OrphoMed
OrphoMed is a privately held, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company founded in 2015 in Mill Valley, California, developing novel therapeutics with a small team and venture funding from NEA, Takeda Ventures, and other biotech investors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersMill Valley, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What OrphoMed does
OrphoMed is a privately held pharmaceutical company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Mill Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area. Per its short description, it is focused on the development of novel therapeutics, operating as a small organization of 1-10 employees consistent with a clinical- or preclinical-stage drug development start-up. The company is led by co-founders Frank Steinberg (Co-Founder & Medical Advisor) and Pankaj Pasricha, supported by a small senior team covering operations (Dennie Dyer, VP), regulatory and quality affairs (Sharon Sakai, VP), and chemistry (Rajeshwar Singh, Acting VP), reflecting a build-out typical of a development-stage pharma advancing a candidate toward IND-enabling work.
The company's capital structure to date consists of a $2.8M financing recorded in January 2016 followed by a $39M round in May 2017 co-led by New Enterprise Associates and Takeda Ventures, with participation from Mario Family Funds, Pappas Capital, and Relativity Healthcare Partners. The involvement of Takeda Ventures, a strategic corporate venture arm, alongside specialist biotech investors is consistent with a company building toward a partnership- or licensing-relevant asset. Specific therapeutic indications, lead compounds, mechanism of action, trial status, and intellectual property details are not disclosed in the available input.
OrphoMed's current commercial position is pre-revenue: there are no disclosed products, pricing, customers, or partnerships beyond the investor syndicate, and the corporate website (orphomed.com) currently resolves only to a verification/loading page with no substantive content. As a result, the business model is best characterized as venture-funded drug discovery and development, with future monetization likely dependent on out-licensing, partnership, or acquisition rather than direct commercialization given the company's scale.
OrphoMed firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OrphoMed
- Website
- https://orphomed.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OrphoMed is a privately held, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company founded in 2015 in Mill Valley, California, developing novel therapeutics with a small team and venture funding from NEA, Takeda Ventures, and other biotech investors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OrphoMed industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pharmaceutical Drug Development
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Endocrinology & Metabolic Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAD)
Keywords
Where OrphoMed is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mill Valley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
OrphoMed business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
OrphoMed product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OrphoMed is a San Francisco Bay Area pharmaceutical company founded in 2015 that develops novel therapeutics. The firm operates a small, focused R&D operation (1-10 employees) and has been funded by life-sciences venture investors to advance its pharmaceutical pipeline from medicinal chemistry through regulatory development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use OrphoMed
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
OrphoMed technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
OrphoMed partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
OrphoMed competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Takeda Pharmaceutical: Large pharmaceutical strategic that led OrphoMed's Series A through Takeda Ventures, with a substantial GI specialty franchise (including the former Shire GI portfolio) making it both a potential acquirer and a directly relevant commercial comparator.
- Salix Pharmaceuticals (Bausch Health): Established commercial-stage GI specialty pharma and a potential strategic acquirer of OrphoMed's assets; offers directly competing and complementary therapies in IBS-D and related GI conditions.
Direct peers
- Ardelyx: Clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for GI and cardiorenal disorders, closely comparable to OrphoMed's small-molecule, GI-focused drug development model.
- Ironwood Pharmaceuticals: GI-focused specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for IBS and other GI motility disorders, making it a directly comparable peer in target indication and therapeutic category.
- RedHill Biopharma: Specialty pharma focused on GI and infectious diseases with a small-molecule pipeline, comparable to OrphoMed in size, stage, and therapeutic focus on GI disorders.
- Synergy Pharmaceuticals: Specialty pharma that developed therapies for IBS-D and chronic GI conditions, providing a directly comparable business model, indication focus, and small-cap pharma profile (despite later restructuring).
Emerging players
- Synthetic Biologics: Small-cap clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing GI-focused therapeutics, comparable to OrphoMed in stage, size, and therapeutic category overlap.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
OrphoMed social profiles
Digital presenceOrphoMed financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OrphoMed leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
OrphoMed funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OrphoMed 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 OrphoMed
What does OrphoMed do?
OrphoMed is a San Francisco Bay Area pharmaceutical company founded in 2015 that develops novel therapeutics. The firm operates a small, focused R&D operation (1-10 employees) and has been funded by life-sciences venture investors to advance its pharmaceutical pipeline from medicinal chemistry through regulatory development.
When was OrphoMed founded?
OrphoMed was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OrphoMed based?
OrphoMed is headquartered in Mill Valley, United States, in the North America region.
Who are OrphoMed's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Takeda Pharmaceutical and Salix Pharmaceuticals (Bausch Health). Direct peers are Ardelyx, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, RedHill Biopharma and Synergy Pharmaceuticals. Synthetic Biologics is listed as an emerging player.
Does OrphoMed have an API?
No public API is recorded for OrphoMed.
What industry is OrphoMed in?
OrphoMed's product category is Pharmaceutical Drug Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAIACAD, Endocrinology & Metabolic Specialty Pharmaceuticals. Its NAICS code is 541714.