What Cureverse does

Cureverse (큐어버스) is a Seoul, South Korea-based clinical-stage biotech founded in October 2021 as a technology spin-off from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), operating with approximately 10 employees. The company develops orally bioavailable, brain-penetrant small molecule drugs for intractable central nervous system diseases and oncology, organized around a proprietary 'Right Structure' / 'ALL-R-IGHT Structure' medicinal chemistry design philosophy. Its discovery platform integrates scaffold hopping, Fragment-Based Drug Discovery (FBDD), Differential Scanning Fluorimetry (DSF), and a proprietary in-house 'li-structure' (likelihood-to-be-a-drug) compound library customized per disease target to engineer drug-like properties (BBB permeability, ADMET, formulation ease) into candidates from the initial design stage.

The pipeline consists of five distinct small molecule candidates targeting different diseases and stages: CV-01, an oral selective Keap1/Nrf2 activator (first-in-class) for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, currently in Korean Phase 1 with a European bridge CTA planned for April 2026; CV-02, a biased S1P1 receptor agonist (best-in-class) for multiple sclerosis with US FDA Phase 1 IND approval received June 2025; CV-03, a selective DDR1 inhibitor for KRAS G12X-mutant lung and pancreatic cancers (preclinical, KDDF-selected); CV-P, a next-generation PPARδ agonist for metabolic/inflammatory diseases; and CV-T, a Tau aggregation inhibitor for Alzheimer's and related tauopathies.

Cureverse's business model is licensing- and partnership-driven rather than direct commercialization. The landmark October 2024 USD 370M technology transfer to Italy's Angelini Pharma for CV-01 global rights (ex-Korea/China) generated the bulk of 2025 recognized revenue (cumulative >KRW 10B / ~$7M), with the company pursuing a repeatable tech-transfer strategy targeting two additional preclinical/Phase 1 deals within five years. The company supplements licensing income with non-dilutive Korean government R&D grants (KDDF, DIPS, Global Cluster R&BD, KIST Biostar), Series B and planned pre-IPO venture funding (cumulative ~KRW 34B raised), and is targeting a 2027 KOSDAQ technology-special listing with Mirae Asset Securities as lead underwriter. Direct or partnered self-commercialization in Korea and China is planned post-Phase 3, with active partner search underway.

Name

Cureverse

Legal name

주식회사 큐어버스 (Jushikhoesa Cureverse)

Website

https://cureverse.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cureverse is a Seoul-based, KIST spin-off clinical-stage biotech (founded 2021, ~10 employees) developing orally bioavailable, brain-penetrant small molecule drugs for CNS diseases and oncology across five pipeline assets, monetized primarily through global out-licensing deals and government R&D grants ahead of a 2027 KOSDAQ IPO.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceutical Drug Discovery and Development

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Drug Discovery (Target ID/Validation & Hit Discovery) (HLAIALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cardiometabolic Pharmaceuticals (Cardiovascular/Diabetes/Obesity) (HLAIAAAE), AI/ML-Enabled Biologic Discovery Platforms (computational design, in silico screening) (HLAAAIAE)

Keywords

• Small molecule drug discovery
• CNS therapeutics development
• Oncology drug pipeline
• Pharmaceutical licensing deals
• Biotech pipeline assets

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Licensing & Royalty Income (CV-01): Out-licensing of CV-01 to Angelini Pharma for global rights ex-Korea/China, structured as an upfront payment plus development/regulatory/sales milestone payments (total contract value USD 370M / ~KRW 500–537B) plus ongoing sales royalties. Korea and China commercial rights retained by Cureverse for self-development.
2. Tech Transfer / Out-licensing Pipeline: Strategy of repeatedly executing early-stage (preclinical or Phase 1) tech transfer deals for each pipeline asset to generate milestone-based cash flow that funds further internal pipeline development. CEO targets two additional tech transfer deals within five years.
3. Government R&D Grants (National/Regional Programs): Non-dilutive R&D funding from Korean government programs including KDDF (Korea Drug Development Fund), Korea National R&D Program for Dementia, DIPS (Deep Tech TIPS 1000+), Korea SMEs & Startups Agency (아기 유니콘), Seoul R&D, KIST biostar, and Global Cluster R&BD. Funds preclinical, IND, and clinical bridging studies.
4. Venture Capital Investment (Series B and Pre-IPO): Venture capital funding, including a KRW 25B Series B closed in early 2025 (cumulative KRW 34B raised), with a planned pre-IPO round in H2 of the IPO year to support Phase 2/3 development and commercialization infrastructure.
5. Future Direct Self-Commercialization (Korea/China rights): Planned direct sale of CV-01 (and potentially other assets) in Korea and China markets where Cureverse retains commercial rights, with active partner search for a single licensee for both territories. Currently searching for a Korean partner with a China network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Core offering

Cureverse is a preclinical-to-clinical-stage Korean biotechnology company that discovers and develops first-in-class and best-in-class small molecule drug candidates for intractable CNS, oncology and inflammatory/fibrotic diseases using a proprietary structure-based medicinal chemistry platform ('Right Structure' / 'ALL-R-IGHT structure'). Its current commercial offerings are pipeline drug assets — CV-01 (oral Keap1/Nrf2 activator), CV-02 (biased S1P1 agonist), CV-03 (DDR1 inhibitor), CV-P (next-generation PPARδ agonist) and CV-T (Tau aggregation inhibitor) — which it monetizes primarily through B2B out-licensing, co-development and technology transfer deals with global pharmaceutical partners (anchor transaction: USD 370M CV-01 deal with Angelini Pharma in October 2024).

Product overview

Cureverse is a single-platform Korean biotech company built around a proprietary small-molecule drug discovery engine called 'Right Structure' (operationalized as the 'ALL-R-IGHT structure' workflow combining scaffold hopping, Fragment-Based Drug Discovery (FBDD), Differential Scanning Fluorimetry (DSF), and structure-based / computer-based design). On top of this unified discovery platform, the company maintains a portfolio of distinct pipeline candidates — CV-01, CV-02, CV-03, CV-P, and CV-T — each targeting a different disease (dementia/Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis / autoimmune, cancer, metabolic/inflammatory disease, and Tau-related neurodegeneration respectively) at different development stages. The offering therefore consists of one discovery platform that produces multiple pipeline drug candidates, plus open business models (licensing, co-development, technology transfer) with global pharma partners, rather than a multi-module software suite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CV-01 First-in-class oral small molecule Keap1/Nrf2 activator targeting brain inflammation. Selectively modifies Keap1 cysteine 151 via a reversible covalent bond to release Nrf2 and induce antioxidant/anti-inflammatory genes (HO-1, NQO1, GCLM, GCLC). Lead indication Alzheimer's disease, with expansion potential to Parkinson's, ALS, multiple sclerosis, chronic neuroinflammation and epilepsy. Designed with built-in BBB permeability, oral dosing, low hERG inhibition (IC50 = 112 μM) and favorable ADMET. For global pharma partners licensing the asset.
• CV-02

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Intra-Cellular Therapies: Clinical-stage CNS-focused biotech using structure-based small molecule design to develop differentiated therapies for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Highly comparable to Cureverse's 'Right Structure' platform approach and CNS indication focus, though larger and now commercial (Caplyta).
• Sage Therapeutics: CNS-focused biotech developing first-in-class small molecule therapies for neurological conditions. Comparable to Cureverse in CNS focus, small-molecule modality, and early-stage pipeline risk profile (Zurzuvae approved, multiple earlier-stage assets).
• Denali Therapeutics: Biotech developing small molecule therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases with emphasis on brain-penetrant, target-selective design. Highly comparable to Cureverse's BBB-permeability-first design philosophy and CNS pipeline.
• Karuna Therapeutics: CNS biotech developing differentiated small molecule therapies (xanomeline-trospium) for schizophrenia and other CNS indications. Comparable in CNS focus, small-molecule modality, and big-pharma partnership-driven commercialization model.
• Cerevel Therapeutics: CNS-focused biotech developing small molecule therapies for neuroscience disorders with structure-based design. Comparable in CNS pipeline focus and small-molecule modality; recently acquired by AbbVie, providing an exit-comparable for CNS-focused biotechs.

Broad incumbents

• Angelini Pharma: Private Italian pharmaceutical group and Cureverse's licensing partner for CV-01 global rights. Comparable as an established CNS-focused pharma that partners with/ acquires pipeline assets; provides a downstream commercialization reference for Cureverse's CV-01 economics.
• Bristol Myers Squibb (S1P1 franchise): Markets ozanimod (S1P1 modulator for MS/UC), directly relevant to Cureverse's CV-02 competitive landscape. Comparable as the established S1P1 commercial incumbent whose safety/efficacy bar CV-02 must clear.
• Novartis (S1P1 franchise): Developed and markets fingolimod (Gilenya), the first-in-class S1P1 modulator for MS. Comparable as the originator of the S1P1 therapeutic class in which CV-02 competes.
• Eisai (Alzheimer's franchise): Co-markets lecanemab (Leqembi) for early Alzheimer's with Biogen. Comparable as a major incumbent in the Alzheimer's treatment space where CV-01 competes, setting the efficacy/safety benchmark.
• H. Lundbeck: Specialty pharma focused on CNS disorders including neurodegenerative diseases. Comparable as a global CNS-focused commercial partner candidate for Cureverse's retained Korea/China rights.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cureverse

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors13 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 Cureverse