TARA Biosystems
TARA Biosystems is a New York-based biotechnology company founded in 2014 that develops human iPSC-derived cardiac tissue models combined with data-driven analysis to support pharmaceutical cardiac drug discovery and preclinical safety assessment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What TARA Biosystems does
TARA Biosystems is a privately held biotechnology company founded in 2014 and headquartered in New York City. The company's stated mission is to "harness human biology and data to transform cardiac drug discovery," indicating a focus on building human-relevant cardiac tissue models for preclinical drug evaluation rather than on developing its own therapeutic pipeline. With 11–50 employees, TARA operates at the scale of an early commercial-stage life sciences tools/services business.
The company's platform is grounded in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived human cardiac tissue, reflecting the deep tissue-engineering expertise of its founding team: Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Milica Radisic, Yimu Zhao, and Kacey Ronaldson. This scientific lineage implies TARA sells or licenses functional human heart tissue assays — and the data generated from them — to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies working on cardiovascular efficacy and cardiotoxicity screening. The "data" component of the company's positioning suggests the assays are paired with computational analysis to deliver decision-grade readouts.
TARA has financed its growth through approximately $21.25M in disclosed capital across six rounds between 2015 and 2021, anchored by New York Ventures, Alexandria, the Partnership Fund for New York City, OMX Ventures, and Mérieux Equity Partners. The capital cadence (a $9M round in 2017 and a $10M round in 2020) is consistent with a services/assays business scaling commercial throughput. No pricing model, customer logos, segment mix, or revenue figures are disclosed in the available source material, so the revenue mechanics and go-to-market specifics cannot be characterized beyond the inferred pharma-services channel.
TARA Biosystems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TARA Biosystems
- Website
- https://tarabiosystems.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- TARA Biosystems is a New York-based biotechnology company founded in 2014 that develops human iPSC-derived cardiac tissue models combined with data-driven analysis to support pharmaceutical cardiac drug discovery and preclinical safety assessment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TARA Biosystems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cardiac Drug Discovery Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- In Vitro Model Systems & Organoid Platforms (iPSC/organoids, microphysiological systems) (HLAAAIAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Organoids & Organ-on-Chip (regenerative models) (HLAAAGAD), In Vivo Discovery & Translational Models Platforms (humanized models, PK/PD, efficacy) (HLAAAIAK), Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI)
Keywords
Where TARA Biosystems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
TARA Biosystems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
TARA Biosystems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TARA Biosystems develops human biology-based cardiac tissue platforms and data analytics to transform cardiac drug discovery. The company leverages stem cell-derived cardiac tissues and biomimetic systems to provide predictive models for evaluating drug safety, efficacy, and disease mechanisms, primarily serving pharmaceutical and biotechnology researchers working on cardiovascular therapeutics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Human Cardiac Tissue-Based Drug Discovery Platform
Companies that use TARA Biosystems
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
TARA Biosystems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
TARA Biosystems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
TARA Biosystems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ncardia: Ncardia develops iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte assays and cardiac disease models for drug discovery and safety pharmacology. It is the most directly comparable competitor to TARA Biosystems, offering similar iPSC-based cardiac services to pharma customers.
- Axol Bioscience: Axol Bioscience supplies iPSC-derived cell types including cardiomyocytes and provides cardiac assay services. Comparable to TARA in serving pharma's preclinical cardiac safety and efficacy testing needs with human iPSC-based models.
Broad incumbents
- Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics (CDI): A major commercial supplier of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and other cell types used in cardiac drug discovery. CDI is a broader incumbent whose iPSC cardiac products compete with TARA's platform, although it spans multiple tissue types and therapeutic areas.
- Bio-Techne (including Pluriomics assets): Bio-Techne acquired Pluriomics and offers iPSC-derived cardiac cell products and reagents. It is a larger, publicly listed life-science tools company with cardiac-relevant offerings and far greater commercial reach than TARA.
Emerging players
- Emulate: Emulate develops organ-on-chip platforms including cardiac chips that integrate iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes with microfluidics. Comparable to TARA's human-biology approach but with a distinct organ-chip delivery format serving overlapping pharma safety customers.
- Mimetas: Mimetas offers OrganoPlate-based organ-on-chip models including cardiac tissue for drug discovery. Comparable to TARA in providing human-relevant cardiac models for preclinical testing with overlapping pharma customer segments.
- CN Bio: CN Bio develops single- and multi-organ microphysiological systems including cardiac models for drug safety and efficacy. Comparable to TARA in delivering human-relevant preclinical cardiac data to pharma R&D.
- InSphero: InSphero provides 3D microtissue and organoid models for drug discovery, including cardiac microtissues. Comparable to TARA in offering human-derived tissue models to pharma, with a slightly broader organoid focus.
Others
- Valo Health: Valo Health is an AI-driven drug discovery company combining human causal biology with closed-loop chemistry. Comparable as an adjacent/complementary player in human-biology-enabled drug discovery; the two companies' capabilities are increasingly bundled as partners or through acquisition.
- Tenaya Therapeutics: Tenaya Therapeutics integrates iPSC-based cardiac disease modeling with gene therapy development. Comparable to TARA in leveraging iPSC-derived cardiac biology, though Tenaya is focused on internal therapeutic development rather than platform services.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
TARA Biosystems social profiles
Digital presenceTARA Biosystems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TARA Biosystems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
TARA Biosystems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TARA Biosystems 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 TARA Biosystems
What does TARA Biosystems do?
TARA Biosystems develops human biology-based cardiac tissue platforms and data analytics to transform cardiac drug discovery. The company leverages stem cell-derived cardiac tissues and biomimetic systems to provide predictive models for evaluating drug safety, efficacy, and disease mechanisms, primarily serving pharmaceutical and biotechnology researchers working on cardiovascular therapeutics.
Is TARA Biosystems a public or private company?
TARA Biosystems is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was TARA Biosystems founded?
TARA Biosystems was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is TARA Biosystems based?
TARA Biosystems is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
Who are TARA Biosystems's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ncardia and Axol Bioscience. Broad incumbents are Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics (CDI) and Bio-Techne (including Pluriomics assets). Emerging players are Emulate, Mimetas, CN Bio and InSphero. Others are Valo Health and Tenaya Therapeutics.
Does TARA Biosystems have an API?
No public API is recorded for TARA Biosystems.
What industry is TARA Biosystems in?
TARA Biosystems's product category is Cardiac Drug Discovery Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAIAJ, In Vitro Model Systems & Organoid Platforms (iPSC/organoids, microphysiological systems), with a secondary code of HLAAAGAD, Organoids & Organ-on-Chip (regenerative models). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 8731.