Gelesis
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Gelesis firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gelesis
- Legal name
- Gelesis S.r.l.
- Website
- https://gelesis.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Gelesis is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Gelesis business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Plenity Product Sales: Revenue generated from sales of Plenity, an FDA-cleared and CE-marked oral medical device for weight management. The product is indicated for adults with BMI 25-40 kg/m² when combined with diet and exercise.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Gelesis product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gelesis develops, manufactures, and commercializes FDA-cleared oral medical devices based on its proprietary OSH (Oral Superabsorbent Hydrogel) platform. Its lead product, Plenity, is an oral, non-systemic weight management device for adults with BMI 25–40 kg/m² that promotes satiety by expanding in the stomach.
Product overview
Gelesis is a biotechnology company that develops a single product platform—the Gelesis OSH (Oral Superabsorbent Hydrogel) technology—and commercializes it through its flagship product, Plenity. The OSH platform is a biomimetic cellulose-based superabsorbent hydrogel designed to work locally in the gastrointestinal tract to influence satiety-related signals and support metabolic health. Plenity, the company's FDA-cleared and CE-marked weight management device, is the primary commercial product derived from this platform, targeting adults with BMI 25-40 kg/m².
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Plenity: FDA cleared and CE marked non-systemic medical device for weight management in adults with BMI 25-40 kg/m².
Products and services
- Plenity
Quantifiable outcome
- 59% of adults achieved clinically meaningful weight loss averaging 10% (22 pounds) at 24 weeks
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Gelesis
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Gelesis technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Gelesis partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Gelesis competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Herbalife: Direct-selling company offering meal replacement shakes and weight management programs. Adjacent comparability through the consumer weight management value chain, though positioned in nutritional rather than medical-device space.
- Medifast: Provider of the Optavia weight loss program with meal replacement products and coaching. Adjacent as another consumer-facing weight management brand, though focused on lifestyle programs rather than medical devices.
Direct peers
- Vivus: Specialty pharmaceutical company marketing Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate) for chronic weight management. Closely comparable as an oral, prescription-only weight management therapy competing for the same physician channel.
- Currax Pharmaceuticals: Markets Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion) for chronic weight management. Comparable as another oral prescription weight management product targeting adults with elevated BMI.
Broad incumbents
- Pfizer: Large pharmaceutical company developing oral GLP-1 candidates (danuglipron) for obesity. Competes broadly in the metabolic disease space with much greater R&D and commercial resources.
- Eli Lilly: Pharmaceutical incumbent with Mounjaro/Zepbound (tirzepatide) for obesity and diabetes. A direct competitor in the medical weight management category with superior efficacy data.
- Novo Nordisk: Global pharmaceutical leader in obesity and diabetes care with Wegovy (semaglutide) and Ozempic. Sets the standard for medically-supervised weight management against which Plenity competes as a non-systemic alternative.
Emerging players
- Allurion Technologies: Developer of the Allurion Balloon, a swallowable, non-surgical gastric balloon for weight loss. Comparable as a non-pharmaceutical, device-based weight management intervention targeting similar BMI ranges.
- ReShape Lifesciences: Medical device company developing products for weight loss, including the Lap-Band. Comparable as a weight management medical device company targeting the same patient population via physician channels.
- Obalon Therapeutics: Previously commercialized swallowable gas-filled intragastric balloons for weight loss. Comparable as a device-based, non-systemic approach to obesity treatment competing for similar prescribers and patients.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Gelesis social profiles
Digital presenceGelesis compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Gelesis financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gelesis leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Gelesis funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds12 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gelesis 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 Gelesis
What does Gelesis do?
Gelesis develops, manufactures, and commercializes FDA-cleared oral medical devices based on its proprietary OSH (Oral Superabsorbent Hydrogel) platform. Its lead product, Plenity, is an oral, non-systemic weight management device for adults with BMI 25–40 kg/m² that promotes satiety by expanding in the stomach.
Is Gelesis a public or private company?
Gelesis is a private company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Gelesis founded?
Gelesis was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Gelesis based?
Gelesis is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Gelesis make money?
One revenue line is on record: plenity Product Sales.
Who are Gelesis's main competitors?
Others on record are Herbalife and Medifast. Direct peers are Vivus and Currax Pharmaceuticals. Broad incumbents are Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. Emerging players are Allurion Technologies, ReShape Lifesciences and Obalon Therapeutics.
Does Gelesis have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gelesis.