Five U.S. biotechs that previously appeared on the BioSpace NextGen list have gone public this year, raising approximately $1.5 billion through their initial public offerings, including underwriters’ options to purchase additional shares. Of these companies, four are currently hiring for various roles.
Kardigan, launched in January and based in South San Francisco and Princeton, focuses on medicines targeting cardiovascular diseases with no approved treatments. The company raised $460 million in its IPO and has three late-stage clinical programs, with danicamtiv being tested for genetic dilated cardiomyopathy. Kardigan was co-founded by former MyoKardia leaders Tassos Gianakakos (CEO and chair), Jay Edelberg (chief medical officer), and Bob McDowell (scientific adviser). The company is offering over 30 open positions across several departments.
Seaport Therapeutics operates out of Boston and develops drugs for depression, anxiety, and other neuropsychiatric disorders using a proprietary platform. It raised $260 million from its IPO. Seaport’s lead asset, GlyphAllo (SPT-300), is being studied in Phase 2b trials for major depressive disorder and Phase 1 driving simulation trials in healthy volunteers; topline data is expected later this year or early next year depending on the study phase. The company was founded by Daphne Zohar (CEO) and Steven Paul (board chair), both formerly of Karuna Therapeutics.
Odyssey Therapeutics specializes in autoimmune and inflammatory disease treatments from Boston, raising about $315 million through its IPO. Its pipeline includes six programs such as RIPK2 (OD-001) for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease; two new clinical trials are planned to begin later this year with results anticipated by the second half of 2027. Odyssey’s founder Gary Glick also started IFM Therapeutics, Scorpion Therapeutics, and First Wave BioPharma.
Eikon Therapeutics from Millbrae develops therapies aimed at serious illnesses like cancer. It raised $381 million during its upsized IPO this year. Eikon’s portfolio features five oncology programs at various stages along with discovery efforts targeting neurologic diseases; recent milestones include dosing a patient in a registrational trial combining EIK1001 with pembrolizumab for stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer patients.
Scribe Therapeutics engineers CRISPR-based genetic medicines focused initially on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease drivers; it raised about $155 million via IPO after emerging from stealth mode in 2020. Scribe's lead candidate, STX-1150, targets the PCSK9 gene to reduce LDL-C levels without permanent DNA changes—recently approved by Australian regulators for human testing against hypercholesterolemia.
