Starpharma
Starpharma is an ASX-listed Australian biotech that develops its proprietary DEP® dendrimer-based drug delivery platform, licensing it to pharmaceutical partners (notably Genentech) for oncology therapies and running an internal DEP HER2 clinical program.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersMelbourne, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Starpharma does
Starpharma Holdings Limited (ASX: SPL, OTCQX: SPHRY) is an Australian biotechnology company founded in 1996 and headquartered in Abbotsford, Victoria, that develops and commercializes dendrimer-based drug delivery technology under its proprietary DEP® (Dendrimer Enhanced Product) platform. The platform uses precisely engineered dendrimer nanostructures to enhance the targeting, efficacy, and safety profiles of therapeutic agents, with the current strategic focus on oncology — including an internal DEP HER2 clinical program that received FDA approval to proceed.
The company's commercial model is built on licensing and co-development rather than direct product sales. Under its September 2025 collaboration and license agreement with Genentech (a Roche subsidiary), Genentech leads development and commercialization of DEP-enabled cancer therapies while Starpharma receives upfront payments, development and commercial milestone fees, and royalties on resulting products. Starpharma also runs an internal clinical pipeline and markets its technology to additional pharmaceutical partners through a dedicated business-development function ("Star Navigator") and a public partnering program.
Starpharma is a small, ASX-listed clinical-stage company (11–50 employees) that monetizes a single core technology platform across multiple programs and partners. Its financial profile shows negative EBITDA and operating losses in every reporting year available, indicating ongoing cash burn against a licensing-and-milestone revenue base. The company's strategic priorities visible in the data are advancing the DEP HER2 clinical program, deepening the Genentech relationship, and signing additional licensing partners to broaden the platform's commercial reach.
Starpharma firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Starpharma
- Legal name
- Starpharma Holdings
- Website
- https://starpharma.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Starpharma is an ASX-listed Australian biotech that develops its proprietary DEP® dendrimer-based drug delivery platform, licensing it to pharmaceutical partners (notably Genentech) for oncology therapies and running an internal DEP HER2 clinical program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Starpharma industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pharmaceutical Drug Delivery Technology
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Synthetic Biology & Genetic Circuit Design Platforms (pathway engineering, chassis development) (HLAAAIAD)
Keywords
Where Starpharma is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melbourne
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Starpharma business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Licensing and Partnership Revenue: Starpharma generates revenue through collaboration agreements with pharmaceutical companies. Under these agreements, Starpharma receives upfront payments, development and commercial milestone fees, and royalties on products developed using its DEP technology.
- Product Sales: The company is also progressing in product sales alongside its partnership activities.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Starpharma product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Starpharma develops and licenses its proprietary DEP® (Dendrimer Enhanced Product) drug delivery platform, a dendrimer-based nanotechnology that enables targeted drug delivery for oncology and other therapeutic applications. The company generates revenue by licensing this platform to pharmaceutical partners (such as Genentech) for upfront payments, development/commercial milestones, and royalties, while also advancing its own internal clinical pipeline (e.g., DEP HER2 for HER2-positive cancers).
Product overview
Starpharma is a pharmaceutical biotechnology company built around its proprietary dendrimer nanotechnology. The core offering is the DEP® Platform (DEP® Drug Delivery Platform), which leverages Dendrimer Technology to enhance drug delivery. The company's product portfolio centers on the DEP® Pipeline of therapeutic candidates, with key collaborations including a partnership with Genentech to develop cancer therapies. Starpharma operates primarily as a drug development company rather than a software products company, focusing on advancing its dendrimer-based drug delivery technology through clinical trials and strategic pharmaceutical partnerships.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DEP® Platform: Proprietary dendrimer-based drug delivery technology platform enabling targeted drug delivery for therapeutics.
- Star Navigator
Products and services
- DEP® Drug Delivery Platform A proprietary dendrimer-based drug delivery platform that enhances the effectiveness of drugs by targeting specific cells and tissues, improving drug delivery, efficacy, and safety profiles. Licensed to pharmaceutical partners for development of targeted therapeutics.
- Dendrimer Technology Starpharma's foundational dendrimer nanotechnology used as the building block for its drug delivery platform, enabling precise molecular engineering for pharmaceutical applications.
- DEP® Pipeline The company's clinical development pipeline featuring DEP® platform-based therapeutic candidates at various stages of research and clinical trials, including the DEP HER2 program for HER2-positive cancers.
- DEP HER2 Clinical Program DEP HER2 is Starpharma's internally developed clinical program using the DEP® platform to target HER2-positive cancers. It received FDA approval to enter clinical trials, marking a significant regulatory milestone.
Quantifiable outcome
- FDA approval for DEP HER2 clinical trial
Companies that use Starpharma
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Starpharma technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Starpharma partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- GenentechcoreStarpharma Holdings signed a collaboration and license agreement with Genentech to develop cancer therapies using Starpharma's DEP drug delivery platform. Under the deal, Genentech leads development and commercialization activities, while Starpharma receives upfront payments, milestone fees, and potential royalties. This represents a significant validation of Starpharma's dendrimer technology platform by a major global pharmaceutical company.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Starpharma competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage company developing targeted RNA-interference therapeutics using proprietary delivery platforms (TRiM™). Comparable to Starpharma as a platform-based drug delivery company monetized through partnerships and internal pipeline assets.
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals: Commercial-stage leader in RNAi therapeutics using lipid nanoparticle and GalNAc conjugation delivery technologies. Comparable to Starpharma as a delivery-platform company with multiple partnered and wholly-owned programs in oncology and rare disease.
- Arcturus Therapeutics: Clinical-stage mRNA medicines company built on a lipid nanoparticle delivery platform with partnered programs (e.g., CSL, Kostaive). Comparable to Starpharma as a delivery-platform biotech licensing its technology to large pharma partners.
- Acuitas Therapeutics: Privately-held LNP delivery technology provider whose platform underpins multiple approved and clinical-stage RNA therapeutics (e.g., partnered with Pfizer, BioNTech). Comparable to Starpharma as a pure-play delivery-platform licensor to global pharma.
- NanoCarrier: Japan-based clinical-stage nanomedicine company developing polymeric micelle drug delivery systems for oncology. Comparable to Starpharma as a polymeric nanocarrier platform targeting cancer therapeutics, though operating primarily in a regional (APAC) ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- Moderna: Global mRNA therapeutics company using proprietary lipid nanoparticle delivery technology across infectious disease, oncology, and rare disease programs. Comparable to Starpharma as a delivery-platform biotech, though far larger, vertically integrated, and with approved commercial products.
- BioNTech: Commercial-stage immunotherapy company using LNP-mRNA delivery across oncology and infectious disease, with a deep partnership network (e.g., Pfizer). Comparable to Starpharma as an oncology-focused delivery-platform biotech with a partnership-driven commercialization model.
Emerging players
- Selecta Biosciences: Clinical-stage immunology company developing nanoparticle-based immune tolerance platforms (ImmTOR/SEL-212). Comparable to Starpharma as a nanoparticle delivery platform pursuing therapeutic applications with partnered programs.
- Nanospectra Biosciences: Clinical-stage company developing AuroLase® therapy, a gold nanoshell-based targeted thermal ablation platform for oncology. Comparable to Starpharma as a nanomedicine oncology platform with first-in-class targeted delivery concepts.
- CytImmune Sciences: Clinical-stage oncology company using tumor-targeted gold nanoparticle delivery (CYT-6091/CYT-11000) to concentrate chemotherapy at tumor sites. Comparable to Starpharma as a nanoparticle-based targeted oncology delivery platform.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Starpharma social profiles
Digital presenceStarpharma financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Starpharma leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Starpharma funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Starpharma M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Starpharma
What does Starpharma do?
Starpharma develops and licenses its proprietary DEP® (Dendrimer Enhanced Product) drug delivery platform, a dendrimer-based nanotechnology that enables targeted drug delivery for oncology and other therapeutic applications. The company generates revenue by licensing this platform to pharmaceutical partners (such as Genentech) for upfront payments, development/commercial milestones, and royalties, while also advancing its own internal clinical pipeline (e.g., DEP HER2 for HER2-positive cancers).
Is Starpharma a public or private company?
Starpharma is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Starpharma founded?
Starpharma was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Starpharma based?
Starpharma is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Starpharma make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Licensing and Partnership Revenue is the primary driver. The others are product Sales.
Who are Starpharma's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Arcturus Therapeutics, Acuitas Therapeutics and NanoCarrier. Broad incumbents are Moderna and BioNTech. Emerging players are Selecta Biosciences, Nanospectra Biosciences and CytImmune Sciences.
Does Starpharma have an API?
No public API is recorded for Starpharma.
What industry is Starpharma in?
Starpharma's product category is Pharmaceutical Drug Delivery Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAIAB, Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering), with a secondary code of HLAAAIAD, Synthetic Biology & Genetic Circuit Design Platforms (pathway engineering, chassis development). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 2834.