What Ventus Therapeutics does

Ventus Therapeutics is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small-molecule therapeutics that target innate immune system drivers of disease, specifically the cGAS, NLRP3, and caspase-4/5 pathways, across autoimmune, inflammatory, and neurological indications. The company was founded in 2020 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts with an additional research and operations footprint in Saint-Laurent (Montreal), Quebec. Its pipeline comprises VENT-03 (a first-in-class oral cGAS inhibitor in Phase 2 for lupus, with expansion plans into broader immunology and cardiometabolic disease), VENT-02 (a brain-penetrant oral NLRP3 inhibitor in Phase 2 for Parkinson's disease), VENT-01 (a systemic NLRP3 inhibitor in Phase 1, partnered with Novo Nordisk), and VENT-04 (a first-in-class allosteric caspase-4/5 inhibitor in IND-enabling studies for IBD, hidradenitis suppurativa, severe asthma, and COPD).

Discovery is powered by the proprietary ReSOLVE® platform, which combines AI/ML with protein science, structural biology, and biophysics to model full protein conformations, identify druggable pockets, characterize dynamic water networks, and generate Hydrocophore® blueprints for rapid virtual screening of billions of compounds. The platform has produced clinically validated outputs: VENT-02 demonstrated 100% IL-1β inhibition in an ex vivo whole-blood challenge assay, broad therapeutic index, and high brain penetration; VENT-03 completed Phase 1 with robust target engagement and once-daily dosing; and a $150,000 grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation supports an NLRP3 PET tracer diagnostic program.

Ventus operates a capital-light business model with no commercial products. Revenue is generated through collaboration and licensing economics: the company has raised approximately $290 million across Series A, B, and C financings from Versant Ventures, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, RA Capital Management, GV, a16z, and others, and has secured two major strategic partnerships — an exclusive license to Novo Nordisk for systemic NLRP3 inhibitors (September 2022) and a multi-year discovery collaboration with Genentech (October 2025) carrying potential milestones exceeding $460 million plus tiered royalties. Partners lead downstream clinical development and commercialization, allowing Ventus to remain a focused, platform- and early-clinical-stage organization of 11–50 employees.

Name

Ventus Therapeutics

Legal name

Ventus Therapeutics, Inc.

Website

https://ventustx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ventus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small-molecule drugs targeting cGAS, NLRP3, and caspase-4/5 pathways for patients with autoimmune, inflammatory, and neurological diseases, powered by its proprietary ReSOLVE® AI/ML-enabled discovery platform and partnered with Novo Nordisk and Genentech.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Waltham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Collaboration and License Agreement Revenue: Ventus receives upfront payments, preclinical, development, and commercial milestones exceeding $460 million plus tiered royalties on net sales from Genentech collaboration. The company also has a license agreement with Novo Nordisk for NLRP3 inhibitors.
2. Partnered Program Development: VENT-01 is partnered with Novo Nordisk under exclusive development and license agreement. Ventus nominates development candidates which are then developed and commercialized by partners.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ventus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of differentiated small molecule therapeutics targeting biologically validated but previously undruggable drug targets in innate immunity. Its lead candidates include VENT-03 (cGAS inhibitor, Phase 2 for lupus), VENT-02 (NLRP3 inhibitor, Phase 2 for Parkinson's disease), VENT-04 (caspase-4/5 inhibitor, preclinical), and VENT-01 (systemic NLRP3 inhibitor partnered with Novo Nordisk). The company monetizes through upfront payments, development milestones, and royalties via partnerships with Genentech and Novo Nordisk, using its proprietary ReSOLVE® platform for discovery.

Product overview

Ventus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of differentiated small molecule therapeutics targeting biologically validated but previously considered undruggable drug targets in immunology, inflammation, and neurology. The company's portfolio includes: VENT-03 (first-in-class cGAS inhibitor in Phase 2 for lupus), VENT-02 (brain-penetrant NLRP3 inhibitor in Phase 2 for Parkinson's disease), VENT-04 (first-in-class caspase-4/5 inhibitor in preclinical development for IBD, HS, asthma, and COPD), and VENT-01 (systemic NLRP3 inhibitor partnered with Novo Nordisk). The pipeline is powered by the proprietary ReSOLVE® platform, which combines AI/ML, protein science, structural biology, and biophysics for structure-based small molecule drug discovery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ReSOLVE® Platform Proprietary drug discovery platform that combines AI/ML, protein science, structural biology, and biophysics to model all conformations of a protein, identify druggable pockets, analyze dynamic water networks, and generate Hydrocophore® blueprints for small molecule therapeutics targeting previously undruggable proteins. Licensed to Genentech under a multi-year discovery collaboration.
• VENT-03 First-in-class, oral small molecule inhibitor of cGAS (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase) currently in Phase 2 clinical trials for systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), with expansion opportunities across immunology, inflammation, and cardiometabolic conditions including dermatomyositis and Sjögren's disease.
• VENT-02 Selective, brain-penetrant oral small molecule NLRP3 inhibitor in Phase 2 development for Parkinson's disease, with potential for best-in-class symptomatic relief and disease modification by addressing NLRP3-mediated neuroinflammation.
• VENT-04 First-in-class, oral small molecule allosteric inhibitor of caspase-4 and caspase-5 in preclinical/IND-enabling stage for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), severe asthma, and COPD.
• VENT-01 Oral systemic NLRP3 inhibitor in Phase 1 clinical trials, partnered exclusively with Novo Nordisk for development and commercialization of systemic NLRP3 inhibitors across multiple indications.

Quantifiable outcome

• VENT-02 demonstrated 100% inhibition of IL-1β in blood in ex vivo whole blood challenge assay
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GenentechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025Multi-year collaboration and license agreement to discover and develop small-molecule medicines using Ventus' ReSOLVE platform. Ventus receives upfront payment plus preclinical, development, and commercial milestones exceeding $460 million, along with tiered royalties on net sales. Genentech leads preclinical and clinical development and commercialization for targets in immunological, inflammatory, and neurological disorders.
• Novo NordiskcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2022Exclusive development and license agreement to develop and commercialize candidates from Ventus' portfolio of systemic NLRP3 inhibitors, including VENT-01. Phase 1 clinical trial of VENT-01 is ongoing under this partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Insilico Medicine: AI-driven drug discovery company combining generative chemistry, target identification, and biology to advance small molecule programs in fibrosis, immunology, and oncology. Comparable to Ventus in deploying AI/ML-enabled platform for small molecule discovery.
• NodThera: Clinical-stage biotech developing brain-penetrant and peripheral NLRP3 inhibitors for inflammatory and neurological diseases. Direct competitor to Ventus's VENT-02 NLRP3 program in Parkinson's and to VENT-01's systemic NLRP3 franchise.
• Exscientia: AI-driven precision medicine company using its CentaurAI platform for small molecule drug design, with active programs in inflammation and immuno-oncology. Comparable to Ventus in platform-driven small molecule discovery and pharma partnership model.
• Recursion Pharmaceuticals: AI-driven drug discovery platform combining high-throughput biology, automation, and machine learning to identify novel therapeutic candidates. Comparable to Ventus as a technology-first, platform-driven small molecule discovery company pursuing inflammatory and rare disease targets.
• Schrödinger: Computational chemistry and physics-based drug discovery platform serving both internal pipeline and pharma partnerships. Comparable to Ventus in applying physics-based modeling and computational approaches to small molecule discovery against structurally challenging targets.
• Olatec Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing dapansutrile and other NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors for inflammatory diseases including gout, cardiovascular, and autoimmune indications. Direct competitor in the systemic NLRP3 inhibitor space.

Broad incumbents

• Novartis: Large pharmaceutical company with active NLRP3 inhibitor programs (e.g., through its acquisition of IFM Tre) and broad inflammation/autoimmune franchise. Comparable as a competitor in the same NLRP3 and inflammation therapeutic space.
• AstraZeneca: Large pharmaceutical company with multiple inflammasome and innate immunity programs, including NLRP3 and cGAS-STING pathway research. Comparable as a broad incumbent in innate immune drug discovery with overlapping therapeutic interests.

Emerging players

• AnaptysBio: Clinical-stage immunology biotech developing antibody-based therapeutics for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including IL-36R and PD-1 agonist programs. Comparable as a focused inflammation biotech with partnered programs (e.g., with GSK and Roche).
• Monte Rosa Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing molecular glue degraders for inflammation and immunology targets, including VAV1 and NEK7. Comparable as a platform-driven company pursuing previously challenging protein targets in inflammatory disease.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ventus-therapeutics
• Xx.com/Ventus_Tx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Ventus Therapeutics