Cresset
Cresset provides computational chemistry software (Flare, Spark, Blaze) and contract drug discovery services for small molecule design, serving pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agrochemical, and academic customers globally through direct enterprise sales and CRO engagements.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersCambridge, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Cresset does
Cresset is a UK-based computational chemistry company developing software and contract research services for small molecule drug discovery and design. Founded in 2002 by Andy Vinter on the basis of his proprietary XED force field research, the company operates as Cresset Biomolecular Discovery Limited from Litlington, UK, and employs between 101 and 250 people. Its customer base spans pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, agrochemical firms, flavors and fragrance developers, and academic research institutions.
The core offering is the Flare platform, a ligand and structure-based drug design environment that bundles Free Energy Perturbation (FEP) calculations, virtual screening (Blaze), scaffold hopping and bioisosteric replacement (Spark), AI-powered ADME prediction, and collaborative design (Flare Connect). The XED force field, which models molecular electrostatics using extended electron distributions rather than standard atom-centered charges, underpins the platform and supports more accurate prediction of aromatic stacking, hydrogen bonding, and protein-ligand interactions. In June 2026, Cresset released Flare V12, more than doubling FEP calculation speed via the SOMD2 engine and adding support for ring-breaking transformations, replica exchange sampling, and Grand Canonical Monte Carlo water sampling.
Revenue derives from software licensing (subscription, project-based rental, and evaluation pathways) and from Cresset Discovery Services, a contract research arm delivering project-based or flexible-day engagements to clients that include Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Evotec, LifeArc, BASF, MOA Technology, and Epics Therapeutics. Growth capital from Scottish Equity Partners in September 2022 funded product development and US expansion. Subsequent strategic actions include a July 2025 acquisition of Molab, a March 2026 brand identity refresh positioning the company around AI-enriched simulation and partnership, and integration of AstraZeneca's REINVENT4 generative AI technology (branded MolGenAI) within Flare.
Cresset firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cresset
- Legal name
- Cresset Biomolecular Discovery Limited
- Website
- https://cresset-group.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Cresset provides computational chemistry software (Flare, Spark, Blaze) and contract drug discovery services for small molecule design, serving pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agrochemical, and academic customers globally through direct enterprise sales and CRO engagements.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cresset industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Computational Drug Discovery Software
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Software Publishers (5132), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Preclinical CROs (Discovery/Pharmacology/DMPK) (HLAGAAAB)
Keywords
Where Cresset is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cresset business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Software Licensing: Cresset licenses its drug discovery software (Flare, Spark, Blaze) to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Software is available via direct licensing and project-based rental models, allowing organizations flexible access to computational chemistry tools.
- Discovery Services (CRO): Cresset Discovery Services provides contract research services applying computational chemistry expertise to client drug discovery projects. Services include virtual screening, hit discovery, lead optimization, QSAR analysis, and molecular modeling. Available via task-based or flexible service days engagement models.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Cresset product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cresset develops and licenses AI-enriched computational chemistry software for small molecule drug discovery, anchored by its Flare platform and add-on modules for Free Energy Perturbation, scaffold hopping, virtual screening, ADME prediction and collaborative design. The company also operates a contract research organisation (Cresset Discovery Services) that applies its proprietary XED force field and simulation methods to client hit discovery, hit-to-lead and lead optimisation projects.
Product overview
Cresset offers a portfolio of computational drug discovery software products centered on its Flare™ platform, complemented by specialized modules and Discovery Services. The core Flare platform provides comprehensive ligand and structure-based drug design capabilities, which are extended by dedicated modules for Free Energy Perturbation (Flare FEP), AI-powered ADME prediction (AI ADME), scaffold hopping (Spark), virtual screening (Blaze), and collaborative design (Flare Connect). The company also operates as a contract research organization offering Discovery Services that leverage proprietary XED force field technology and AI-enriched simulation methods. The product portfolio is designed to accelerate discovery from target validation through candidate selection, serving computational chemists, medicinal chemists, and academic researchers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Flare
- Spark
- Blaze
- Flare FEP Free Energy Perturbation module for predicting binding affinity and relative binding free energies of compounds, using advanced simulation methods including SOMD2, replica exchange and Grand Canonical Monte Carlo water sampling.
- AI ADME
- Flare Connect
- Cresset Discovery Services
Quantifiable outcome
- >80% compute time savings in FEP calculations with Active Learning workflow
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Cresset
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cresset technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature8 records
Cresset partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable and strategic.
- Epics TherapeuticscoreCollaboration on METTL3 inhibitor drug discovery project. Cresset Discovery delivered digital workflow combining molecular modeling expertise with Cresset technology to accelerate hit discovery and optimization. Project resulted in published research and progression toward in-vivo proof of concept compound.
- University of CambridgenotableCollaboration with Dr. Ashraf Zarkan from Department of Genetics on UTI drug discovery project. Combined computational methods with in-silico drug discovery expertise to identify novel inhibitors targeting E. coli enzyme for treating urinary tract infections.
- University of South AustralianotableCollaboration on drug repurposing research identifying anti-cancer activities of existing drugs. Cresset Discovery team employed Blaze virtual screening and Flare molecular modeling to discover anti-viral drug Rilpivirine showed anti-proliferative actions in cancer cell lines.
- MolGenAI (AstraZeneca)strategicIntegration of AstraZeneca's REINVENT4 generative AI technology (MolGenAI) within Flare software platform. Provides AI-powered generative chemistry capabilities for novel molecule design and exploration of new chemical space.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Cresset competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Schrödinger: Public computational chemistry and molecular simulation software company serving pharma and biotech with FEP+, LiveDesign, and a discovery services arm. Direct competitor to Flare and Cresset Discovery across ligand/structure-based design, FEP, and CRO services.
- OpenEye Scientific Software (Cadence Design Systems): Pioneer in ligand-based virtual screening and shape/electrostatic similarity methods (ROCS, OMEGA), now part of Cadence. Direct competitor to Blaze and Flare in cheminformatics and small molecule design.
- Chemical Computing Group (MOE): Long-established provider of the Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) platform for drug discovery, including docking, pharmacophore modeling, and QSAR. Direct competitor in integrated ligand/structure-based design software.
- Dotmatics: Scientific R&D platform spanning data, analytics, and chemistry for drug discovery workflows. Comparable in serving medicinal and computational chemists across pharma/biotech with software tools that overlap Cresset's user base.
- Molecular Discovery Ltd: Specialist in pharmacophore modeling (LigandScout), property prediction, and metabolite prediction software for drug discovery. Niche direct competitor in cheminformatics tools used by computational and medicinal chemists.
Broad incumbents
- Dassault Systèmes BIOVIA: Broad life sciences software suite within Dassault Systèmes covering discovery, clinical, and manufacturing. Overlaps with Cresset on molecular modeling and drug discovery but serves as part of an enterprise-wide portfolio rather than a chemistry specialist.
- Certara: Public drug development services and software company covering discovery through regulatory submission. Adjacent to Cresset's discovery services arm with broader downstream reach into PBPK modeling and regulatory science.
Emerging players
- Pharmacelera: Smaller cheminformatics and computational chemistry software vendor offering field-based similarity and pharmacophore tools. Niche competitor to Blaze/Spark with narrower feature breadth.
- Insilico Medicine: AI-first drug discovery company with generative chemistry, target discovery, and an integrated pipeline. Competes for the same AI-physics discovery budget and represents both a partner archetype and disruptive adjacent entrant.
Regional players
- Evotec: Large CRO with integrated drug discovery platforms, including computational chemistry and in silico services. A current Cresset customer/partner and an indirect competitor on the discovery services side, though with much broader wet-lab capabilities.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cresset social profiles
Digital presenceCresset financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cresset leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Cresset funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cresset 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 Cresset
What does Cresset do?
Cresset develops and licenses AI-enriched computational chemistry software for small molecule drug discovery, anchored by its Flare platform and add-on modules for Free Energy Perturbation, scaffold hopping, virtual screening, ADME prediction and collaborative design. The company also operates a contract research organisation (Cresset Discovery Services) that applies its proprietary XED force field and simulation methods to client hit discovery, hit-to-lead and lead optimisation projects.
Is Cresset a public or private company?
Cresset is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Cresset founded?
Cresset was founded in 2002. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Cresset based?
Cresset is headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Cresset make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Software Licensing is the primary driver. The others are discovery Services (CRO).
Who are Cresset's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Schrödinger, OpenEye Scientific Software (Cadence Design Systems), Chemical Computing Group (MOE), Dotmatics and Molecular Discovery Ltd. Broad incumbents are Dassault Systèmes BIOVIA and Certara. Emerging players are Pharmacelera and Insilico Medicine. Evotec is listed as a regional player.
Does Cresset have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cresset.
What industry is Cresset in?
Cresset's product category is Computational Drug Discovery Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAAAB, Preclinical CROs (Discovery/Pharmacology/DMPK). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 7372.