Celdara Medical
Celdara Medical is a preclinical biotech founded in 2008 that translates academic discoveries into clinical-stage therapeutics through partnerships with research institutions, developing CAR-T, antibody, and engineered cell therapy programs while operating the DRIVEN Accelerator Hub.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersLebanon, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Celdara Medical does
Celdara Medical is a preclinical translational biotech founded in 2008 by Jake Reder and Michael Fanger in Lebanon, New Hampshire, operating at the Dartmouth Regional Technology Center across from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. The company runs a translational science model that identifies early-stage discoveries at academic institutions and partners with inventors and their institutions to provide developmental, financial, and business acumen needed to bridge discovery and clinical impact. Primary stakeholders include academic researchers seeking commercialization pathways, biopharmaceutical companies seeking early-stage pipeline, universities and research institutions, and ultimately patients with challenging diseases including ALS, cancer, hantavirus infections, pandemic-potential influenza, and autoimmune conditions. The company employs a sales-led go-to-market that prioritizes partnership and licensing transactions over direct product sales.
Celdara's portfolio spans multiple therapeutic modalities, including engineered cell therapies, monoclonal antibodies, antimicrobial peptides, and a patient stratification platform. Named programs include CM-CS1 (engineered regulatory T cell therapy for ALS, NINDS-funded), CM-IAV1 (therapeutic antibody for pandemic-potential influenza, NIAID-funded), CM-CX1 (CAR-T therapy for ovarian clear cell and renal cell carcinomas, NCI-funded), and ImmuType (a patient stratification platform for systemic autoimmune disease based on unique molecular profiles). The company also operates the DRIVEN Accelerator Hub, an NIH-funded consortium co-led with Simbex that has worked with 15 nascent startups across Northeast IDeA states since 2018, and the CHEF High-Potential Entrepreneurs' Fellowship program, which has trained over 60 fellows now placed at Genentech, BMS, MIT, Harvard, and other institutions.
Revenue is generated through three primary streams: non-dilutive SBIR and STTR grants from NIH institutes including NIAID, NINDS, NCI, and NHLBI; licensing agreements and equity stakes in spin-out companies; and partnership and collaboration fees. The model deliberately prioritizes non-dilutive funding to shift expected returns, enabling work on high-risk early-stage innovations that pure-play equity investors would consider too risky. Financial and strategic exit partners are engaged as programs advance, with spin-out and licensing serving as key pathways for portfolio assets.
Celdara Medical firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Celdara Medical
- Legal name
- Celdara Medical, LLC
- Website
- https://celdaramedical.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Celdara Medical is a preclinical biotech founded in 2008 that translates academic discoveries into clinical-stage therapeutics through partnerships with research institutions, developing CAR-T, antibody, and engineered cell therapy programs while operating the DRIVEN Accelerator Hub.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Celdara Medical industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Preclinical Biotech Development
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Oncology Gene Therapies (incl. oncolytic vectors & gene-modified approaches) (HLAAACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Genitourinary Oncology (HLAKAFAM), Genomics & Molecular Diagnostics (Trial Support) (HLAGAEAD)
Keywords
Where Celdara Medical is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lebanon
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Celdara Medical business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Non-Dilutive Funding (SBIR/STTR Grants): Celdara Medical leverages non-dilutive funding sources including SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) grants from NIH institutes including NINDS, NIAID, NCI, NHLBI. These grants fund specific therapeutic development programs.
- Licensing and Equity: Revenue generated through licensing agreements and equity stakes in spin-out companies created from their portfolio of developed assets. Financial and/or strategic exit partners are engaged as programs advance.
- Partnership and Collaboration Fees: Revenue from strategic partnerships including pipeline-focused collaborations with organizations like C-Path's TRxA, where non-competitive information is exchanged and financial support is provided for early-stage therapeutics development.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Celdara Medical product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Celdara Medical is a preclinical biotech development company that partners with academic inventors to transform early-stage discoveries into clinical-stage therapeutic candidates across multiple modalities including CAR-T cell therapies, engineered regulatory T cells (Tregs), therapeutic antibodies, and antimicrobial peptides. The company sources innovations from academic institutions, provides developmental, regulatory, and business acumen, and advances programs toward licensing, spin-out, or strategic partnership with biopharmaceutical companies.
Product overview
Celdara Medical is a preclinical biotech development company that builds academic and early-stage innovations into high-potential medical companies. The company operates a diverse programmatic pipeline of therapeutic programs including: ImmuType (an enterprise focused on autoimmune disease patient stratification), CM-CS1 (engineered Treg therapy for ALS), CM-IAV1 (therapeutic antibody for pandemic influenzas), and CM-CX1 (CAR-T cell therapy for ovarian and renal cancers). The company also operates the DRIVEN Accelerator Hub to support biotech startups and offers the High-Potential Entrepreneurs' Fellowship (CHEF) training program. Celdara Medical partners with academic inventors and their institutions, providing developmental, financial, and business acumen to bridge discovery and clinical impact.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DRIVEN Accelerator Hub: An NIH-funded consortium led by Celdara Medical that supports entrepreneurs and early-stage companies in biotech and life sciences sectors, helping them raise follow-on funding and advance from academic discovery to clinical development.
- ImmuType
Products and services
- ImmuType
Quantifiable outcome
- DRIVEN partner companies have collectively raised over $100M in follow-on funding with 87% of companies raising subsequent rounds
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Celdara Medical
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Celdara Medical technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Celdara Medical partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Critical Path Institute - Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (TRxA)coreMOU to identify and advance promising new therapeutics in areas of high unmet medical need. Organizations expand opportunities to provide financial support for early-stage therapeutics by exchanging non-competitive information submitted in academic funding proposals.
- University of Chicago / Weill Cornell Medical School - Dr. Patrick WilsoncoreResearch collaboration for development of CM-IAV1 therapeutic antibody for pandemic-potential influenzas. Dr. Wilson conducted groundbreaking research at University of Chicago and continues as scientific advisor at Weill Cornell Medical School.
- University of Vermont - Dr. Jason BottencorePhase II STTR collaboration for development of therapeutic antibodies for Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome. Dr. Botten is Professor of Medicine at UVM and Scientific Founder at Celdara Medical.
- Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI)corePartnership to support and advise ARMI's BioFab Startup Lab and its portfolio companies developing medical products through biomanufacturing of cells, tissues, and organs. Celdara provides experience in operating NIH-supported accelerator programs.
- University of Pittsburgh - Dr. Peter DicoreCollaboration for development of broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides for cystic fibrosis patients. Funded by NHLBI Phase I SBIR grant.
- Crossroads AcademyminorPartnership to construct the Fanger Center, an adaptable STEM lab facility for middle and high school students in NH & VT, honoring co-founder Michael Fanger.
- New Hampshire Academy of ScienceminorPartner with Crossroads Academy and Celdara Medical to create the Fanger Center STEM facility.
- SimbexcoreSimbex is a medical device and consumer health product design and development partner. Together with Celdara Medical, Simbex co-leads the DRIVEN Accelerator Hub, an NIH-funded consortium supporting biomedical startups in the Northeast IDeA states.
- Brown UniversitycoreDRIVEN Accelerator Hub partner institution representing Northeast IDeA region research institutions.
- Dartmouth CollegecorePrimary academic partner providing world-class vivarium, pathology, histology capabilities, clinical facilities, advanced computing infrastructure, and biomedical libraries. Home to Geisel School of Medicine and key research collaborations.
- Maine Medical CentercoreDRIVEN Accelerator Hub partner institution representing Northeast IDeA region research institutions.
- MDI Biological LaboratorycoreDRIVEN Accelerator Hub partner institution representing Northeast IDeA region research institutions.
- University of DelawarecoreDRIVEN Accelerator Hub partner institution representing Northeast IDeA region research institutions.
- University of New HampshirecoreDRIVEN Accelerator Hub partner institution representing Northeast IDeA region research institutions.
- University of Rhode IslandcoreDRIVEN Accelerator Hub partner institution representing Northeast IDeA region research institutions.
- University of VermontcoreDRIVEN Accelerator Hub partner institution representing Northeast IDeA region research institutions. Also direct research partnership for hantavirus therapeutic development with Dr. Jason Botten.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Celdara Medical competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PureTech Health: Public clinical-stage biotech founded in 2005 that builds and develops therapeutic candidates sourced from academic research, with a very similar model to Celdara: identify academic discoveries, develop them to clinical/partner stages, retain equity, and spin out or license. Both firms treat academic-to-clinical translation as their core operating model.
- Roivant Sciences: Public biotech that develops multiple therapeutic assets in parallel through subsidiary 'Vants,' many of which originated from academic or partnered programs. Mirrors Celdara's model of running diverse early-stage programs toward licensing/spinout, though at much larger scale.
- BridgeBio Pharma: Public biotech that translates discoveries from academic laboratories into clinical-stage therapeutics across multiple disease areas — overlapping with Celdara's translational model of in-licensing academic science, advancing it toward the clinic, and pursuing spinout / partnership exits.
- Carisma Therapeutics: Clinical-stage CAR-T/CAR-M company spun out of the University of Pennsylvania, developing engineered myeloid and T-cell therapies for solid tumors — directly comparable to Celdara's CAR-T solid tumor programs and Sentman-licensed allogeneic CAR-T IP estate.
- Adaptimmune: Clinical-stage cell therapy company developing TCR-T cell therapies for solid tumors. Overlaps with Celdara's cell therapy modality and academic-originated IP approach, and is a relevant comparator for cell-therapy pipeline value and out-licensing economics.
- Lexeo Therapeutics: Clinical-stage gene therapy company developing therapeutics based on academic discoveries (e.g., from Weill Cornell Medicine), with a model closely paralleling Celdara's academic-IP-driven therapeutic development and out-licensing strategy.
- Vor BioPharma: Clinical-stage cell and gene therapy company developing engineered hematopoietic stem cell platforms and cell therapies, including for oncology. Comparable to Celdara's engineered cell therapy programs in immunology and oncology.
Broad incumbents
- Allogene Therapeutics: Larger, publicly traded allogeneic CAR-T platform company. Compared to Celdara's Sentman-licensed allogeneic CAR-T IP, Allogene represents the scaled incumbent model in the same modality and is a useful benchmark for what platform CAR-T assets can be worth at maturity.
- Flagship Pioneering: Largest biotech venture creation firm (originator of Moderna), which builds and seeds biotech companies based on platform science. Functions as a scaled, venture-funded analogue of Celdara's academic-to-clinical translation and DRIVEN venture-studio model.
Emerging players
- Capsida Biotherapeutics: Clinical-stage gene therapy company engineering AAV capsids for CNS and other indications, spun out of academic research. A relevant emerging player against which to benchmark Celdara's approach to licensed academic gene/cell therapy IP and partnership-driven development.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Celdara Medical social profiles
Digital presenceCeldara Medical financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Celdara Medical leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
Celdara Medical funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Celdara Medical 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 Celdara Medical
What does Celdara Medical do?
Celdara Medical is a preclinical biotech development company that partners with academic inventors to transform early-stage discoveries into clinical-stage therapeutic candidates across multiple modalities including CAR-T cell therapies, engineered regulatory T cells (Tregs), therapeutic antibodies, and antimicrobial peptides. The company sources innovations from academic institutions, provides developmental, regulatory, and business acumen, and advances programs toward licensing, spin-out, or strategic partnership with biopharmaceutical companies.
Is Celdara Medical a public or private company?
Celdara Medical is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Celdara Medical founded?
Celdara Medical was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Celdara Medical based?
Celdara Medical is headquartered in Lebanon, United States, in the North America region.
How does Celdara Medical make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Non-Dilutive Funding (SBIR/STTR Grants) is the primary driver. The others are licensing and Equity and partnership and Collaboration Fees.
Who are Celdara Medical's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PureTech Health, Roivant Sciences, BridgeBio Pharma, Carisma Therapeutics, Adaptimmune, Lexeo Therapeutics and Vor BioPharma. Broad incumbents are Allogene Therapeutics and Flagship Pioneering. Capsida Biotherapeutics is listed as an emerging player.
Does Celdara Medical have an API?
No public API is recorded for Celdara Medical.
What industry is Celdara Medical in?
Celdara Medical's product category is Preclinical Biotech Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAACAF, Oncology Gene Therapies (incl. oncolytic vectors & gene-modified approaches), with a secondary code of HLAKAFAM, Genitourinary Oncology. Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 2836.