SpiroChem AG
SpiroChem AG is a Swiss chemistry research partner (ETH Zürich spin-off, founded 2011) that delivers integrated drug discovery and process R&D services — medicinal chemistry, synthetic chemistry, and complex modalities — to pharma, biotech, and academia via FTE contracts and proprietary platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBasel, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SpiroChem AG does
SpiroChem AG is a Swiss specialty chemistry research company founded in 2011 as a spin-off of ETH Zürich, headquartered in Basel with a second R&D facility in Montreal (acquired 2023 via Cyclenium Pharma). The company operates as a Partner Research Organization (PRO), delivering integrated drug discovery and process R&D services — including computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry, synthetic chemistry, and specialized modalities (macrocycles, ADCs, degraders, radioligands, covalent inhibitors) — to biopharmaceutical companies, large pharma (Novartis, Asahi Kasei, H3 Biomedicine), biotech startups, agrochemical firms (Syngenta), and academic institutions.
The technical platform is built on proprietary infrastructure including the Hercules+ high-throughput parallel solid-phase synthesis platform, the HTE platform for reaction optimization, and SpiroBrain — a deep collective knowledge base spanning all chemistry disciplines. The company also maintains four virtual libraries (SpiroSpace: 105M+ sp3-rich molecules; MacroSpace: 229M+ macrocycles; CovSpace: 44M+ covalent compounds; GlueSpace: 95M+ CRBN-binding molecules) alongside physical screening libraries and SpiroKits. Enablement extends across solid-phase synthesis, flow chemistry, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. A granted process patent covers scalable manufacturing of bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes (filed 2016).
The business model combines recurring FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) contracts — typically 1–6 dedicated chemists per program for 3–12+ months — with one-time compound catalog sales (13,000+ molecules via e-commerce) and hourly/project-based consulting. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales supplemented by conference presence (EFMC, ACS, CPHI), the SpiroWebinars program, and scientific publication. Headcount has scaled from 20 (2018) to 50 (2020) to 60+ (2021) to 100+ by 2026, with the majority PhD chemists. The company is privately held, primarily built through reinvestment of profits rather than dilutive funding, and has not disclosed revenue.
SpiroChem AG firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SpiroChem AG
- Legal name
- SpiroChem AG
- Website
- https://spirochem.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SpiroChem AG is a Swiss chemistry research partner (ETH Zürich spin-off, founded 2011) that delivers integrated drug discovery and process R&D services — medicinal chemistry, synthetic chemistry, and complex modalities — to pharma, biotech, and academia via FTE contracts and proprietary platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SpiroChem AG industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contract Chemistry Services / Drug Discovery Research
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Chiral / Asymmetric Synthesis & Complex Chemistry Services (HLAGAHAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- GMP Scale-Up, Tech Transfer & Process Validation (PPQ) (HLAGAHAL)
Keywords
Where SpiroChem AG is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Basel
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
SpiroChem AG business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) Service Contracts: Recurring service contracts providing dedicated chemists working on client projects, typically 1-6 chemists per program for 3-12+ months duration. Core revenue stream for discovery and process R&D services.
- Compound Catalog Sales: Sale of screening libraries (macrocycles, fragments, covalent fragments, scaffolds), SpiroKits, and building blocks ranging from milligram to hundred gram scale. E-commerce enabled through company website.
- Consulting Services: Expert consulting including literature analysis, SAR analysis, strategy proposals, retrosynthetic analysis, patent gap analysis, and patent filing support. Billed hourly, daily, or project-based.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Shipping Rate |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Consulting Services |
| Subscription | Monthly | FTE Contracts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Compound Catalog |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
SpiroChem AG product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SpiroChem AG is a Partner Research Organization (PRO) offering contract chemistry research services for drug discovery and process R&D. The company sells Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) service contracts, custom synthesis projects, compound catalog products (screening libraries and building blocks), and consulting services to biotech, pharmaceutical, agrochemical and academic clients. It also operates proprietary technology platforms (Hercules+, HTE, SpiroBrain) and virtual compound libraries (SpiroSpace, MacroSpace, CovSpace, GlueSpace) used internally and made available to clients.
Product overview
SpiroChem AG is a pioneering research partner and Discovery Engine offering integrated drug discovery and process R&D chemistry services. The company operates a platform-plus-services model centered on its core Discovery Services (computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry, synthetic chemistry, precision delivery) and Process R&D capabilities. Key platforms include the Hercules Platform for high-throughput chemistry, HTE Platform for experimentation, and SpiroBrain for collective knowledge management. The compound portfolio includes physical screening libraries (Macrocycle Library, Fragment Library, SpiroKits, Scaffolds) and virtual libraries (SpiroSpace, MacroSpace, CovSpace, GlueSpace). The company expanded through the 2023 acquisition of Cyclenium Pharma, adding macrocycle expertise and a North American R&D facility in Montreal.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SpiroSpace™: Virtual library providing access to more than 105 million drug-like sp3-rich molecules
- MacroSpace™
- CovSpace™
- GlueSpace™
- Hercules+™
- SpiroBrain™
- SpiroKits™
- SpiroWebinars
Products and services
- Discovery Services Comprehensive drug discovery services including computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry, synthetic chemistry, and precision delivery, covering the hit-to-candidate journey for pharmaceutical and biotech clients.
- Process R&D Process research and development services including route scouting, technology transfer, scale-up, impurity synthesis and identification, method development, and reference standards for pharma, biotech and CDMO clients.
- Fully Integrated Services Integrated discovery services bringing together SpiroChem's trusted research partner network supporting clients from hit validation through lead optimization to early process R&D.
- Hercules Platform High-throughput chemistry platform enabling rapid parallel synthesis and broad diversity coverage for accelerated drug discovery.
- HTE Platform High-throughput experimentation platform for rapid optimization of chemical reactions and reaction conditions.
- SpiroBrain Deep, collective knowledge base representing SpiroChem's expertise from all chemistry disciplines, enabling problem-solving by connecting solutions across projects.
- Macrocycle Library Screening library of macrocyclic compounds for drug discovery, offering access to challenging biological targets with enhanced target affinity.
- Fragment Library Collection of over 700 fragment molecules with unique design, high sp3 content, and conformationally restricted structures for fragment-based drug discovery.
- SpiroKits Medicinal chemistry toolbox providing turnkey solutions to accelerate projects and foster chemical space exploration.
- SpiroSpace Virtual library of more than 105 million drug-like sp3-rich molecules, built upon SpiroChem's proprietary SPC-branded monomers combined with drug-like building blocks.
- MacroSpace Virtual collection of over 229 million distinct macrocycles with drug-like properties, created by combining three amino acids with a non-peptidic linker.
- CovSpace Virtual library of more than 44 million covalent compounds combining SPC-branded monomers with drug-like building blocks and covalent warheads.
- GlueSpace Virtual library of more than 95 million CRBN-binding molecules combining CRBN-binding monomers with drug-like building blocks for molecular glue drug discovery.
- Scaffolds 3D scaffolds for DNA-Encoded Libraries (DEL) featuring bi- and tri-functionalized designs with uncharted chemical space and orthogonal protecting groups.
- Consulting Services Expert chemistry consulting including literature analysis, SAR analysis, strategy proposals, retrosynthetic analysis, patent gap analysis, and patent filing support, billed hourly, daily or project-based.
Quantifiable outcome
- Saved Cellestia CHF 0.5 million on drug development program through innovative medicinal chemistry
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use SpiroChem AG
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SpiroChem AG technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature13 records
SpiroChem AG partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Cyclenium Pharma Inc.coreSpiroChem acquired Montreal-based Cyclenium Pharma on June 6, 2023. The acquisition expanded SpiroChem's capabilities in macrocyclic therapeutics and established its first research foothold in North America. Cyclenium brought recognized expertise in macrocycles, a specialized modality requiring deep scientific know-how, into SpiroChem's growing platform.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights7 records
SpiroChem AG competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Charles River Laboratories: Major global CRO/CDMO offering discovery services, safety assessment, and manufacturing. Acquires specialty chemistry capabilities and competes for pharma/biotech discovery outsourcing budgets.
- Evotec: Large Hamburg-based drug discovery CRO/CDMO with a 'Partner Research Organization' model very similar to SpiroChem's positioning, plus shared-economy partnerships (e.g., LAB150). Larger scale but the most strategically analogous peer.
- Pharmaron: China-headquartered, globally integrated CRO/CDMO with strong synthetic/medicinal chemistry services, process R&D, and manufacturing — competing for outsourced chemistry at all stages.
- WuXi AppTec / WuXi STA: Largest Asia-based CRO/CDMO offering end-to-end discovery, development, and manufacturing. Competes for biotech and pharma chemistry outsourcing including complex modalities.
- Eurofins Discovery: Discovery services arm of Eurofins providing medicinal chemistry, in vitro pharmacology, and ADME services to pharma and biotech. Comparable FTE-based chemistry service model.
Direct peers
- Sygnature Discovery: UK-based, ~500-scientist discovery chemistry CRO offering FTE medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, and DMPK to pharma and biotech. Closest direct comparable to SpiroChem's PRO-style discovery model and customer mix, though larger in scale.
- Selvita: Poland-headquartered CRO with medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, and integrated discovery services serving biotech and pharma globally. Comparable horizontal CRO model with similar target customers.
- ChemPartner: China-founded, globally operating CRO/CDMO with strong medicinal chemistry, FTE discovery services, and integrated discovery offerings. Direct competitor for outsourced medicinal chemistry and discovery chemistry FTE contracts.
- BioDuro-Sundia: Integrated discovery CRO with significant medicinal and synthetic chemistry capacity serving biotech and pharma. Closely comparable in offering FTE-based discovery chemistry and custom synthesis.
- Concept Life Sciences: UK-based discovery CRO with medicinal chemistry, in vitro biology, and ADME capabilities serving biotech and pharma. Closely comparable mid-sized chemistry-focused CRO peer.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SpiroChem AG social profiles
Digital presenceSpiroChem AG financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SpiroChem AG leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
SpiroChem AG subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
SpiroChem AG funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SpiroChem AG 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 SpiroChem AG
What does SpiroChem AG do?
SpiroChem AG is a Partner Research Organization (PRO) offering contract chemistry research services for drug discovery and process R&D. The company sells Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) service contracts, custom synthesis projects, compound catalog products (screening libraries and building blocks), and consulting services to biotech, pharmaceutical, agrochemical and academic clients. It also operates proprietary technology platforms (Hercules+, HTE, SpiroBrain) and virtual compound libraries (SpiroSpace, MacroSpace, CovSpace, GlueSpace) used internally and made available to clients.
Is SpiroChem AG a public or private company?
SpiroChem AG is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SpiroChem AG founded?
SpiroChem AG was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SpiroChem AG based?
SpiroChem AG is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does SpiroChem AG make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) Service Contracts are the primary driver. The others are compound Catalog Sales and consulting Services.
Who are SpiroChem AG's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Charles River Laboratories, Evotec, Pharmaron, WuXi AppTec / WuXi STA and Eurofins Discovery. Direct peers are Sygnature Discovery, Selvita, ChemPartner, BioDuro-Sundia and Concept Life Sciences.
Does SpiroChem AG have an API?
No public API is recorded for SpiroChem AG.
What industry is SpiroChem AG in?
SpiroChem AG's product category is Contract Chemistry Services / Drug Discovery Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAHAE, Chiral / Asymmetric Synthesis & Complex Chemistry Services, with a secondary code of HLAGAHAL, GMP Scale-Up, Tech Transfer & Process Validation (PPQ). Its NAICS code is 5417 and its SIC code is 8731.