Orbiting the Future of Pharma: Varda’s $187M Bet on Drugs Made in Space

In a gleaming lab in El Segundo, California, three scorched capsule shells sit on metal stands, looking a bit like oversized blackened seashells. These are reentry vehicles – each about 3 feet across – that have traveled to space and back as part of a bold experiment. They belong to Varda Space Industries, a startup pursuing what sounds like science fiction: manufacturing new drugs in microgravity and bringing them down to Earth. This month, Varda announced a colossal $187 million Series C funding round, more than doubling its total funding to $329 million. Co-led by venture firms Natural Capital and Shrug Capital,

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