGdHbSdd1m34",{"id":155,"title":156,"body":157,"county":173,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":174,"meta":175,"navigation":21,"path":176,"seo":177,"stem":178,"tag":179,"__hash__":180},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto.md","Modesto",{"type":7,"value":158,"toc":170},[159,163],[61,160,162],{"id":161},"ai-in-modesto","AI in Modesto",[66,164,165,166,169],{},"Modesto's AI conversation tends to combine ag-tech adoption stories with workforce-readiness questions for the city's small and mid-sized employers. ",[70,167,168],{},"CSU Stanislaus"," and the regional community college network shape the higher-ed angle. Coverage below follows Modesto-area AI announcements and the wider Stanislaus County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":171},[172],{"id":161,"depth":11,"text":162},"Stanislaus County","Modesto and Stanislaus County sit between the Bay Area and the southern Valley, and their AI story reflects that bridging role — from agriculture and food processing to the **California State University Stanislaus** community to small businesses adapting to AI-driven changes in marketing, hiring, and operations.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto",{"title":156,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmodesto","modesto","l75Dc40MX8wTb4lD088Yx9we4ypuDwmcvE-uEdqqREc",{"id":182,"title":183,"body":184,"county":200,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":201,"meta":202,"navigation":21,"path":203,"seo":204,"stem":205,"tag":206,"__hash__":207},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton.md","Stockton",{"type":7,"value":185,"toc":197},[186,190],[61,187,189],{"id":188},"ai-in-stockton","AI in Stockton",[66,191,192,193,196],{},"Stockton's economic base in logistics, healthcare, and higher education gives the city a different AI profile than the southern Valley. ",[70,194,195],{},"University of the Pacific"," anchors the academic conversation, while San Joaquin County government, hospitals, and warehouse operators are navigating practical adoption questions: cost, training, security, workforce impact. The articles below track Stockton-area AI announcements and the broader San Joaquin County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":198},[199],{"id":188,"depth":11,"text":189},"San Joaquin County","Stockton and San Joaquin County sit at the northern edge of the Central Valley, where logistics, healthcare, and the University of the Pacific shape the local AI adoption story. Coverage on this page follows how AI is being put to work — and questioned — across San Joaquin County's institutions, employers, and public services.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton",{"title":183,"description":10},"cities\u002Fstockton","stockton","TYEBK9akp2HbpAFmYY67FeKt7Rs7L8tvtYeQBtgJAHw",{"id":209,"title":210,"body":211,"county":227,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":228,"meta":229,"navigation":21,"path":230,"seo":231,"stem":232,"tag":233,"__hash__":234},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia.md","Visalia",{"type":7,"value":212,"toc":224},[213,217],[61,214,216],{"id":215},"ai-in-visalia","AI in Visalia",[66,218,219,220,223],{},"Visalia's AI footprint is grounded in the practical adoption stories that come with a Tulare County economy built around agriculture, food processing, and rural healthcare. ",[70,221,222],{},"College of the Sequoias"," and the surrounding K-12 districts anchor the education conversation. The articles below cover Visalia-area AI developments and the Tulare County context, with a focus on applied uses rather than research or model development.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":225},[226],{"id":215,"depth":11,"text":216},"Tulare County","Visalia is the largest city in Tulare County and a center for agriculture, healthcare, and county-government services in the southern Central Valley. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being adopted across Tulare County's schools, hospitals, ag operations, and small business community.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia",{"title":210,"description":10},"cities\u002Fvisalia","visalia","gN4g7aAl-cqD4FfSTgtTAarltUoKLh8NFlPzCbZngqU",{"id":236,"title":237,"archived":238,"author":239,"body":240,"date":336,"dateModified":336,"description":337,"extension":13,"meta":338,"navigation":21,"path":339,"rawbody":340,"seo":341,"sitemap":342,"stem":343,"tags":344,"__hash__":348},"news\u002Fnews\u002Fchai-discovery-raises-400m-for-ai-drug-design-at-3-8b-valuation.md","Chai Discovery raises $400M for AI drug design at $3.8B valuation",false,"CVAI Newsdesk",{"type":7,"value":241,"toc":328},[242,246,250,266,270,273,276,280,283,287,290,294,297,300,315,318,322],[243,244,237],"h1",{"id":245},"chai-discovery-raises-400m-for-ai-drug-design-at-38b-valuation",[61,247,249],{"id":248},"key-takeaways","Key Takeaways",[251,252,253,257,260,263],"ol",{},[254,255,256],"li",{},"Chai Discovery raised $400 million on July 14, valuing the company at $3.8 billion.",[254,258,259],{},"The startup has struck agreements with Pfizer, Novartis, and Eli Lilly for its antibody-design software.",[254,261,262],{},"UCSF Fresno’s Clinical Research Center oversees more than 60 active clinical trials.",[254,264,265],{},"Chai says the $400 million Series C will expand its generative models for new medicines.",[61,267,269],{"id":268},"what-changed-on-july-14","What changed on July 14",[66,271,272],{},"Four hundred million dollars. That is what San Francisco-based Chai Discovery announced it raised on July 14, a Series C round that puts the two‑year‑old company at a $3.8 billion valuation, according to its release and trade filings. The company says it is building a computer-aided design suite for molecules, with a focus on de novo antibody design.",[66,274,275],{},"For Central Valley readers, the money matters where new drug candidates meet patients. UCSF Fresno’s Clinical Research Center, which runs more than 60 industry and government trials across two Fresno‑Clovis sites, is the kind of place that sees those candidates when they are ready for people. That is where the national funding headline touches the Valley.",[61,277,279],{"id":278},"who-is-backing-the-startup","Who is backing the startup",[66,281,282],{},"Chai said the round was led by Index Ventures with participation from Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital, and others, and it pegs the valuation at $3.8 billion. Prior rounds drew OpenAI and Thrive Capital. The company’s own timeline lists the New York Times DealBook item that first flagged the raise to a broad audience, along with the Business Wire notice. Numbers line up across those posts.",[61,284,286],{"id":285},"where-the-software-shows-up","Where the software shows up",[66,288,289],{},"Chai’s model family is already in large‑pharma workflows. Pfizer signed a license in June to use the company’s Chai‑3 system and custom software. Chai also announced collaborations with Novartis and programs with Eli Lilly, including access through Lilly’s TuneLab. None of that guarantees faster approvals, but it moves decisions about which antibodies to try earlier in the process to algorithms that propose designs.",[61,291,293],{"id":292},"why-the-valley-should-care","Why the Valley should care",[66,295,296],{},"Clinical research capacity here is not abstract. UCSF Fresno runs inpatient trials at Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno and maintains a second site at the Community Cancer Institute in Clovis. If AI‑guided discovery shortens the preclinical slog, more first‑in‑human or early‑phase programs could look beyond the Bay Area and Los Angeles for participants, and that can mean care options closer to home. It could also mean internships or jobs for Fresno State biotech grads and UC Merced students who want to work on data and lab coordination rather than move west. Worth watching, if you run trials in Fresno.",[66,298,299],{},"A warm can of Diet Coke sat on the copy desk while I read through the filings and the Fresno trial lists, no one touched it.",[66,301,302],{},[303,304,305,306,308,309,314],"em",{},"Central Valley AI is produced by the ",[70,307,239],{}," team and developed by ",[310,311,37],"a",{"href":38,"rel":312},[313],"nofollow",", a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.",[316,317],"hr",{},[61,319,321],{"id":320},"source","Source",[66,323,324],{},[310,325,326],{"href":326,"rel":327},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nytimes.com\u002F2026\u002F07\u002F14\u002Fbusiness\u002Fdealbook\u002Fchai-discovery-ai-drug-development.html",[313],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":329},[330,331,332,333,334,335],{"id":248,"depth":11,"text":249},{"id":268,"depth":11,"text":269},{"id":278,"depth":11,"text":279},{"id":285,"depth":11,"text":286},{"id":292,"depth":11,"text":293},{"id":320,"depth":11,"text":321},"2026-08-11","The San Francisco startup says it will use the cash to expand its AI models for designing new medicines after deals with Pfizer and Lilly.",{},"\u002Fnews\u002Fchai-discovery-raises-400m-for-ai-drug-design-at-3-8b-valuation","---\nauthor: CVAI Newsdesk\ndate: '2026-08-11'\ndateModified: '2026-08-11'\ndescription: The San Francisco startup says it will use the cash to expand its AI\n  models for designing new medicines after deals with Pfizer and Lilly.\ntags:\n- business\n- healthcare\n- biotech\ntitle: Chai Discovery raises $400M for AI drug design at $3.8B valuation\n---\n\n# Chai Discovery raises $400M for AI drug design at $3.8B valuation\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n1. Chai Discovery raised $400 million on July 14, valuing the company at $3.8 billion.\n2. The startup has struck agreements with Pfizer, Novartis, and Eli Lilly for its antibody-design software.\n3. UCSF Fresno’s Clinical Research Center oversees more than 60 active clinical trials.\n4. Chai says the $400 million Series C will expand its generative models for new medicines.\n\n## What changed on July 14\n\nFour hundred million dollars. That is what San Francisco-based Chai Discovery announced it raised on July 14, a Series C round that puts the two‑year‑old company at a $3.8 billion valuation, according to its release and trade filings. The company says it is building a computer-aided design suite for molecules, with a focus on de novo antibody design.\n\nFor Central Valley readers, the money matters where new drug candidates meet patients. UCSF Fresno’s Clinical Research Center, which runs more than 60 industry and government trials across two Fresno‑Clovis sites, is the kind of place that sees those candidates when they are ready for people. That is where the national funding headline touches the Valley.\n\n## Who is backing the startup\n\nChai said the round was led by Index Ventures with participation from Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital, and others, and it pegs the valuation at $3.8 billion. Prior rounds drew OpenAI and Thrive Capital. The company’s own timeline lists the New York Times DealBook item that first flagged the raise to a broad audience, along with the Business Wire notice. Numbers line up across those posts.\n\n## Where the software shows up\n\nChai’s model family is already in large‑pharma workflows. Pfizer signed a license in June to use the company’s Chai‑3 system and custom software. Chai also announced collaborations with Novartis and programs with Eli Lilly, including access through Lilly’s TuneLab. None of that guarantees faster approvals, but it moves decisions about which antibodies to try earlier in the process to algorithms that propose designs.\n\n## Why the Valley should care\n\nClinical research capacity here is not abstract. UCSF Fresno runs inpatient trials at Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno and maintains a second site at the Community Cancer Institute in Clovis. If AI‑guided discovery shortens the preclinical slog, more first‑in‑human or early‑phase programs could look beyond the Bay Area and Los Angeles for participants, and that can mean care options closer to home. It could also mean internships or jobs for Fresno State biotech grads and UC Merced students who want to work on data and lab coordination rather than move west. Worth watching, if you run trials in Fresno.\n\nA warm can of Diet Coke sat on the copy desk while I read through the filings and the Fresno trial lists, no one touched it.\n\n*Central Valley AI is produced by the **CVAI Newsdesk** team and developed by [Kaweah Tech](https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech), a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.*\n\n---\n\n## Source\n\nhttps:\u002F\u002Fwww.nytimes.com\u002F2026\u002F07\u002F14\u002Fbusiness\u002Fdealbook\u002Fchai-discovery-ai-drug-development.html\n",{"title":237,"description":337},{"loc":339},"news\u002Fchai-discovery-raises-400m-for-ai-drug-design-at-3-8b-valuation",[345,346,347],"business","healthcare","biotech","cAsYz_qAryVIiU8Wg8iR6htwnk5DBJaQVc_sIEFpx9o",1786450935040]