pharmaceuticals
(61)
Dispatch
Dispatch is a San Francisco hard-tech startup building the return leg of the space economy. Founded by ex-Astranis engineers, it develops refurbishable reentry vehicles and uncrewed, autonomous space stations so that pharmaceutical, semiconductor, and biotech companies can manufacture ultra-high-value materials in microgravity and bring them home affordably. Its first vehicle, Spark 1, targets a demonstration flight in 2027, and the team has already tested a full-scale Mach 20+ heat shield built roughly 100x cheaper than incumbents.
CORXEL Pharmaceuticals
CORXEL Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies for cardiometabolic diseases worldwide. Spun out of RTW Investments in 2019 (formerly JiXing Pharmaceuticals) and dual-based in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey and Shanghai, CORXEL is advancing a pipeline led by CX11, a differentiated oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity and type 2 diabetes, alongside JX10 for acute ischemic stroke and JX09 for hypertension. In January 2026 the company raised up to $287 million in Series D1 financing to push these programs through late-stage clinical trials.
David Weber
David Weber, PhD, is the President and CEO of Mosanna Therapeutics, a Redwood City biotech developing MOS118, a bedtime nasal spray for obstructive sleep apnea that aims to restore the body's natural airway reflex during sleep. A biotech operator with more than 30 years in drug development, capital formation, and corporate strategy, he previously led Otonomy through its IPO and multiple clinical programs, and served as CEO of MacuSight and Oculex Pharmaceuticals. He joined Mosanna in June 2025 as the company launched with an $80 million Series A.
Intelligencia AI
Intelligencia AI is a New York-based artificial intelligence company that helps pharmaceutical and biotech organizations predict the probability of technical and regulatory success (PTRS) for drug candidates. Its patented SaaS platform harmonizes more than 1.5 billion clinical and biological data points to score how likely a drug is to advance through clinical phases and win regulatory approval, with reported prospective accuracy above 80%. The company gives R&D, business development, and portfolio teams transparent, explainable AI to de-risk investment decisions in drug development.
Mosanna Therapeutics
Mosanna Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech developing MOS118, a bedtime nasal spray for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Rather than mechanically forcing the airway open like CPAP, MOS118 is a small molecule pan-K+ channel inhibitor that reactivates the body's own negative pressure reflex - stimulating pressure-sensing nerves in the nasopharynx to increase upper airway muscle tone and reduce apnea episodes. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Redwood City, California with an office in Basel, Switzerland, the company launched publicly in June 2025 with an $80 million Series A to advance MOS118 through Phase 2.
Neurogastrx, Inc.
Neurogastrx is a Woburn, Massachusetts biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for gastrointestinal disorders rooted in the enteric nervous system. Its lead candidate, NG101, is an oral, peripherally acting dopamine D2 receptor antagonist (a proprietary mesylate salt of metopimazine) in late-stage development for gastroparesis and for the nausea and vomiting that limit GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes drugs. Backed by roughly $105-125M from OrbiMed, 5AM Ventures and venBio, the company reported Phase 2 data in 2025 showing sizable reductions in GLP-1-induced nausea and vomiting.
SaNOtize Research and Development Corp.
SaNOtize Research and Development Corp. is a Vancouver-based pharmaceutical and medical-device company that harnesses nitric oxide (NO), a naturally occurring antimicrobial molecule, to prevent and treat viral, bacterial and fungal infections. Its patented Nitric Oxide Releasing Solution (NORS) platform powers a Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) sold internationally under brands including Enovid, VirX and FabiSpray, along with a pipeline addressing COVID-19, respiratory viruses, sinusitis, wound infection and onychomycosis.
Shorla Oncology
Shorla Oncology is a specialty pharmaceutical company based in Clonmel, Ireland, with a U.S. base in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that develops and commercializes innovative oncology drugs for orphan and pediatric cancers. Founded in 2018 by Sharon Cunningham and Orlaith Ryan, Shorla focuses on indications where existing treatments are limited, in shortage, or poorly suited to patients - reformulating and reinventing cancer therapies into easier-to-administer forms such as oral liquids and ready-to-dilute vials. The company markets four FDA-approved products in the U.S. and is advancing an early-stage pipeline addressing rare cancers.
Sparrow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Sparrow Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing clofutriben, an oral, once-daily HSD-1 inhibitor that lowers active cortisol inside specific tissues rather than shutting down the body's steroid system entirely. Founded in 2013 by scientist David Katz, the company has raised roughly $145 million across Series A and Series B rounds and is running the Phase 2b CAPTAIN-T2D trial in patients with type 2 diabetes and elevated cortisol, alongside programs in Cushing's syndrome and autonomous cortisol secretion.
Sware
Sware is a Boston-based software company that modernizes GxP validation for life sciences. Its cloud-native Res_Q platform and developer-focused GxPNext product use AI and a decade of regulated validation knowledge to automate the computer system validation (CSV) work that the FDA and other regulators require - helping pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device and CDMO teams cut validation time and cost while staying audit-ready. Formerly Boston Technology Research (BTR), the company rebranded to Sware in 2022 and has raised roughly $26-27M to date.
Zetagen Therapeutics
Zetagen Therapeutics is a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Syracuse, New York, developing locally-administered therapies for metastatic and primary cancers that spread to bone. Its lead candidate, ZetaMet (Zeta-BC-003), uses a patented molecular pathway delivered by a single outpatient injection to suspend cancer growth, inhibit pain, and regenerate bone in patients with metastatic breast cancer lytic lesions. Spun out of research at SUNY Upstate Medical University in 2015, the company has earned multiple FDA Breakthrough Designations and reported Phase 2a data showing an 87.9% mean reduction in lesion defect volume.
Corcept Therapeutics
Corcept Therapeutics is a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company that discovers and develops medicines that treat severe endocrinologic, oncologic, metabolic and neurologic disorders by modulating the effects of cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone. Founded in 1998 and based in Redwood City, California, Corcept built its business on Korlym, the first FDA-approved treatment for hypercortisolism (Cushing's syndrome), and has since discovered more than 1,000 proprietary selective cortisol modulators. In 2026 it won FDA approval for Lifyorli (relacorilant) in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, extending a single scientific idea - blocking cortisol at the glucocorticoid receptor - from a rare endocrine disease into oncology.
Allysta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Allysta Pharmaceuticals is a private, venture-backed, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class therapeutic peptides that target adiponectin signaling. Its lead compound, ALY688, is described as the first adiponectin receptor agonist to enter human testing, with anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, cell-regenerative and metabolic properties. Allysta is advancing ALY688 as an ophthalmic solution for dry eye disease and as an extended/sustained-release formulation for systemic conditions such as NASH/MASH and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
AmMax Bio., Inc.
AmMax Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company in Redwood City, California, developing first-in-class cancer therapeutics built on a CSF1R-targeting antibody platform. Founded in 2020 by pharmaceutical veteran Larry Hsu, PhD, in partnership with Amgen, the company advances a pipeline that spans a monoclonal antibody for tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT), a therapy for colorectal cancer minimal residual disease (in partnership with MD Anderson), and a lead antibody-drug conjugate, AMB-104, for acute myeloid leukemia. AmMax's strategy is to de-risk development by combining clinically validated antibodies with established linker-payload technology.
DermBiont, Inc.
DermBiont is a Boston-based, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class targeted topical therapeutics that treat the root cause of common skin diseases. Its lead programs are SM-020, a topical AKT kinase inhibitor for seborrheic keratoses, and SM-030, a topical PKC-beta inhibitor for melasma and other hyperpigmentation disorders, with earlier-stage work aimed at basal cell carcinoma and Gorlin syndrome. Founded in 2017 by dermatology-drug veteran Karl Beutner, the company has raised roughly $79M-plus across multiple rounds, including a $35.2M Series B led by Double Point Ventures in 2023.
IgGenix, Inc.
IgGenix is a clinical-stage biotechnology company in South San Francisco developing fully human, allergen-specific antibody therapeutics for severe food and environmental allergies. Its proprietary SEQ SIFTER single-cell RNA-sequencing platform isolates the rare IgE-producing B cells behind allergic reactions and re-engineers them into protective IgG antibodies designed to block the allergic cascade. The lead candidate, IGNX001, is in a Phase 1 trial for peanut allergy.
Ophirex, Inc.
Ophirex, Inc. is a Corte Madera, California public benefit biotech company building the first genuinely new approach to snakebite in more than a century. Its lead candidate, varespladib, is a small-molecule inhibitor of sPLA2 - an enzyme found in roughly 95% of snake venoms - formulated for easy oral or injectable use so treatment can begin in minutes, in the field, rather than hours later at a distant hospital. Founded by expedition physician Matthew Lewin, the company targets a neglected killer that claims roughly 100,000 lives a year, aiming at both human and veterinary markets across the developing world and defense applications.
Mikael Svensson
Mikael Svensson is Chief Executive Officer of SaNOtize Research and Development Corp., the Vancouver-based company commercializing nitric oxide as an antimicrobial platform, most recently through its NOWONDER consumer nasal cleanser. A chemical engineer by training with more than two decades in medical device and pharmaceutical commercialization, he previously led the global launch of INOmax inhaled nitric oxide therapy and worldwide expansion work on Restylane, Naftin, Mederma and VagiVital.
Sandy Mou
Sandy Mou, MD, is the Chief Executive Officer and Board Executive Director of CORXEL Pharmaceuticals, a New Jersey- and Shanghai-linked biotech developing an oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity and diabetes. A Fudan-trained clinician turned pharma executive with nearly three decades at GSK, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and MSD, she led MSD China's oncology unit into the country's top three within three years and later took Shanghai Allist public on the STAR Market before joining JIXING - now CORXEL - in early 2023.
TeselaGen Biotechnology
TeselaGen Biotechnology builds an AI-powered, cloud-based operating system for biological R&D. Spun out of the Department of Energy's Joint BioEnergy Institute and founded by Stanford and Berkeley scientists, its platform - organized around the Design-Build-Test-Learn cycle with DESIGN, BUILD, TEST and DISCOVER modules - lets researchers design DNA libraries, generate lab-robot assembly protocols, capture experimental data and apply machine learning to converge on better biological products faster. Customers span industrial biotech, biopharma and academia, including Amgen, LanzaTech, Twist Bioscience, Arzeda and Stanford.
Biotechnology Innovation Organization
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is the world's largest trade association for the biotech industry, representing more than 1,000 companies, research institutions and state and regional bio centers across the United States and 30-plus countries. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., BIO lobbies on drug pricing, intellectual property, regulation and biosecurity, and runs the BIO International Convention - the industry's flagship annual dealmaking and networking event. Led since 2024 by President and CEO John F. Crowley, a rare-disease entrepreneur whose own children have Pompe disease, BIO's stated mission is to advance a 'bio revolution' that cures patients, protects the climate and nourishes humanity.
Cayuga Biotech
Cayuga Biotech is a clinical-stage biotech developing first-in-class therapeutics that stop life-threatening bleeding by accelerating the body's own clotting cascade. Its lead candidate, CAY001, is a synthetic polyphosphate-silica nanoparticle (polyP-SNP) designed to work where conventional hemostatic agents fall short - non-compressible hemorrhage from trauma, surgery, blood thinners and inherited bleeding disorders. Founded on research from UC Santa Barbara, the company harnesses polyphosphate, a natural cofactor stored in platelets, to normalize thrombin production and speed clot formation without slowing clot breakdown.
Melior Discovery
Melior Discovery is an Exton, Pennsylvania preclinical contract research organization that specializes in in vivo pharmacology and drug repositioning. Its proprietary theraTRACE platform runs a candidate compound through a large, multiplexed panel of validated animal disease models simultaneously, systematically surfacing new therapeutic uses for existing or shelved drugs. Founded in 2005 by Andrew Reaume and Michael Saporito, the company both partners with major pharmaceutical firms and builds its own drug pipeline through spinouts, and was named CRO of the Year by Life Sciences Review in 2024.
RegDesk
RegDesk is an AI-powered regulatory information management platform for medical device, IVD, and pharma companies. It gives regulatory teams 24/7 access to up-to-date requirements across 120+ markets, automates submission-ready applications (GSPR checklists, Essential Principles, Declaration of Conformity), tracks changing regulations with daily alerts, and coordinates distributors - compressing submission work that once took three to six months into roughly a week.
Syntensor
Syntensor builds frontier AI foundation models for cellular biology and human genetics that simulate how drugs act inside the body before a single patient is dosed. Using dynamical systems simulation and neural differential equations over multi-omics data, its platform predicts drug efficacy, systemic toxicity, and the causes of clinical trial failure, then explains the mechanism behind each prediction. Founded out of the University of Cambridge and now headquartered in San Francisco, the company aims to build an accurate, interpretable mechanistic model of human physiology that de-risks pharmaceutical R&D.
Hiranjith H
Hiranjith H (also Hiranjith GH) is the Chief Business Officer of Algorithmic Biologics, a Bengaluru-founded deeptech startup that embeds algorithms inside test tubes to make molecular testing dramatically cheaper and faster. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he leads the company's commercial operations and US expansion. He spent more than a decade scaling MedGenome's research-services business in the US and earlier built commercialization and analytics strategy for life-sciences clients at Novartis, ZS Associates, and Accenture Management Consulting.
Phathom Pharmaceuticals
Phathom Pharmaceuticals is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company built around vonoprazan, a first-in-class potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB) it licensed from Takeda in 2019 for the U.S., Europe and Canada. Its lead product, VOQUEZNA, won FDA approval in late 2023 - the first major innovation in U.S. GERD treatment in over 30 years - and is sold for non-erosive and erosive GERD plus H. pylori infection via its DUAL PAK and TRIPLE PAK regimens. The company reached $175.1 million in net revenue in 2025 and expects operating profitability in 2026.
Theravance Biopharma US, LLC
Theravance Biopharma is a South San Francisco biopharmaceutical company built around a focused respiratory franchise. Its flagship product, YUPELRI (revefenacin), is the first and only once-daily nebulized long-acting muscarinic antagonist approved in the U.S. for COPD maintenance, commercialized with partner Viatris. Spun out of Innoviva in 2014 and trading on Nasdaq as TBPH, the company combines a profitable marketed product with high-value royalty assets - including a now-monetized stake in GSK's TRELEGY - and runs a lean, capital-disciplined model rather than chasing scale.
Michael Shih
Michael Shih is the Chief Executive Officer of NeoPhore Ltd, a London-based small molecule neoantigen immuno-oncology company developing first-in-class drugs that target the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway to make cancers more visible to the immune system. An attorney by training with degrees in biology, he spent nearly two decades structuring biotech deals before sitting in the chief executive's chair, with senior business development and corporate development roles at Kite Pharma, Biogen, Sanofi, Epizyme, Forest Laboratories, Kastle Therapeutics and Eisai. He took the helm at NeoPhore in December 2024, right after the company closed an oversubscribed Series B round backed by Bristol Myers Squibb.
Ahsan Arozullah
Ahsan Arozullah, MD, MPH is Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer at TerSera Therapeutics, a Deerfield, Illinois specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology, CNS disorders and rare disease. A Northwestern-trained physician with a Harvard MPH, he spent over 15 years at Astellas, rising to Senior Vice President and Head of Oncology Development, where he helped validate claudin 18.2 as a cancer target through the pivotal SPOTLIGHT trial of zolbetuximab. He pairs two decades of clinical research with academic roots in health literacy at the University of Illinois and serves on the board of Darul Qasim College, working at the intersection of medicine and Islamic bioethics.