ESCAPE Bio
ESCAPE Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small molecule therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. Founded in 2015 and based in South San Francisco, the company has raised approximately $187 million across four funding rounds to advance its drug pipeline.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSouth San Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
ESCAPE Bio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ESCAPE Bio
- Website
- https://e-scapebio.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ESCAPE Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small molecule therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. Founded in 2015 and based in South San Francisco, the company has raised approximately $187 million across four funding rounds to advance its drug pipeline.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ESCAPE Bio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Clinical-Stage Neurodegenerative Disease Therapeutics
- NAICS
- Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Neurology & CNS Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Genetic & Genomic Rare Disease Therapeutics (HLAIAIAA)
Keywords
Where ESCAPE Bio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- South San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
ESCAPE Bio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
ESCAPE Bio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ESCAPE Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small molecule drugs intended to treat neurodegenerative diseases. The company is advancing small-molecule therapies aimed at genetically defined CNS disorders, with its pipeline focused on disease-modifying approaches for conditions of the central nervous system.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use ESCAPE Bio
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
ESCAPE Bio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
ESCAPE Bio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Denali Therapeutics: South San Francisco-based clinical-stage biotech developing small-molecule and biologic therapies for neurodegeneration and lysosomal storage diseases, with overlapping programs in GBA-Parkinson's. Most direct geographic, mechanistic, and indication overlap with ESCAPE Bio.
- Cerevel Therapeutics: Clinical-stage CNS biotech developing small molecules for Parkinson's disease and other neurology indications; pursued alongside Pfizer and later acquired by AbbVie — directly comparable indication and modality profile.
- Yumanity Therapeutics: Clinical-stage CNS biotech developing disease-modifying therapies for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's; pursued alpha-synuclein and other targets relevant to genetically stratified neurodegeneration populations.
- Prevail Therapeutics: Clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on genetically defined Parkinson's disease (including GBA-Parkinson's) that was acquired by Eli Lilly in 2020 — a direct indication overlap on the GBA target and a useful proxy for ESCAPE's commercial strategic value.
- Sage Therapeutics: CNS-focused specialty pharmaceutical company developing small-molecule therapies (e.g., Zurzuvae), broadly comparable business model (small-molecule CNS, neurology specialty) and target commercial specialty-channel positioning.
- Prothena Corporation: Clinical-stage biotech developing protein-misfolding targeted therapeutics (including anti-alpha-synuclein and anti-Tau approaches) for neurodegenerative diseases — closely comparable mechanism and indication focus to ESCAPE Bio.
Emerging players
- APP-Natura Neuroscience (formerly Cortexyme): Clinical-stage biotech developing therapies targeting neurodegenerative disease (gingipain inhibitor approach in AD/PD) — comparable in stage, scale, and CNS-only therapeutic focus.
- Voyager Therapeutics: Clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on CNS indications including GBA-Parkinson's; overlaps with ESCAPE on genetically defined PD populations but differentiates on AAV gene therapy delivery vs. ESCAPE's small-molecule approach.
- Karuna Therapeutics: Clinical-stage CNS biotech that advanced a small-molecule CNS candidate (xanomeline) toward FDA approval in schizophrenia and was acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb — comparable small-molecule CNS specialty model and a useful late-stage valuation reference point.
Broad incumbents
- Acadia Pharmaceuticals: Established commercial-stage CNS specialty pharma with Parkinson's assets (e.g., pimavanserin/Tasmar franchise), representing the scaled commercialization archetype for the type of small-molecule CNS portfolio ESCAPE Bio is building.
Market position
Customer concentration
ESCAPE Bio social profiles
Digital presenceESCAPE Bio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ESCAPE Bio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
ESCAPE Bio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ESCAPE Bio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ESCAPE Bio
What does ESCAPE Bio do?
ESCAPE Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small molecule drugs intended to treat neurodegenerative diseases. The company is advancing small-molecule therapies aimed at genetically defined CNS disorders, with its pipeline focused on disease-modifying approaches for conditions of the central nervous system.
When was ESCAPE Bio founded?
ESCAPE Bio was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ESCAPE Bio based?
ESCAPE Bio is headquartered in South San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
Who are ESCAPE Bio's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Denali Therapeutics, Cerevel Therapeutics, Yumanity Therapeutics, Prevail Therapeutics, Sage Therapeutics and Prothena Corporation. Emerging players are APP-Natura Neuroscience (formerly Cortexyme), Voyager Therapeutics and Karuna Therapeutics. Acadia Pharmaceuticals is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does ESCAPE Bio have an API?
No public API is recorded for ESCAPE Bio.
What industry is ESCAPE Bio in?
ESCAPE Bio's product category is Clinical-Stage Neurodegenerative Disease Therapeutics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAIACAC, Neurology & CNS Specialty Pharmaceuticals, with a secondary code of HLAIAIAA, Genetic & Genomic Rare Disease Therapeutics. Its NAICS code is 3254 and its SIC code is 2834.