What Vivace Therapeutics does

Vivace Therapeutics is a San Mateo, California-based clinical-stage oncology biotech founded in 2015 that discovers and develops small-molecule therapeutics targeting the Hippo-YAP signaling pathway. Its lead asset, VT3989, is a first-in-class TEAD autopalmitoylation inhibitor designed to block YAP-TEAD transcription activity, the effector mechanism of the Hippo pathway whose dysregulation drives cancers including mesothelioma, meningioma, schwannoma, and NF2-mutated tumors. In a Phase I/II study, VT3989 generated a 32% overall response rate, an 86% disease control rate, and a median progression-free survival of 40 weeks in refractory mesothelioma patients, supporting the company's plan to initiate a Phase 3 trial in 2026. The asset has received FDA Fast Track Designation and Orphan Drug Designation for mesothelioma.

The company operates a pre-commercial, capital-efficient model: it has raised approximately $105 million across multiple venture rounds (notably a $35M Series D in 2025 led by RA Capital Management, a $30M Series C in 2020, and earlier rounds from Canaan Partners, Cenova Capital, WuXi Healthcare Ventures, Boxer Capital, Sequoia, and Mission Bay Capital). Its current revenue model is one-time out-licensing/partnership-driven upon potential future commercialization, with no product on market and no disclosed pricing. Go-to-market relies on scientific publications, oncology conference presentations (ESMO, AACR, EORTC-NCI-AACR), clinical trial site execution, and future regulatory/commercial partnerships. Customer-facing activity today centers on clinical investigators and trial patients in mesothelioma and NF2-mutated tumor cohorts, with optionality indicated for additional cancers and non-oncology indications such as fibrotic disease.

Name

Vivace Therapeutics

Legal name

Vivace Therapeutics, Inc.

Website

https://vivacetherapeutics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vivace Therapeutics is a clinical-stage oncology biotech developing VT3989, a first-in-class small-molecule TEAD inhibitor targeting the Hippo-YAP pathway, with initial focus on mesothelioma and NF2-mutated tumors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oncology Therapeutics

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

mRNA Therapeutics (vaccines, protein replacement, immuno-oncology) (HLAAADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

RNA Therapeutics Clinical Development (trial design, endpoints, patient stratification) (HLAAADAH), Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI)

Keywords

• Small molecule oncology drugs
• Cancer therapeutics development
• Hippo pathway inhibitors
• TEAD inhibitor drugs
• Mesothelioma drug development

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Drug Development and Commercialization: Vivace Therapeutics is a pre-commercial oncology-focused drug discovery and development company. The company is developing VT3989, a first-in-class cancer drug, with plans to advance to Phase 3 trials for mesothelioma. Revenue will come from drug sales upon regulatory approval, and/or from out-licensing/partnership deals with larger pharmaceutical companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vivace Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing first-in-class small-molecule cancer therapeutics that target the Hippo-YAP signaling pathway. Its lead candidate, VT3989, is a TEAD autopalmitoylation inhibitor that disrupts YAP-TEAD transcription activity and is being advanced through clinical trials, initially for mesothelioma and NF2-mutated tumors.

Product overview

Vivace Therapeutics is an oncology-focused small molecule drug discovery and development company that is building a pipeline of first-in-class cancer therapeutics. The company's primary product is VT3989, a TEAD autopalmitoylation inhibitor targeting the Hippo-YAP pathway, which is being developed initially for mesothelioma with plans for Phase 3 trials. Vivace is adopting a capital-efficient approach to advance its drug candidates targeting the Hippo-YAP pathway, which has shown involvement in regulating cell proliferation, programmed cell death, and cell migration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VT3989 First-in-class small molecule TEAD autopalmitoylation inhibitor that targets the YAP-TEAD transcription complex, the effector of the Hippo pathway. In development for mesothelioma and NF2-mutated tumors including meningioma and schwannoma.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32% overall response rate in refractory mesothelioma patients in Phase I/II trial
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ivy Brain Tumor CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIvy Brain Tumor Center and Vivace Therapeutics collaborated to test targeted agents in glioblastoma and meningioma, expanding clinical applications of VT3989.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ikena Oncology: Ikena Oncology is developing IK-930, a TEAD inhibitor targeting the Hippo-YAP pathway in mesothelioma and other solid tumors. It is the most direct competitor to Vivace's VT3989, working on the same novel pathway with similar small-molecule mechanism and overlapping clinical indications.
• Verastem Oncology: Verastem Oncology is a commercial-stage oncology company with a focus on mesothelioma through its lead asset defactinib. It competes with Vivace for the same refractory mesothelioma patient population and represents the most direct disease-area peer.

Broad incumbents

• Novartis: Novartis is developing IAG933, a TEAD inhibitor in clinical trials for Hippo-pathway driven cancers. As a large incumbent with overlapping R&D programs, Novartis represents both a competitor and a potential strategic acquirer or partner for Vivace's VT3989.
• Roche/Genentech: Roche/Genentech has been a leader in Hippo-YAP pathway research and has internal TEAD programs. Several Vivace board members and executives, including VP of Biology Tracy Tang, previously worked at Genentech, highlighting the deep scientific connection and competitive positioning in this space.

Emerging players

• Prelude Therapeutics: Prelude Therapeutics is a clinical-stage precision oncology company developing small molecule inhibitors, including PRT-773 targeting TEAD. It is comparable to Vivace in scale, stage, and small-molecule approach to novel oncology targets.
• Theseus Pharmaceuticals: Theseus Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage oncology company developing small molecule kinase inhibitors. It is comparable to Vivace in stage, therapeutic approach (small molecule drug development), and capital structure as a venture-backed biotech advancing novel targeted therapies.
• Tango Therapeutics: Tango Therapeutics is a clinical-stage oncology company using a synthetic lethal approach to develop precision cancer medicines. It is comparable to Vivace in targeting novel cancer pathways, clinical stage, and venture-backed biotech structure with strong institutional investors.
• SpringWorks Therapeutics: SpringWorks Therapeutics is a commercial-stage precision oncology company with FDA-approved therapies and a pipeline of small molecule oncology assets. It represents a comparable targeted oncology company that progressed from clinical-stage venture-backed biotech to commercialization.
• Inventiva: Inventiva is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small molecule therapies for oncology and fibrotic diseases. The fibrotic disease overlap with Vivace's potential YAP-TEAD expansion indications makes it a thematically comparable peer.
• NuCana: NuCana is a clinical-stage oncology company developing proprietary small molecule nucleotide therapies. It is comparable to Vivace as a venture-backed clinical-stage oncology company applying novel chemistry approaches to cancer drug development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vivace Therapeutics