Cyclica

What Cyclica does

Cyclica Inc. was a Toronto, Canada-based AI-driven drug discovery company founded in 2013, operating with a team of 11–50 employees. The company built a patented cloud-based predictive analytics platform that applied machine learning to preclinical data to identify therapeutic targets and characterize drug candidates, addressing the high cost, long timelines, and low success rates of traditional pharmaceutical R&D. Its core product was an AI-enabled drug discovery platform that supported target identification, preclinical data analysis, and development of novel therapeutics — including a specific initiative to develop non-hormonal contraceptives for women in developing countries funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Cyclica operated as a B2B technology provider, monetizing primarily through enterprise licensing and royalty arrangements with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, supplemented by grant funding for targeted therapeutic programs. Its customer segments spanned pharmaceutical companies conducting drug discovery and preclinical analysis, and biotechnology firms requiring cost-effective computational capabilities for target identification. Distribution was direct enterprise sales with a global reach, supported by industry conference participation and scientific publications as marketing channels. Major investors across nine funding rounds (2014–2022) included GreenSky Ventures, Drive Capital, Chiesi Farmaceutici, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with cumulative capital raised of approximately $25.6 million USD.

In May 2023, Recursion Pharmaceuticals acquired Cyclica for $40 million USD, integrating its AI-enabled drug discovery capabilities into Recursion's broader AI-bio platform. Following the acquisition, Cyclica ceased independent operations, and its original domain (cyclicarx.com) was listed for sale, indicating full operational integration into the parent company.

Name

Cyclica

Legal name

Cyclica Inc.

Website

https://cyclicarx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cyclica was a Toronto-based AI drug discovery company that built a patented cloud-based predictive analytics platform using machine learning to analyze preclinical data and identify therapeutic targets for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. The company was acquired by Recursion Pharmaceuticals in May 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Drug Discovery Software

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

AI/ML Platforms for Drug Discovery & Experiment Optimization (HLAGAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI), Endocrinology & Reproductive Health Pharmaceuticals (incl. Women’s Health) (HLAIAAAJ)

Keywords

• AI drug discovery
• Computational pharmacology
• Polypharmacology profiling
• Molecular property prediction
• Structure based drug design

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. AI Drug Discovery Services: Provides AI-enabled drug discovery services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Revenue generated through research partnerships and technology licensing agreements.
2. Research Grants: Received grant funding from foundations (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) for specific drug development research projects targeting developing country needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cyclica operates an AI-augmented drug-discovery platform that applies machine learning to preclinical and in-vitro data to predict drug-target interactions, profile polypharmacology, and design novel small molecules. The platform supports structure-based design, ligand-based design, ADMET prediction, and proteome-wide off-target screening for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic research clients. Cyclica also runs an internal non-hormonal contraceptive discovery program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop therapeutics for low- and middle-income countries.

Product overview

Cyclica operated as an AI-driven drug discovery company. Its core offering was an AI-enabled drug discovery platform that utilized machine learning to analyze preclinical data and support the identification and development of novel therapeutic compounds. The company focused on applications including non-hormonal contraceptive development. Cyclica was acquired by Recursion Pharmaceuticals in May 2023 for $40 million, and the company's primary website (cyclicarx.com) is now listed for sale, indicating the brand is no longer independently operated.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cyclica MatchMaker AI-driven polypharmacology platform that screens small molecules against the human proteome to identify on-target engagement and off-target interactions, supporting lead prioritization and drug repurposing for pharmaceutical and biotechnology R&D teams.
• Cyclica Ligand Design AI-augmented molecular design platform that combines structure-based and ligand-based design with ADMET property prediction to support hit-to-lead and lead-optimization workflows for medicinal chemists.
• Non-Hormonal Contraceptive Discovery Program Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded drug-discovery program to develop non-hormonal contraceptive therapeutics intended for women in low- and middle-income countries where hormonal contraceptives are unsuitable or undesired.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully secured $2.4M CAD grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for non-hormonal contraceptive development

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Recursion PharmaceuticalsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023In May 2023, Recursion Pharmaceuticals acquired Canada-based Cyclica Inc. for $40 million to strengthen its technology-driven drug discovery capabilities. This acquisition expanded Recursion's AI-enabled drug discovery ecosystem.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Isomorphic Labs: Alphabet-backed AI drug discovery company with deep compute resources; broader scope but overlapping ML target identification and pharma partnership model.

Direct peers

• Recursion Pharmaceuticals: Acquirer of Cyclica and a leading AI-driven drug discovery platform combining ML with high-throughput wet-lab experimentation; directly overlaps in target identification and preclinical analytics.
• Insilico Medicine: AI drug discovery company using generative ML and multi-modal data to identify novel targets and molecules; closely comparable in platform approach and pharma/biotech customer base.
• Atomwise: ML-based small-molecule drug design platform with pharma partnerships; comparable on AI-driven hit identification and B2B licensing model.
• Exscientia: Public AI-driven precision medicine and drug discovery company with platform partnerships across pharma; directly comparable in ML-driven preclinical and clinical discovery.
• Schrödinger: Computational chemistry and predictive analytics platform serving pharma/biotech; comparable in software-led drug discovery and target identification workflows.
• BenevolentAI: AI-based drug discovery company using knowledge graphs and ML for target identification; overlaps with Cyclica's predictive analytics positioning and pharma partnerships.
• XtalPi: AI- and physics-based drug discovery platform combining computation with wet-lab validation; comparable in preclinical analytics and enterprise pharma customer base.

Emerging players

• Iambic Therapeutics: AI-driven drug discovery start-up focused on small-molecule design using physics-informed ML; partial overlap with Cyclica's preclinical analytics platform.
• BenchSci: Toronto-based AI/ML platform for life sciences R&D, focused on antibody and reagent selection; comparable as a Canadian ML-for-life-sciences platform with pharma enterprise customers.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cyclica
• Facebookfacebook.com/cyclica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cyclica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors10 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 Cyclica