Proacta
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersLa Jolla, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Proacta does
Proacta is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing hypoxia-activated prodrugs for the treatment of cancer. Founded in 2004 and based in La Jolla, California, the company operated with a lean team of 1-10 employees focused on a small-molecule platform that activates cytotoxic agents preferentially under the low-oxygen conditions characteristic of solid tumor microenvironments, offering a mechanism to improve the therapeutic index of chemotherapy.
The company financed its R&D through approximately $47 million in venture capital across five disclosed rounds between 2004 and 2011. The investor base was anchored by Roche and GBS Ventures from inception, with notable later participation by Genentech, Clarus Ventures (lead investor in the $35M 2007 Series B), Alta Partners, Delphi Ventures, No 8 Ventures, and the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund — a syndicate profile consistent with a serious oncology-platform play with trans-Pacific investor interest.
Capital-raise cadence decelerated sharply after the 2007 peak, with follow-on rounds shrinking to $3M (2010) and $500K (2011), and no disclosed funding, product, hiring, or partnership activity since. The company's primary branded domain, proacta.com, is currently listed for sale on the Atom.com domain marketplace at $29,995, indicating the company no longer maintains an active operating web presence at that URL. Co-founding scientist William (Bill) Denny is the only leadership figure disclosed.
Proacta firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Proacta
- Legal name
- Atom.com
- Website
- https://proacta.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Proacta industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Oncology Biopharmaceuticals
- NAICS
- Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254), Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) & Antibody Conjugates (HLAAAAAE)
Keywords
Where Proacta is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- La Jolla
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Proacta business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Premium domain sale |
Proacta product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Proacta is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing hypoxia-activated "prodrugs" for the treatment of cancer. These prodrugs are designed to be selectively activated in the low-oxygen (hypoxic) environments characteristic of solid tumors, enabling targeted delivery of chemotherapy. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in La Jolla, California.
Product overview
Atom (formerly Squadhelp) operates as a domain marketplace platform offering domain name sales, AI-powered naming services, and domain management tools. The platform features a curated marketplace of 400,000+ brandable domain names across multiple TLD extensions, complemented by AI naming and logo design services. Proacta.com represents a premium domain listing available for purchase through this marketplace at a price of $29,995.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hypoxia-Activated Prodrug (HAP) Therapeutics Platform A proprietary prodrug chemistry platform that enables tumor-selective activation of chemotherapeutic agents within the hypoxic microenvironments of solid tumors. Designed for clinical-stage oncology development, the platform underpins Proacta's pipeline of cancer therapeutics targeting tumors with low-oxygen characteristics. Intended for partnering with larger pharmaceutical companies for late-stage development and commercialization.
Companies that use Proacta
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Proacta technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Proacta partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights1 record
Proacta competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Tokai Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage oncology developer of targeted therapies with similar venture backing and clinical-stage profile to Proacta.
- Achaogen: Small clinical-stage biotech that ultimately wound down following commercial failure, serving as a proxy for the downside terminal outcome of a venture-backed biotech of Proacta's profile.
- Sunesis Pharmaceuticals: Small clinical-stage oncology biotech with comparable size and capital intensity profile; useful proxy for the operational and financial dynamics of a venture-backed oncology developer of similar vintage.
Broad incumbents
- Astex Pharmaceuticals: Fragment-based small-molecule oncology developer (acquired by Otsuka), representing a comparable structural peer in the small-molecule targeted oncology space.
- NewLink Genetics: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company that ultimately restructured, providing a comparable reference point for a venture-backed oncology developer that failed to scale through capital markets.
- ArQule: Clinical-stage oncology developer of targeted small molecules acquired by Merck, representing the exit trajectory (strategic acquisition) that Proacta's investors would have targeted.
- Molecular Templates: Acquired Threshold Pharmaceuticals' hypoxia-activated prodrug assets and continued development of evofosfamide-based platforms, making it a direct continuation of the space Proacta occupied.
Direct peers
- Karyopharm Therapeutics: Clinical-stage oncology biotech developing small-molecule therapies with a similar development-stage profile and capital intensity to what Proacta pursued in its active years.
- Verastem: Clinical-stage oncology company with a similar small-molecule, tumor-biology-driven approach and comparable scale profile to Proacta's historical operating footprint.
- Threshold Pharmaceuticals: Closest historical peer — Threshold developed evofosfamide (TH-302), the lead hypoxia-activated prodrug, and operated in the same mechanistic niche as Proacta with a similar clinical-stage oncology profile.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Proacta social profiles
Digital presenceProacta financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Proacta leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Proacta funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Proacta 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 Proacta
What does Proacta do?
Proacta is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing hypoxia-activated "prodrugs" for the treatment of cancer. These prodrugs are designed to be selectively activated in the low-oxygen (hypoxic) environments characteristic of solid tumors, enabling targeted delivery of chemotherapy. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in La Jolla, California.
Is Proacta a public or private company?
Proacta is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Proacta founded?
Proacta was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Proacta based?
Proacta is headquartered in La Jolla, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Proacta's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Tokai Pharmaceuticals, Achaogen and Sunesis Pharmaceuticals. Broad incumbents are Astex Pharmaceuticals, NewLink Genetics, ArQule and Molecular Templates. Direct peers are Karyopharm Therapeutics, Verastem and Threshold Pharmaceuticals.
Does Proacta have an API?
No public API is recorded for Proacta.
What industry is Proacta in?
Proacta's product category is Oncology Biopharmaceuticals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAAAE, Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) & Antibody Conjugates. Its NAICS code is 3254 and its SIC code is 2834.