Radar · Life Sciences in South Korea
Best Life Sciences Companies in South Korea
The 1063 best Life Sciences companies in South Korea in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Cellid.
By Rohit KhannaTrends & Stories
1063companies tracked
$5.1Bdisclosed funding
1unicorns
200have raised
South Korea's Life Sciences sector has $5.1B in disclosed funding spread across 1,063 tracked companies, and if you're trying to find where capital is actually concentrating, this directory ranks them by exactly that. One unicorn has cleared the bar so far, but the funding distribution tells a sharper story: Orum Therapeutics leads at $92M, with CHA Biotech at $68M and Galaxy at $47M rounding out the upper tier, while most of the field clusters well below that. The global life sciences market sits at roughly $167.8B with a 10.2% CAGR, and Korea's cohort is chasing the same demand tailwinds: an aging population, accelerating diagnostics investment, and real institutional appetite.
Hot themes right now are stem cell banking, cell-based therapies, diagnostic biotechnology, and gene delivery systems. Coverage is flat, so differentiation on platform matters more than ever. I'd also note the broader momentum signal: median app install growth across healthcare and life sciences platforms is running at roughly +43% YoY, which tracks with how fast patient-facing tools are moving downstream. Strategic M&A is picking up too, as an API sector acquisition and a major mRNA capacity push both signal that global players are moving fast to lock in supply chain positions. Korea Investment Holdings and IMM Investment are the names showing up most consistently on cap tables here.
Sources & further reading
- Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Market
- EURAZEO (EPA:RF)
- Reimagining Indian Healthcare
FLIAR INTELLIGENCE · LIFE SCIENCES × SOUTH KOREA
Our analysis of 50 Life Sciences companies
$4.0b in tracked funding; 40% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
50companies analysed
40%cloud-native stacks
2025funding peak (by rounds)
2018median founding year
33median Fliar Index™
Ranked: Best Life Sciences companies in South Korea
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cellid Developer of personalized vaccines to treat cancer and infectious diseases 32Patents top 32%Funding top 35%Innovation top 40%Moat top 45% All 8 signals ▾Patentstop 32% Fundingtop 35% Innovationtop 40% Moattop 45% Marketbottom 48% Globalbottom 35% Fin. healthbottom 35% Techbottom 22% Patents: 32 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 26 filings since 2022 vs 4 in 2017-21 Funding: Raised $2.4B across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 12 yrs (0.1/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 32/100 | $2.4B | 120 mo ago | Public | 68 | — | PHPNginxNaver Analytics+5 | 32 patents Patents concentrated in chemistry & materials | — |
| 2 | Genexine Developer of immunotherapeutics for treating orphan diseases, cancers & autoimmune disorders 40Product top 14%Patents top 25%Innovation top 32%Funding top 38% All 11 signals ▾Producttop 14% Patentstop 25% Innovationtop 32% Fundingtop 38% Talenttop 38% Moattop 41% Growthtop 45% Globalbottom 45% Marketbottom 37% Fin. healthbottom 34% Techbottom 23% Product: 10 distinct product lines · Company stage: Public Patents: 357 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 113 filings since 2022 vs 151 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 40/100 | $233M | 98 mo ago | Public | — | Young Sung Founder & Chairman | NginxGoogle Font APIUnpkg+6 | 357 patents Therapeutic protein engineering and antibody-based cancer immunotherapies. | — |
| 3 | D&D Pharmatech Developer of GLP-1-based therapeutics for metabolic disease treatment 42Patents top 19%Funding top 23%Innovation top 28%Moat top 32% All 9 signals ▾Patentstop 19% Fundingtop 23% Innovationtop 28% Moattop 32% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 42% Marketbottom 39% Fin. healthbottom 39% Techbottom 31% Patents: 92 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 62 filings since 2022 vs 27 in 2017-21 Funding: Raised $205M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 8 yrs (0.5/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 42/100 | $205M | 11 mo ago | Public | 16 | Seulki Lee Founder | PHPGSAPApache HTTP Server+9 | 92 patents Peptide bioconjugates with biotin/fatty acid for oral drug delivery | — |
| 4 | Orum Therapeutics Developer of cell-penetrating antibodies as oncology therapeutics 55Funding top 19%Patents top 23%Moat top 26%Innovation top 35% All 10 signals ▾Fundingtop 19% Patentstop 23% Moattop 26% Innovationtop 35% Talenttop 41% Growthtop 47% Globalbottom 47% Marketbottom 44% Techbottom 42% Newsbottom 41% Funding: Raised $92.0M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 9 yrs (0.4/yr) Patents: 121 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 66 filings since 2022 vs 53 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 55/100 | $92M | 5 mo ago | Public | 38 | Sj Lee CEO | Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+14 | 121 patents Targeted antibody‑drug conjugates and neodegrader therapeutics for CD123 and T‑cell activation | 1 job opening |
| 5 | Curocell Developer of immune cell therapies 57Talent top 28%Funding top 34%Patents top 34%Moat top 38% All 8 signals ▾Talenttop 28% Fundingtop 34% Patentstop 34% Moattop 38% Innovationtop 42% Markettop 46% Techbottom 42% Globalbottom 40% Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated Funding: Raised $82.4M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 9 yrs (0.4/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 57/100 | $82M | 53 mo ago | Series D | 102 | Chan Kim Co-Founder & CTO | WordPress Block EditorElementorWordPress+21 | 40 patents CD5-targeted engineered immune cells and antibodies for cancer immunotherapy | — |
| 6 | Standigm AI-based platform for drug discovery and development 48Patents top 19%Moat top 19%Innovation top 21%Talent top 28% All 10 signals ▾Patentstop 19% Moattop 19% Innovationtop 21% Talenttop 28% AItop 30% Fundingtop 36% Globalbottom 42% Newsbottom 27% Techbottom 21% Marketbottom 18% Patents: 101 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 77 filings since 2022 vs 24 in 2017-21 Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 8/10 · IP moat: 101 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 48/100 | $70M | 59 mo ago | Series C | 3 | Jinhan Kim Co-Founder & CEO | — | 101 patents Patents concentrated in health & consumer products | — |
| 7 | CHA Biotech Developer of stem cell therapeutics 40Funding top 23%News top 31%Partners top 32%Moat top 38% All 11 signals ▾Fundingtop 23% Newstop 31% Partnerstop 32% Moattop 38% Growthtop 42% Patentstop 43% Talentbottom 49% Innovationbottom 46% Techbottom 43% Marketbottom 36% Globalbottom 35% Funding: Raised $67.8M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) News: 5 BI events in 12 mo (of 12 tracked, 5 types) · +25% YoY rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 40/100 | $68M | 4 mo ago | Public | — | Sang Oh CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+11 | 74 patents Umbilical cord stem cell therapies and NK cell immunotherapies for reproductive and cancer treatments | — |
| 8 | ImmuneOncia Developer of monoclonal and specific antibody for cancer treatment 11Funding top 37%Moat top 39%Market bottom 32%Global bottom 32% All 5 signals ▾Fundingtop 37% Moattop 39% Marketbottom 32% Globalbottom 32% Techbottom 23% Funding: Raised $60.5M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 7 yrs (0.3/yr) Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 7/10 · 10 curated direct competitors tracked rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 11/100 | $60M | 53 mo ago | Public | 21 | — | PHPGSAPApache HTTP Server+7 | — | — |
| 9 | Illimis Therapeutics Developer of antibody-based drugs to treat neurological conditions 35Funding top 28%Moat top 31%Patents top 38%Innovation top 45% All 8 signals ▾Fundingtop 28% Moattop 31% Patentstop 38% Innovationtop 45% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 40% Marketbottom 39% Techbottom 30% Funding: Raised $57.4M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 4 yrs (0.5/yr) Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 24 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 35/100 | $57M | 11 mo ago | Series B | 26 | Sanghoon Park Co-Founder & Ceo | PHPApache HTTP ServerCloudflare+11 | 24 patents Therapeutic biologics targeting TAM receptors and ErbB4 for immune and neurodegenerative diseases | — |
| 10 | Rznomics Developer of drugs for anti-cancer and refractory diseases based on RNA Platform technology 57Growth top 15%Patents top 28%Moat top 32%Innovation top 33% All 9 signals ▾Growthtop 15% Patentstop 28% Moattop 32% Innovationtop 33% Fundingtop 38% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 44% Globalbottom 42% Techbottom 22% Growth: Web rank 50,000,000 → 5,000,000 YoY Patents: 61 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 51 filings since 2022 vs 10 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 57/100 | $49M | 48 mo ago | Public | 39 | Seong-Wook Lee Founder & CEO | PHPYouTubeNginx+6 | 61 patents Therapeutic circular RNA and trans‑splicing ribozyme platforms for gene‑editing and drug delivery | — |
| 11 | Galaxy Provider of a drug discovery platform that integrates AI, physics, and chemistry to design various… 37Funding top 28%News top 36%Talent bottom 49%Market bottom 44% All 5 signals ▾Fundingtop 28% Newstop 36% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 44% Globalbottom 33% Funding: Raised $47.0M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 4 yrs (0.5/yr) News: 3 BI events in 12 mo (of 3 tracked, 1 types) · Top themes: Funding rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 37/100 | $47M | 4 mo ago | Series B | 23 | Chaok Seok CEO | — | — | — |
| 12 | UPPthera Developer of drugs for treating multiple diseases 78Innovation top 22%Patents top 24%Moat top 32%Talent top 35% All 7 signals ▾Innovationtop 22% Patentstop 24% Moattop 32% Talenttop 35% Fundingtop 41% Markettop 43% Globalbottom 35% Innovation: 89 patents (top 32% of patent-holders) · 69 filings since 2022 vs 20 in 2017-21 Patents: 89 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 69 filings since 2022 vs 20 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 78/100 | $35M | 49 mo ago | Series B | 63 | Hwa Lee Co-Founder & COO | — | 89 patents Design of PROTACs for selective degradation of kinases and metabolic enzymes. | — |
| 13 | Onconic Therapeutics Developer of therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and gastrointestinal diseases 24Patents top 22%Innovation top 25%Moat top 29%Funding top 36% All 10 signals ▾Patentstop 22% Innovationtop 25% Moattop 29% Fundingtop 36% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 42% Newsbottom 37% Growthbottom 30% Marketbottom 23% Techbottom 17% Patents: 114 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 107 filings since 2022 vs 7 in 2017-21 Innovation: 114 patents (top 24% of patent-holders) · 107 filings since 2022 vs 7 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 24/100 | $35M | 42 mo ago | Public | 6 | John Kim CEO | JavaPHPCentOS+8 | 114 patents Solid-form and salt optimization of heterocyclic anticancer small‑molecule therapeutics | — |
| 14 | IMBiologics Developer of antibody therapeutics to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases 40Moat top 32%Funding top 33%Patents top 36%Innovation top 45% All 6 signals ▾Moattop 32% Fundingtop 33% Patentstop 36% Innovationtop 45% Marketbottom 41% Globalbottom 40% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 23 patents Funding: Raised $33.8M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 5 yrs (0.6/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 40/100 | $34M | 34 mo ago | Public | 25 | — | — | 23 patents Engineered therapeutic antibodies/fusion proteins with extended half-life and bispecific immune targeting | — |
| 15 | ROKIT Healthcare Provider of 4D bio-printer solutions for tissue regenerative 64Patents top 24%Innovation top 26%Tech top 28%Product top 28% All 11 signals ▾Patentstop 24% Innovationtop 26% Techtop 28% Producttop 28% Moattop 29% Fundingtop 33% Growthtop 35% Markettop 50% Talentbottom 49% Fin. healthbottom 43% Globalbottom 42% Patents: 168 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 84 filings since 2022 vs 84 in 2017-21 Innovation: 168 patents (top 10% of patent-holders) · 84 filings since 2022 vs 84 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 64/100 | $30M | 3 mo ago | Public | 65 | Seokhwan You Chairman & Ceo | Cart FunctionalityWordPressMySQL+25 | 168 patents Personalized 3D bioprinting of regenerative dermal and cartilage scaffolds for diabetic foot care | 2 partnerships |
| 16 | Zymedi Developer of therapeutics for multiple diseases 29Patents top 31%Moat top 32%Innovation top 40%Funding top 41% All 9 signals ▾Patentstop 31% Moattop 32% Innovationtop 40% Fundingtop 41% Growthtop 45% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 35% Marketbottom 25% Techbottom 23% Patents: 31 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 28 filings since 2022 vs 3 in 2017-21 Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 31 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 29/100 | $30M | 36 mo ago | Series A | — | Nam Kwon CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+15 | 31 patents Immunomodulatory drugs targeting Lysyl‑tRNA synthetase to control immune cell migration | — |
| 17 | Mepsgen Developer of human organ model chips for pharmaceutical development 42Patents top 24%Moat top 32%Funding top 34%Innovation top 35% All 9 signals ▾Patentstop 24% Moattop 32% Fundingtop 34% Innovationtop 35% Growthtop 35% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 43% Marketbottom 33% Techbottom 24% Patents: 49 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 47 filings since 2022 vs 2 in 2017-21 Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 49 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 42/100 | $29M | 18 mo ago | Series C | 20 | Yongtae Kim Co-Founder & CEO | DreamWeaverPHPYouTube+10 | 49 patents Microfluidic fabrication of lipid‑based nanoparticles and HDL mimetics for drug delivery | — |
| 18 | 3billion Provider of AI-driven clinical diagnostic testing platform for rare genetics disease 74Product top 19%Tech top 22%AI top 25%Patents top 26% All 12 signals ▾Producttop 19% Techtop 22% AItop 25% Patentstop 26% Talenttop 28% Innovationtop 32% Moattop 32% Fundingtop 34% Growthtop 35% Marketbottom 49% Globalbottom 43% Fin. healthbottom 36% Product: 3 distinct product lines · Company stage: Public Tech: 49 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Cloudfront, Amazon S3 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 74/100 | $26M | 1 mo ago | Public | 75 | — | TurbopackSentryApple iCloud Mail+21 | 59 patents AI-powered genomic variant analysis and clinical symptom similarity for precision medicine | 1 partnership |
| 19 | Must Bio Developer of immunotherapeutics for cancer treatment 27Funding top 29%Talent bottom 49%Market bottom 36%Global bottom 29% All 4 signals ▾Fundingtop 29% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 36% Globalbottom 29% Funding: Raised $23.5M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 27/100 | $24M | 3 mo ago | Series C | 18 | Kim Seop CEO | — | — | — |
| 20 | MEZOO Developer of a wearable ECG monitoring device 48Product top 28%Innovation top 31%Moat top 32%Funding top 36% All 10 signals ▾Producttop 28% Innovationtop 31% Moattop 32% Fundingtop 36% Patentstop 36% Growthtop 45% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 43% Techbottom 37% Globalbottom 36% Product: 1 published app (18 installs) · Company stage: Public Innovation: 43 patents (top 51% of patent-holders) · 34 filings since 2022 vs 9 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 48/100 | $23M | 31 mo ago | Public | 46 | Junghwan Park Founder & CEO | PHPGSAPApache HTTP Server+8 | 43 patents Advanced ECG lead guidance and monitoring devices with integrated stimulation and AI analytics | — |
| 21 | Shaperon Developer of therapies for multiple diseases 24Patents top 20%Innovation top 24%Funding top 29%Moat top 35% All 10 signals ▾Patentstop 20% Innovationtop 24% Fundingtop 29% Moattop 35% Newstop 39% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 40% Marketbottom 30% Fin. healthbottom 18% Techbottom 16% Patents: 116 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 105 filings since 2022 vs 9 in 2017-21 Innovation: 116 patents (top 24% of patent-holders) · 105 filings since 2022 vs 9 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 24/100 | $23M | 2 mo ago | Public | 48 | Seung Seong Founder & CEO | PHPUNIXOpenSSL+7 | 116 patents Therapeutic formulations of taurodeoxycholic acid and bispecific antibodies for inflammatory and respiratory diseases | — |
| 22 | Progen Developer of immunotherapies for immune diseases and cancer 62Growth top 5%Partners top 18%News top 19%Moat top 25% All 10 signals ▾Growthtop 5% Partnerstop 18% Newstop 19% Moattop 25% Patentstop 39% Innovationtop 48% Fundingbottom 49% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 48% Globalbottom 36% Partners: 5 contract events in 12 mo · Named contractor/client in 5 deals rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 62/100 | $23M | 38 mo ago | Series B | — | Jong Kim CEO | — | 73 patents Engineered Fc-fusion and bispecific therapeutic proteins, including IL-10 variants, for biologics. | — |
| 23 | 1ST Bio Developer of therapies for treating neurodegenerative and immuno-oncology diseases 53Funding top 28%Talent top 28%Market bottom 46%Global bottom 37% All 4 signals ▾Fundingtop 28% Talenttop 28% Marketbottom 46% Globalbottom 37% Funding: Raised $22.0M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) Talent: Analyst team rating 4/5 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 53/100 | $22M | 4 mo ago | Series D | 34 | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | MedInTech Developer of medical device technologies 76Patents top 22%Innovation top 25%Funding top 42%AI top 45% All 6 signals ▾Patentstop 22% Innovationtop 25% Fundingtop 42% AItop 45% Globaltop 48% Talentbottom 49% Patents: 113 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 111 filings since 2022 vs 2 in 2017-21 Innovation: 113 patents (top 25% of patent-holders) · 111 filings since 2022 vs 2 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 76/100 | $21M | 25 mo ago | Series B | — | Chiwon Lee CEO | — | 113 patents AI‑enhanced endoscopic imaging and power delivery systems for lesion detection and sizing | — |
| 25 | Medintech Developer of medical device designed for motorized endoscopy. 62Innovation top 17%Moat top 21%Patents top 22%Funding top 42% All 7 signals ▾Innovationtop 17% Moattop 21% Patentstop 22% Fundingtop 42% AItop 45% Globalbottom 44% Marketbottom 34% Innovation: 113 patents (top 25% of patent-holders) · 111 filings since 2022 vs 2 in 2017-21 Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 7/10 · IP moat: 113 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 62/100 | $21M | 25 mo ago | Series B | 20 | — | — | 113 patents Patents concentrated in health & consumer products | — |
| 26 | Avelos Therapeutics Developer of biomarker-driven anti-cancer targeted therapies 32Moat top 32%Patents top 37%Innovation top 41%Funding top 43% All 7 signals ▾Moattop 32% Patentstop 37% Innovationtop 41% Fundingtop 43% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 36% Marketbottom 32% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 29 patents Patents: 29 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 29 filings since 2022 vs 0 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 32/100 | $20M | 25 mo ago | Series B | 15 | Young-Whan Park Founder & CEO | — | 29 patents Novel heterocyclic small‑molecule scaffolds for therapeutic drug discovery | — |
| 27 | NeuracleGenetics Developing gene therapies using adeno associated virus technology to treat various diseases 42Funding top 33%Market top 50%Talent bottom 49%Global bottom 36% All 4 signals ▾Fundingtop 33% Markettop 50% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 36% Funding: Raised $18.8M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) Market: 30 employees (top 50% of Life Sciences) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 42/100 | $19M | 9 mo ago | Series C | 30 | Kim Jong-muk CEO | — | — | — |
| 28 | TRIOAR Developer of drugs for the treatment of cancer 29Moat top 38%Funding top 39%Patents top 41%Innovation top 47% All 7 signals ▾Moattop 38% Fundingtop 39% Patentstop 41% Innovationtop 47% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 34% Globalbottom 31% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 18 patents Funding: Raised $18.0M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 4 yrs (0.2/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 29/100 | $18M | 11 mo ago | Series B | 16 | Seongho Woo CEO | — | 18 patents Targeted cancer antibody-drug conjugates using novel cleavable linkers for claudin‑18.2 | — |
| 29 | MediMabBio Developer of immunotherapeutics for treating cancer 29Moat top 32%Funding top 35%Talent top 38%Patents top 40% All 8 signals ▾Moattop 32% Fundingtop 35% Talenttop 38% Patentstop 40% Innovationtop 42% Globalbottom 31% Marketbottom 30% Techbottom 26% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 5/10 · IP moat: 28 patents Funding: Raised $17.8M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 29/100 | $18M | 7 mo ago | Series B | 19 | Hongseok Jo Co-Founder | WordPressMySQLPHP+12 | 28 patents Immune checkpoint antibodies (TIGIT, GITR) and cytokine‑fusion therapeutics for cancer immunotherapy | — |
| 30 | Uvic Steratics Developer of anti-cancer drugs based on Proteolysis Targeting Chimera 27Funding top 39%Talent bottom 49%Market bottom 39%Tech bottom 37% All 5 signals ▾Fundingtop 39% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 39% Techbottom 37% Globalbottom 37% Funding: Raised $17.6M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 2 yrs (0.5/yr) Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 27/100 | $18M | 17 mo ago | Series B | 41 | Servo Optical CEO | Node.jsUbuntuReact+7 | — | — |
| 31 | Daan Biotherapeutics Developer of therapeutics for cancer treatment 19Moat top 38%Talent top 38%Patents top 43%Funding top 44% All 9 signals ▾Moattop 38% Talenttop 38% Patentstop 43% Fundingtop 44% Innovationbottom 47% Globalbottom 40% Growthbottom 35% Techbottom 31% Marketbottom 19% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 8 patents Talent: 2 named leaders on record · 2 C-suite/founder profiles curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 19/100 | $17M | 28 mo ago | Series A | 4 | J Han Founder | GnuboardMySQLPHP+18 | 8 patents Targeted cancer immunotherapy: anti-CEACAM5 antibodies and engineered T‑cell receptor therapies. | — |
| 32 | NOVOREX Developer of drugs for the treatment of cancer and central nervous diseases 32Funding top 33%AI top 45%Moat top 45%Patents top 50% All 8 signals ▾Fundingtop 33% AItop 45% Moattop 45% Patentstop 50% Talentbottom 45% Innovationbottom 38% Globalbottom 36% Marketbottom 34% Funding: Raised $15.0M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) AI: Product described with: artificial intelligence rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 32/100 | $15M | 1 mo ago | Series B | 20 | Woosung Son CEO | — | 4 patents Small‑molecule inhibitors of LRRK2 kinase and YEATS epigenetic reader domains | — |
| 33 | MitoImmune Therapeutics Provides drug development for treating mitochondrial dysfunction 32Patents top 28%Moat top 32%Innovation top 34%Funding top 49% All 8 signals ▾Patentstop 28% Moattop 32% Innovationtop 34% Fundingtop 49% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 40% Techbottom 38% Marketbottom 28% Patents: 56 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 53 filings since 2022 vs 3 in 2017-21 Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 5/10 · IP moat: 56 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 32/100 | $14M | 32 mo ago | Series B | 16 | Soonha Kim CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+26 | 56 patents Novel heterocyclic small‑molecule drugs (indole/dihydroacridine) for anti‑aging and renal therapies | — |
| 34 | Microbiotics Developer of small molecule therapeutics for infectious diseases 32Funding top 39%Talent bottom 49%Market bottom 44%Global bottom 29% All 4 signals ▾Fundingtop 39% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 44% Globalbottom 29% Funding: Raised $14.3M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 2 yrs (0.5/yr) Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 32/100 | $14M | 9 mo ago | Series B | 29 | Yong Dong- eun CEO | — | — | — |
| 35 | CONNECTEVE Provider of AI-based automated robotic system for orthopedic disorders in the elderly 27Moat top 38%Innovation top 41%Funding top 41%Patents top 41% All 7 signals ▾Moattop 38% Innovationtop 41% Fundingtop 41% Patentstop 41% AItop 45% Globalbottom 36% Marketbottom 16% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 20 patents Innovation: 20 patents (top 73% of patent-holders) · 20 filings since 2022 vs 0 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 27/100 | $10M | 15 mo ago | Series A | 1 | — | — | 20 patents Robotic surgical systems and AI-driven orthopedic diagnostic tools for joint procedures | 1 launch · 1 award |
| 36 | SCBIO Developer of small molecule immuno-oncology drugs 27Funding top 42%Moat top 45%Patents top 50%Talent bottom 45% All 7 signals ▾Fundingtop 42% Moattop 45% Patentstop 50% Talentbottom 45% Innovationbottom 38% Marketbottom 37% Globalbottom 31% Funding: Raised $10.1M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 4 yrs (0.2/yr) Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 4 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 27/100 | $10M | 9 mo ago | Series B | 23 | Chang Lee CEO | — | 4 patents Livestock feed additives reducing methane emissions and HDAC6 enzyme inhibitors for therapeutics | — |
| 37 | Connext Provider of therapeutic solution for treating orphan diseases 22Funding top 36%Moat top 38%Patents top 49%Innovation bottom 45% All 8 signals ▾Fundingtop 36% Moattop 38% Patentstop 49% Innovationbottom 45% Talentbottom 45% Globalbottom 31% Marketbottom 29% Techbottom 29% Funding: Raised $9.9M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 9 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 22/100 | $10M | 3 mo ago | Series C | 23 | Woo-Jong Lee CEO & Owner | GnuboardMySQLPHP+15 | 9 patents Stabilized collagenase formulations for biotech and pharmaceutical enzyme applications | — |
| 38 | Portrai Provider of spatial transcriptomics and AI to accelerate drug discovery and biomarker identification 22Patents top 37%Funding top 38%Innovation top 41%Global bottom 35% All 5 signals ▾Patentstop 37% Fundingtop 38% Innovationtop 41% Globalbottom 35% Marketbottom 22% Patents: 29 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 29 filings since 2022 vs 0 in 2017-21 Funding: Raised $9.9M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 22/100 | $10M | 6 mo ago | Series B | 7 | — | — | 29 patents Patents concentrated in computing, sensing & instrumentation | — |
| 39 | SURGINEX Provider of AI-based drug discovery platform 24AI top 35%Moat top 38%Patents top 39%Innovation top 48% All 9 signals ▾AItop 35% Moattop 38% Patentstop 39% Innovationtop 48% Fundingtop 48% Techbottom 47% Talentbottom 45% Globalbottom 36% Marketbottom 13% AI: Product described with: ai-based, artificial intelligence Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 19 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 24/100 | $9M | 26 mo ago | Series A | 6 | Sejun Kim CEO | Wix eCommerceWixSentry+12 | 19 patents Nanoparticle lipid carriers and hydrogel systems for biliary drug delivery and AI epitope design | — |
| 40 | Y-Biologics Developer of antibodies for the treatment of multiple diseases 37Patents top 24%Moat top 35%Innovation top 36%Funding top 40% All 8 signals ▾Patentstop 24% Moattop 35% Innovationtop 36% Fundingtop 40% Marketbottom 44% Fin. healthbottom 39% Globalbottom 37% Techbottom 35% Patents: 166 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 85 filings since 2022 vs 81 in 2017-21 Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 166 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 37/100 | $9M | 10 mo ago | Public | 57 | — | Framer SitesReactPriority Hints+4 | 166 patents Therapeutic antibodies and ADCs targeting cancer antigens and immune checkpoints | — |
| 41 | AIGEN Sciences AI-based drug discovery and designing tool for researchers 35AI top 30%Moat top 38%Funding top 42%Patents top 46% All 8 signals ▾AItop 30% Moattop 38% Fundingtop 42% Patentstop 46% Innovationtop 48% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 31% Marketbottom 25% AI: Classified as an AI company · Product described with: ai-based Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 7 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 35/100 | $9M | 11 mo ago | Series A | 8 | Jaewoo Kang CEO | — | 7 patents Patents concentrated in chemistry & materials | — |
| 42 | Cenyx Biotech Developer of nanozyme based therapeutics for subarachnoid hemorrhage 29Moat top 32%Funding top 37%Patents top 43%Innovation top 46% All 8 signals ▾Moattop 32% Fundingtop 37% Patentstop 43% Innovationtop 46% Talentbottom 45% Marketbottom 34% Globalbottom 31% Techbottom 23% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 5/10 · IP moat: 28 patents Funding: Raised $8.2M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 29/100 | $8M | 2 mo ago | Series B | 33 | Seung-Hoon Lee CEO | PHPNginxGSAP+7 | 28 patents Antioxidant cerium oxide nanocomposites for therapeutic and anti‑inflammatory biomedical applications | — |
| 43 | Microt Developer of medical devices for glaucoma treatment 45Moat top 32%Innovation top 34%Patents top 36%Funding top 40% All 7 signals ▾Moattop 32% Innovationtop 34% Patentstop 36% Fundingtop 40% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 41% Globalbottom 36% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 35 patents Innovation: 35 patents (top 56% of patent-holders) · 30 filings since 2022 vs 5 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 45/100 | $8M | 10 mo ago | Series B | 25 | Jongcheol Han CEO | — | 35 patents Ophthalmic implant devices and delivery systems for intraocular pressure regulation | — |
| 44 | LabInCube Developer drug-releasing medical devices and medicines 37Moat top 32%Patents top 34%Innovation top 40%Funding top 43% All 7 signals ▾Moattop 32% Patentstop 34% Innovationtop 40% Fundingtop 43% Talentbottom 49% Globalbottom 40% Marketbottom 37% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 22 patents Patents: 22 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 22 filings since 2022 vs 0 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 37/100 | $4M | 3 mo ago | Series B | — | Kyeongmin Choi CEO | — | 22 patents Porous biopolymer and metal‑organic particles for cosmetic delivery and VOC/adsorbent applications | — |
| 45 | VS PharmTech Developer of anticancer drugs and adjuvants 27Moat top 32%Patents top 39%Funding top 47%Innovation top 50% All 6 signals ▾Moattop 32% Patentstop 39% Fundingtop 47% Innovationtop 50% Globalbottom 40% Marketbottom 36% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 5/10 · IP moat: 98 patents Patents: 98 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 12 filings since 2022 vs 33 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 27/100 | $4M | 8 mo ago | Series B | 18 | — | — | 98 patents Ophthalmic drug formulations using recoflavone for dry eye treatment | — |
| 46 | CrossPoint Therapeutics Developer of immunotherapies for cancer treatment 27Moat top 45%Patents top 47%Funding bottom 46%Talent bottom 45% All 6 signals ▾Moattop 45% Patentstop 47% Fundingbottom 46% Talentbottom 45% Innovationbottom 40% Globalbottom 31% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 5 patents Patents: 5 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 5 filings since 2022 vs 0 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 27/100 | $2M | 2 mo ago | Seed | — | Tae-Erk Kim Co-Founder & CEO | — | 5 patents Engineered Fc-domain antibodies for ADCs and bispecific therapeutic formats | — |
| 47 | Vaxdigm Developer of vaccines and immunotherapies for infectious disease 14Moat top 38%Patents top 45%Innovation top 50%Funding bottom 41% All 6 signals ▾Moattop 38% Patentstop 45% Innovationtop 50% Fundingbottom 41% Globalbottom 31% Marketbottom 26% Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 13 patents Patents: 13 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 13 filings since 2022 vs 0 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 14/100 | $2M | 19 mo ago | Series A | 9 | — | — | 13 patents Viral capsid nanoplatforms for recombinant protein expression and self‑assembling nanoparticle vaccines | — |
| 48 | OncoLaB Developer of antibody-conjugated nanogel platform for targeted cancer therapeutics delivery 35Funding bottom 49%Talent bottom 45%Global bottom 33% All 3 signals ▾Fundingbottom 49% Talentbottom 45% Globalbottom 33% Funding: Raised $687k across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) Talent: 1 named leader on record rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 35/100 | $687K | 7 mo ago | Seed | — | Jongseong Kim Founder & CEO | — | — | — |
| 49 | Sonolux Healthtech Provider of an air based virus detection system 29Talent bottom 45%Funding bottom 44%Global bottom 33% All 3 signals ▾Talentbottom 45% Fundingbottom 44% Globalbottom 33% Talent: 1 named leader on record Funding: Raised $358k across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 2 yrs (0.5/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 29/100 | $358K | 18 mo ago | Seed | — | Seung Song CEO | — | — | 1 partnership |
| 50 | Karis Bio Developer of cell therapies for cardiovascular diseases 29Funding top 49%Talent bottom 45%Market bottom 38%Global bottom 36% All 4 signals ▾Fundingtop 49% Talentbottom 45% Marketbottom 38% Globalbottom 36% Funding: Raised $307k across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) Talent: 1 named leader on record rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 29/100 | $307K | 9 mo ago | Funding Raised | 24 | Young Yoon CEO | — | — | — |
Top 12 Life Sciences companies in South Korea
#1
Public · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2016 · 75 employees$25.7Mraised▾
Public · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2016 · 75 employees
Provider of AI-driven clinical diagnostic testing platform for rare genetics disease. It uses a combination of next-generation sequencing, and advanced machine learning and deep learning algorithms to analyze whole patient genomes for disease-causing mutations. The company is developing a single test that can detect more than 4000 rare genetic disorders.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 74how this company ranks against its industry peers
Product
top 19%Tech
top 22%AI
top 25%Patents
top 26%Talent
top 28%Innovation
top 32%Product: 3 distinct product lines · Company stage: Public
Tech: 49 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Cloudfront, Amazon S3 · Observability: Datadog, Sentry
AI: Product described with: ai-driven, deep learning, machine learning
Audience (LinkedIn): 3k LinkedIn followers — 13.5% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 partnerships (incl. MASS Diagnostics ( Genetics - Egypt)) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Apr 2026Series D$20.3M
- Mar 2021Series C$13M
- Oct 2019Series B$10M
- Jul 2018Series A$2.7M
Investors
Korea Development Bank Europe, The Wells Investment, JW Asset Management, Yuanda Financial Holdings, Shinhan Financial Group, AVentures Capital
Tech stack
Amazon CloudfrontAmazon S3Amazon Web ServicesApache Http ServerApple Icloud MailCart Functionality
#2
Public · Daejeon, Daejeon · founded 2016 · 38 employees$92Mraised▾
Public · Daejeon, Daejeon · founded 2016 · 38 employees
Developer of cell-penetrating antibodies as oncology therapeutics. It has a proprietary cell-penetrating antibody technology and is developing monoclonal antibodies to directly target the activated form of RAS. The cell-penetrating technology develops antibodies that can access the cytosol of living cells following receptor-mediated endocytosis. RAS proteins function to transmit signals within cells that control cell growth, differentiation, and survival. The product pipeline includes ORM-5029, ORM-6151, and ANDC-0001 for solid tumors and hematological cancers
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 55how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 19%Patents
top 23%Moat
top 26%Innovation
top 35%Talent
top 41%Growth
top 47%Funding: Raised $92.0M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 9 yrs (0.4/yr) · Last round Post IPO (Dec 2025)
Patents: 121 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 66 filings since 2022 vs 53 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2026
Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 8/10 · IP moat: 121 patents · Soonicorn
Audience (LinkedIn): 7k LinkedIn followers — 30.2% of this cohort's audience · 87 engagements/post (2.3× cohort median)
Hiring (LinkedIn): 1 hiring post in 12 mo (public)
Funding rounds
- Dec 2025Post IPO$100M
- Jun 2021Series B$54M
- Jul 2019Series B$30M
- Jun 2017Series A$8M
Founders & team
Investors
IMM Investment, KDB Investment, Atinum Investment, InterVest, KB Investment, Smile Gate Investment
Tech stack
AngularCart FunctionalityCore-JsGodaddyGoogle Font ApiGoogle Workspace
#3
Public · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2008 · 48 employees$23.2Mraised▾
Public · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2008 · 48 employees
Shaperon is the developer of therapies for multiple diseases. The platform is mainly focusing on inflammatory diseases, dermatitis, nonotherapy for cancer and developing multi-targeting stable protein structure. The platform also has multiple pipeline products include Nugel for atopic dermatitis indication are in phase two clinical trials, Nusepin for sepsis indication is in phase one clinical trials, and NuCerin for Alzheimer's indication is in preclinical stage among others.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 24how this company ranks against its industry peers
Patents
top 20%Innovation
top 24%Funding
top 29%Moat
top 35%News
top 39%Talent
bottom 49%Patents: 116 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 105 filings since 2022 vs 9 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2026
Innovation: 116 patents (top 24% of patent-holders) · 105 filings since 2022 vs 9 in 2017-21
Funding: Raised $23.2M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 1 yrs (2.0/yr) · Last round Post IPO (Apr 2026)
Funding rounds
- Apr 2026Post IPO$5.8M
- Nov 2025Post IPO$17.4M
Founders & team
Investors
Mirae Asset, Daishin Securities, Samsung Securities, Korea Investment Holdings, KB Securities, JX Partners
#4
Public · Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do · founded 2000$67.8Mraised▾
Public · Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do · founded 2000
Developer of stem cell therapeutics. The company's pluripotent stem cells therapeutics include hESC-RPE (embryonic-derived RPE cells) and SCNT-RPE (somatic cell replication RPE cells) used to treat Stargardt disease and atrophic age-related macular degeneration. The company's adult stem cells therapeutic includes PLX-PAD (placental mesenchymal-like cells) for Intermittent Lameness and Severe limb ischemia, eCASs (enhanced umbilical cord stem cells) for acute stroke and degenerative disc disease, fetal–NPC (Nerve Progenitor Cell) for Parkinson's disease, and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells for degenerative lumbar vertebra. The company also aims to develop immune cell therapy to treat Relapsed glioblastoma.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 40how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 23%News
top 31%Partners
top 32%Moat
top 38%Growth
top 42%Patents
top 43%Funding: Raised $67.8M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) · Last round Post IPO (Jan 2026)
News: 5 BI events in 12 mo (of 12 tracked, 5 types) · +25% YoY · 4 high-value events (IPO/M&A/funding/contracts) in 12 mo
Partners: 2 partnership announcements in 12 mo (2 in 24 mo) · Marquee-customer mentions: top 30% of tracked companies
Funding rounds
- Jan 2026Post IPO$67.8M
Founders & team
Investors
Hanwha Life, Hanwha General Insurance, Synergy IB investment, Korea Investment Private Equity, GNTech Venture Capital
Tech stack
CdnjsCloudflareGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerGsapIis
#5
Public · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2012 · 65 employees$30Mraised▾
Public · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2012 · 65 employees
ROKIT HEALTHCARE provides 4D bio-printer solutions for tissue regenerative. The company offers its propriety technology for organ regeneration and 3D bio-fabrication technologies for personalized therapy in the areas of skin, cartilage, retina and heart patch regeneration. The company flagship product INVIVO, is a sterilized printer equipped for developing the biomolecules, and polymers to create 3D structures.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 64how this company ranks against its industry peers
Patents
top 24%Innovation
top 26%Tech
top 28%Product
top 28%Moat
top 29%Funding
top 33%Patents: 168 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 84 filings since 2022 vs 84 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2026
Innovation: 168 patents (top 10% of patent-holders) · 84 filings since 2022 vs 84 in 2017-21 · Deep-tech classification: Tech Hardware
Tech: 40 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Cloudflare, Google Cloud · Devops: Nginx
Audience (LinkedIn): 3k LinkedIn followers — 12.0% of this cohort's audience
Activity (LinkedIn): 3 partnerships (incl. Northwell Health System) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Mar 2026Post IPO$42.1M
- Jul 2020Series C—
- Jan 2019Series B$9.9M
- 2015Grant (prize money)$3M
Founders & team
Investors
Daily Partners, Korean Development Bank, KB Investment, DRADS Capital, Weiss Asset Management, Oasis
Tech stack
Google AnalyticsGoogle CloudGoogle Cloud CdnGoogle WorkspaceHstsHttp/3
#6
Series B · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2020 · 23 employees$47Mraised▾
Series B · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2020 · 23 employees
Provider of a drug discovery platform that integrates AI, physics, and chemistry to design various biomolecules. The technology enables the prediction of solubility, binding affinity, and other properties of these molecules, which is crucial in the drug discovery process. The platform helps in molecular design, protien structure prediction, protien interaction and prediction for drug development.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 37how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 28%News
top 36%Talent
bottom 49%Market
bottom 44%Global
bottom 33%Funding: Raised $47.0M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 4 yrs (0.5/yr) · Last round Series B (Feb 2026)
News: 3 BI events in 12 mo (of 3 tracked, 1 types) · Top themes: Funding
Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated
Funding rounds
- Feb 2026Series B$29M
- 2022Series A$18M
Founders & team
Investors
InterVest, Daily Partners, Yuanta Investment, Korean Development Bank, SL Investment, Ncore Ventures
#7
Series B · Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do · founded 2020 · 20 employees$15Mraised▾
Series B · Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do · founded 2020 · 20 employees
Developer of drugs for the treatment of cancer and central nervous diseases. The company develops GPCR-targeted small-molecule drugs using artificial intelligence to treat neurological disorders, cognitive function, and cancer.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 32how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 33%AI
top 45%Moat
top 45%Patents
top 50%Talent
bottom 45%Innovation
bottom 38%Funding: Raised $15.0M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) · Last round Series B (Apr 2026)
AI: Product described with: artificial intelligence
Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 4 patents
Funding rounds
- Apr 2026Series B$15M
Founders & team
Investors
KB Investment, UTC Investment, Korean Development Bank, SBI Investment, Hyundai Venture Investment, K&Investment Partners
#8
Series C · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2021 · 18 employees$23.5Mraised▾
Series C · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2021 · 18 employees
Developer of immunotherapeutics for cancer treatment. It offers multi-specific antibodies which include MB101, MB201, MB301, and MB401 for the treatment of multiple cancer. It offers multi-antibody platform technology to develop multiple antibodies.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 27how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 29%Talent
bottom 49%Market
bottom 36%Global
bottom 29%Funding: Raised $23.5M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) · Last round Series C (Mar 2026)
Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated
Market: 18 employees
Funding rounds
- Mar 2026Series C$23.5M
- Series A—
- Series B—
Founders & team
Investors
Premier Partners, Partners Investment, Korean Development Bank, Wonik Investment Partners, Shinhan Financial Group, Atinum Investment
#9
Public · Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do · founded 2014 · 16 employees$204.7Mraised▾
Public · Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do · founded 2014 · 16 employees
Developer of GLP-1-based therapeutics for metabolic disease treatment. It focuses on building on a robust foundation of proprietary peptide research and strategic collaborations. D&D Pharmatech is advancing a diverse pipeline of therapeutics for metabolic, fibrotic, and neurodegenerative diseases. The global biotech company’s umbrella structure comprises three U.S. subsidiaries, including Neuraly Inc, its clinical research arm responsible for conducting clinical trials for the company’s pipeline, including its dual agonist (GLP-1/glucagon) for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 42how this company ranks against its industry peers
Patents
top 19%Funding
top 23%Innovation
top 28%Moat
top 32%Talent
bottom 49%Global
bottom 42%Patents: 92 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 62 filings since 2022 vs 27 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2026
Funding: Raised $205M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 8 yrs (0.5/yr) · Last round Post IPO (Jun 2025)
Innovation: 92 patents (top 31% of patent-holders) · 62 filings since 2022 vs 27 in 2017-21
Funding rounds
- Jun 2025Post IPO$10.8M
- Oct 2021Series C$51M
- Feb 2020Grant (prize money)—
- Aug 2019Series B$137.1M
Founders & team
Investors
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery, Praxis Capital, DS, Kudos Ventures, Korea Investment Holdings, Smile Gate Investment
Tech stack
Apache Http ServerCdnjsCloudflareGsapHstsJquery
#10
Series D · Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do · founded 2016 · 34 employees$22Mraised▾
Series D · Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do · founded 2016 · 34 employees
1ST Bio is developing therapies for treating neurodegenerative and immuno-oncological diseases. The lead candidate of the company, 1ST 102 is a tyrosine kinase enzyme inhibitor. It's in the preclinical phase which is used for treating Parkinson's Disease. Other candidates like 1ST-101 and 1ST-103 are in the discovery stage.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 53how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 28%Talent
top 28%Market
bottom 46%Global
bottom 37%Funding: Raised $22.0M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) · Last round Series D (Jan 2026)
Talent: Analyst team rating 4/5
Market: 34 employees (top 46% of Life Sciences)
Funding rounds
- Jan 2026Series D$22M
Investors
Smile Gate Investment, LigaChemBio, Korea Investment Holdings, Anda Asset Management, Daily Partners, Mirae Asset
#11
Series C · Yeongcheon si, North Gyeongsang Province · founded 2017 · 23 employees$9.9Mraised▾
Series C · Yeongcheon si, North Gyeongsang Province · founded 2017 · 23 employees
Provider of therapeutic solution for treating orphan diseases. The company pipeline products are TLR and TLR5 which can be used for agonists in pathogen recognition and activation of innate immunity, pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) used for diseases like GvHD, Mucositis, and ARS. Other products offered by the company are Collagenase enzymes derived from microorganisms that break down collagen and used for the treatment of different musculoskeletal diseases like Dupuytren’s contracture, Peyronie’s Disease, Cellulite, and Wound debridement.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 22how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 36%Moat
top 38%Patents
top 49%Innovation
bottom 45%Talent
bottom 45%Global
bottom 31%Funding: Raised $9.9M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) · Last round Series C (Mar 2026)
Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 4/10 · IP moat: 9 patents
Patents: 9 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 9 filings since 2022 vs 0 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2026
Funding rounds
- Mar 2026Series C$9.9M
Founders & team
Investors
PharmaResearch, ES Investor, Premier Partners, Murex Partners, Thenextlab, Su Investment Capital
Tech stack
Animate.CssAosApache Http ServerCdnjsCloudflareGnuboard
#12
Series B · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2017 · 33 employees$8.2Mraised▾
Series B · Seoul, Seoul · founded 2017 · 33 employees
Developer of nanozyme based therapeutics for subarachnoid hemorrhage. The candidate CX213 is a nano-biotech agent that removes superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radicals. It is used for the treatment of acute inflammatory injuries and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 29how this company ranks against its industry peers
Moat
top 32%Funding
top 37%Patents
top 43%Innovation
top 46%Talent
bottom 45%Market
bottom 34%Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 5/10 · IP moat: 28 patents
Funding: Raised $8.2M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) · Last round Series B (Mar 2026)
Patents: 28 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 18 filings since 2022 vs 10 in 2017-21 · Latest publication 2026
Funding rounds
- Mar 2026Series B$8.2M
Founders & team
Investors
SL Investment, Scale Up Partners, SBI Investment Korea, Partners Investment, InterValue Partners, CKD Venture Capital
Funding & investor landscape
$5.1Btotal disclosed funding
144companies funded
206disclosed rounds
5rounds last 90 days
Most active investors
Notable founders
Sj Lee
CEO · Orum Therapeutics
Seung Seong
Founder & CEO · Shaperon
Sang Oh
CEO · CHA Biotech
Seokhwan You
Chairman & Ceo · ROKIT Healthcare
Chaok Seok
CEO · Galaxy
Woosung Son
CEO · NOVOREX
Kim Seop
CEO · Must Bio
Seulki Lee
Founder · D&D Pharmatech
Woo-Jong Lee
CEO & Owner · Connext
Seung-Hoon Lee
CEO · Cenyx Biotech
Sanghoon Park
Co-Founder & Ceo · Illimis Therapeutics
Kyeongmin Choi
CEO · LabInCube
Prism market signals · South Korea · country-scoped Prism corpus, 618,093 docs
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Life Sciences coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
RESEARCH SIGNALS · South Korea
How research on Biotechnology is moving in South Korea
A read on the academic research around Biotechnology — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 885 South Korea-affiliated papers.
research sentiment over time
201120172026
enthusiastic · positive · guarded tone
Tone is overwhelmingly optimistic and softening — the enthusiastic (strongly-positive) share moved 79% → 51% across 2011–2026.
top research entities
- Ministry of Agriculture118
- Ministry of Education70
- Seoul National University53
- Yonsei University44
- Korea University36
leading researchers
Lee Joohee · Kim Junhan · Kim Sung Hee · Jang Hyunbeen · Hong Seunghee · Heebeom Koo · Pradeep Kumar · Soobin Shin
▲
Breakthroughs227 · 26%
▼ 28%→26% share
▼0.9× share momentum0 median citations89% since 2021mostly methods-led
Gene editing research is surging — Gene and Genome editing topics scaled from 1–2 to 26 and 10 papers respectively in South Korean biotech.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Gene2→26
- Genome1→10
- Transcription factor1→9
- Genome editing1→6
- Transformation (genetics)1→6
Newly emergingMutant 0→12 · Antibody 0→12 · Synthetic biology 0→8
Landmark Highly efficient RNA-guided genome editing in human cells via delivery of purified Cas9 ribonucleoproteins · 1,853 cites
◆
Advancements409 · 46%
▲ 36%→48% share
▲1.3× share momentum0 median citations91% since 2021mostly empirical
Antimicrobial and apoptosis research is intensifying — Antimicrobial papers rose from 1 to 23, driving Advancements' field-share from 36% to 48%.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Antimicrobial1→23
- Apoptosis1→12
- Cell culture2→10
- Cytotoxicity2→8
- Gene knockdown1→7
Newly emergingGene 0→34 · Microbiome 0→18 · Transcriptome 0→18
Landmark The promising future of microalgae: current status, challenges, and optimization of a sustainable and renewable industry · 1,986 cites
▼
Concerns107 · 12%
▼ 15%→12% share
▼0.8× share momentum0 median citations87% since 2021mostly reviews
Antibiotic resistance and sustainability concerns are newly consolidating — Agriculture (8) and Sustainability (6) emerged brand-new alongside rising resistance papers.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
- Human health2→11
- Health benefits1→6
- Antibiotic resistance1→4
- Toxicity2→4
Newly emergingAgriculture 0→8 · Sustainability 0→6
Landmark Microplastic Size-Dependent Toxicity, Oxidative Stress Induction, and p-JNK and p-p38 Activation in the Monogonont Rotif · 1,181 cites
RESEARCH HOTSPOTS · South Korea
Where biotechnology is researched across South Korea
Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.
Seoul229 · +0.44
Daejeon83 · +0.54
Jeonju71 · +0.51
Daegu57 · +0.42
Busan47 · +0.48
Gwangju30 · +0.39
Suwon25 · +0.52
Incheon18 · +0.39
Seongnam-si11 · +0.60
Ulsan10 · +0.75
PATENT SIGNAL · South Korea
Who's filing biotechnology patents in South Korea
South Korea biotechnology patent filing is accelerating — 58,964 filings from 8,000 assignees (2016–2025), led by CJ Cheiljedang, UNIV Korea RES & BUS Found, Samsung; annual filings 4052→6791.
58,964 filings8,000 assigneespeak 7106/yr2016–2025
filing momentum (YoY 2016–2025)
top patent filers
- CJ Cheiljedang6610
- UNIV Korea RES & BUS Found1920
- Samsung1764
- Korea Advanced INST SCI & TECH1761
- Seoul NAT UNIV R&DB Foundation1752
- Korea RES INST Of Bioscience1538
- Hanmi Pharm IND1198
- Korea RES INST Bioscience & Biot1009
Common questions
How many Life Sciences companies are there in South Korea?
Radar tracks 1063 indexable Life Sciences companies headquartered in South Korea that meet our profile-completeness bar.
What is the total funding raised by Life Sciences companies in South Korea?
The Life Sciences companies in South Korea on this list have raised a combined $5.1B in disclosed equity funding across 144 funded companies.
Which is the highest-funded Life Sciences company in South Korea?
Cellid is the highest-funded Life Sciences company in South Korea, with $2.4B in disclosed equity funding.
How many Life Sciences companies in South Korea are funded?
144 of the 1063 Life Sciences companies in South Korea on this list have disclosed at least one equity funding round.
How many Life Sciences unicorns are there in South Korea?
1 Life Sciences company in South Korea on this list is valued at $1B or more.
Who are the top investors in South Korea Life Sciences companies?
The most active investors in South Korea Life Sciences companies on this list include Korea Investment Holdings, IMM Investment, Aju IB Investment, DSC Investment, GNTech Venture Capital.
Rohit KhannaTrends & Stories
Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.