KDB Capital Corp. operates as a credit specialized and corporate restructuring company in South Korea.  It provides equipment leasing services for various properties, including machineries, ships, IT equipments, medical equipments, automation equipments, transportation machineries, educational research equipments, construction machineries, heavy, and other equipments for social services.  The company provides venture capital for companies operating in various areas, including computer and related components, semiconductors and equipment, telecommunication and accessories, software, multimedia, precision chemistry, environment, biotechnology, content/fashion, mechatronics, and entertainment.  In addition, the company offers services to help distressed companies, including merger and acquisition, business consulting, merger and acquisition loan, rescheduling, acquisition of stocks, operating loan fund for restructuring, and consulting for corporate reinforcement; funding services, such as working capital, project financing, and equipment funding; financing via acquiring account receivables from corporations; and credit card services.  The company was established in 1972 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. KDB Capital Corp. is subsidiary of The Korea Development Bank.

KDB Capital

Known as the largest chemical company in South Korea, LG Chem extends its chemical expertise into Petrochemicals, IT & Electronic Materials and Energy Solution.  It aims to be a world-class chemical company, providing differentiated customer values through market leading products and services.  LG Chem is providing materials and solutions that are essential for daily living to the whole world. We will continue to pursue a sustainable growth by incorporating achievements in environmental management and social responsibility.  Established as Lucky Chemical Industrial Corporation in 1947, LG Chem has emerged as one of the world’s top 30 chemical makers over the past six decades by consistently delivering petrochemicals, IT & electronic materials and energy solution that improve the quality of daily life for people around the globe.  LG Chem is concentrating its enterprise-wide efforts to acquire and cultivate core human resources with the philosophy that people are the source of corporate competitiveness.

LG Chem

Coolidge Corner Investment (CCVC) provides Seed and Seed+ funding to the most innovative tech startup companies in Korea. They proudly provide their portfolio companies a customized support in professional incubating, growth hacking, strategy, network and more.

Coolidge Corner Investment

FuturePlay is an accelerator and early-stage investor specialized in deep tech startups. Founded in 2014 in Seoul, South Korea, FuturePlay have invested in 55 deep tech, mainly South Korea's startups and about one third of them are US-based startups.  FuturePlay is expanding target regions to Southeast Asia like Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. It also plays a role of LP of some tech-focused funds like 500 Kimchi (500Startups' Korean Fund) and Zeroth.ai (http://zeroth.ai/). FuturePlay is venture-backed mainly from global enterprises such as CISCO, DeNA, LG, NHN, SK Planet.  FuturePlay has two acceleration program, TechUP and TechUP+. TechUP is annual batch program which is a kind of company-building with deep tech engineers. TechUP+ is a co-acceleration program with large enterprise specialized in a particular industry like food, beauty, energy, etc. The first TechUP+ is sponsored by AmorePacific, the number one cosmetic company in Asia, and is running now with 5 beauty tech startups.

FuturePlay

BA Partners

Devoted since inception to the development of diagnostic biosensors for blood glucose measurement, OSANG Healthcare envisions medical devices becoming as commonplace as home appliances, easily measuring all diseases across the globe as “Technology for Human.” Today, we export the world’s best diagnostic biosensors for blood glucose, HbA1c, and cholesterol to more than 110 countries the world over, in our drive to become the leading researcher and developer of diagnostic sensors for heart disease and cancer, and of remote diagnosis systems.

Osang Healthcare

Kryptos Biotechnologies

Kryptos Biotechnologies provides innovative life science systems that reveal the complexity of biology for clinicians and scientists. The company was founded in 2017 by Jinyong Lee and Jun Ho Son and is based in Hayward, California.

Kryptos Biotechnologies, founded in 2017, develops molecular diagnostic devices and life science instruments using its proprietary photothermal heating technology, which utilizes light to generate and control heat. The company's flagship product is the Kuick system, a point-of-care molecular diagnostics platform that delivers PCR-based test results in approximately 20 minutes through its ultra-fast Photonic PCR technology. The system combines a fully integrated sample preparation workflow with solid-phase extraction coupled with multiplexed real-time ultra-fast Photonic PCR in disposable cartridges. The Kuick system aims to address the limitations of traditional molecular diagnostics testing, which typically requires 1-3 days for results due to the need for laboratory processing. The technology maintains accuracy levels comparable to or better than laboratory systems while requiring only one minute of user handling. The company's target market includes over 100,000 decentralized clinics in the US.

Leveraging personal data for custom-fit diagnosis and treatment

Precision Medicine

Kryptos Biotechnologies, founded in 2017, develops molecular diagnostic devices and life science instruments using its proprietary photothermal heating technology, which utilizes light to generate and control heat. The company's flagship product is the Kuick system, a point-of-care molecular diagnostics platform that delivers PCR-based test results in approximately 20 minutes through its ultra-fast Photonic PCR technology. The system combines a fully integrated sample preparation workflow with solid-phase extraction coupled with multiplexed real-time ultra-fast Photonic PCR in disposable cartridges. The Kuick system aims to address the limitations of traditional molecular diagnostics testing, which typically requires 1-3 days for results due to the need for laboratory processing. The technology maintains accuracy levels comparable to or better than laboratory systems while requiring only one minute of user handling. The company's target market includes over 100,000 decentralized clinics in the US.
Key customers and partnerships
In April 2024, Kryptos Biotechnologies entered into a strategic partnership with Osang healthcare, a South Korean medical device company, for the manufacturing and distribution of its Kuick system. Osang healthcare specializes in diagnostic biosensors and diagnostic assays, with a portfolio that includes point-of-care medical devices for glucose, ketone, cholesterol, and A1c analysis, as well as Covid-19 & Flu Combo and Dengue rapid tests.

Interview with Jinyong Lee, CEO of Kryptos Biotechnologies

Kryptos Biotechnologies Raises $10M in Series A Funding

Kryptos Secures Funding to Study its POC Molecular Diagnostics System

CellFE

<div>
 
 Praxis Precision Medicines is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops precision medicine for central nervous system disorders based on neuronal imbalance caused by genetic mutations.
 
 
 The company has four clinical-stage product candidates in its pipeline for treating disorders such as depression, epilepsy, movement disorders, and pain syndromes. The company&rsquo;s drug candidates include 1) PRAX-944, which is an inhibitor for essential tremor disorder linked to Parkinson&rsquo;s disease and is set to begin Phase 3 in mid-2023, 2) PRAX-222 in Phase 2 of clinical trials targets the SCN2A gene most commonly associated with early-onset epilepsy, 3) PRAX-562 was designed to block persistent sodium for patients suffering from rare diseases such as headache disorders and severe seizures and completed Phase 1 of clinical trials, and 4) PRAX-628 in Phase 2 clinical trials for treating focal epilepsy that originates in one side or area of the brain and affects one side of the body. Additionally, the firm has six pre-clinical drug candidates.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 The company went public in October 2020, trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol &ldquo;PRAX&rdquo;. 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19453">
 In June 2023 
 </a>
 , the company announced an underwritten public offering of its common shares and pre-funded warrants, to raise approximately USD 59.1 million. The capital raised was used to support the company&rsquo;s ongoing operations and strategic initiatives, furthering the development of its pipeline and potential future endeavors.
 
 
 For the year 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16211">
 2022
 </a>
 , net losses increased by 28% YoY to USD 214 million arising from a significant increase in R&amp;D expense (up by 29% YoY). For the six months ended June 2023, the company is yet to generate revenue from drugs, however received collaboration revenue of USD 1.5 million. Further, it reported a decline in net loss by 43.0% YoY to USD 34.3 million. Its cash and cash equivalent as of June 2023 was at USD 124.3 million, compared to USD 61.6 million in December 2022, which the company believes will be adequate to fund operations till Q1 2025. 
 
</div>

Praxis Precision Medicines

<div>
 
 Mirati Therapeutics is a commercial-stage biotechnology company developing oncology-targeted therapies to address KRAS mutations present in 25% of tumors, including lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancers. Mirati&rsquo;s lead product KRAZATI (adagrasib/ MRTX849) is an oral&nbsp; KRASG12C inhibitor approved in 2022 for certain non-small cell lung cancers.The company also has sitravatinib, a multi-kinase inhibitor, in Phase 3 trials for non-small cell lung cancer in combination with a Bristol-Myers Squibb checkpoint inhibitor.
 
 
 
 
 Additionally, Mirati is advancing multiple early-stage programs including KRAS G12D inhibitor MRTX1133 for pancreatic and colorectal cancers, which entered Phase 1 in 2023, as well as a synthetic lethal inhibitor MRTX1719. In December 2022, the company submitted an IND application for MRTX1133, a potent and selective KRAS G12D inhibitor, which was cleared by the FDA in January 2023. 
 
 
 Key partnerships and customers
 
 
 
 
 Mirati has multiple partnerships with leading biopharma companies to advance its pipeline, including discovery collaborations with Pfizer and clinical collaborations with Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, and 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14345">
 Incyte
 </a>
 . The company also has licensing agreements with BeiGene for sitravatinib and Zai Lab for MRTX849 in certain Asian markets.
 
 
 
 
 
 Funding and Financials
 
 
 
 
 The company went public in June 2013 to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol &ldquo;MRTX&rdquo;. In August 2023, the company closed an 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20988">
 underwritten public offering
 </a>
 at USD 345 million. The new funds were used towards drug development and leadership expansion.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16725">
 For the year 2022 
 </a>
 , the firm's net losses increased to USD 740.9 million from USD 581.8 million. Net product revenue for the full year amounted to USD 0.7 million arising from the sale of KRAZATI, which received FDA approval for its commercial launch in December 2022. 
 
</div>

Mirati Therapeutics

<div>
 
 Tvardi Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing precision medicine for different cancers, chronic inflammatory diseases, and fibrotic diseases. The company&rsquo;s pipeline focuses on the development of small-molecule inhibitors of STAT3, a regulatory protein that allows cancer cells to evade the immune system and survive.
 
 
 The company&rsquo;s orally administered monotherapy and lead product, TTI-101, is in Phase 1 clinical trials for patients with advanced solid tumors who have failed all other lines of therapy. Additionally, the drug is in preclinical trials for treating fibrosis and inflammation. The company is also developing TTI-102, a next-generation STAT3 inhibitor that is structurally similar but chemically different from TTI-101.&nbsp;
 
 
 Founded in 2017, the Texas-based company closed a Series B funding round in June 2021, which brought total funding to USD 81 million and the proceeds will be used to advance Tvardi&rsquo;s drug candidates through its clinical data readouts in mid-stage trials for cancer and fibrosis.
 
</div>

Tvardi Therapeutics

<div>
 
 Tango Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech company developing precision oncology therapies targeting synthetic lethality in cancer which leads to cell death. Its discovery platform identifies novel targets to develop drugs focused on: 1) countering tumor suppressor gene loss to help the immune system recognize and kill cancer cells, and 2) reversing cancer cell evasion of the immune system.
 
 
 
 
 Tango has five pipeline programs, including lead candidate TNG908, an inhibitor for multiple cancer indicators. The FDA approved TNG908's IND in January 2022 and granted it Orphan Drug Designation. TNG908 is in Phase I/II trials, with preliminary efficacy data expected in H1 2023. Tango also plans to file INDs for TNG260 (STK11 mutant cancers) and TNG348 (BRCA1/2-mutant cancers). In 
 <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/01/25/2595034/0/en/Tango-Therapeutics-Announces-FDA-Clearance-of-Investigational-New-Drug-Application-for-TNG462-Provides-Additional-Business-Updates.html">
 January 2023
 </a>
 , the FDA cleared the IND for TNG462, a next-gen PRMT5 inhibitor for cancers with MTAP deletion.
 
 
 
 
 Key partnerships and customers
 
 
 
 
 
 Outside its pipeline, the company also entered into a collaborative partnership with big pharma Gilead Sciences Inc., in October 2018 which was later expanded for two years in August 2020 to identify new immune evasion targets.
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 
 Tango went public in August 2021 via a SPAC deal, trading on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol &ldquo;TNGX&rdquo;, and the company received gross proceeds of USD 353 million. In August 2023, the company raised USD 80 million via a 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20955">
 private placement
 </a>
 , which was led by Nextech. The new funds were used toward expanding its TNG908 and TNG462 PRMT5 programs to various other indications.
 
 
 
 
 Tango has not yet generated any drug sales and does not expect to do so for several years. However, for the full-year the company reported collaboration revenue of USD 24.9 million (down 4.42% YoY) and a net loss of USD 108.2 million (up 85.9% YoY).
 
 
 
</div>

Tango Therapeutics

<div>
 
 IDEAYA Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotech developing precision cancer therapies based on synthetic lethality - when specific gene mutations pair to cause cell death. The company also studies combining synthetic lethality with immunotherapies and DNA damage to enhance treatment efficacy. While current drugs target limited mutations like BRCA1/2, IDEAYA aims to treat broader genetic subpopulations.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Its pipeline includes synthetic lethality-driven precision medicines across four potential first-in-class clinical-stage product candidates. Of these, the company owns/controls commercial rights of the three most-advanced of these product candidates: darovasertib, IDE397, and IDE161. As of May 2024, the company was also advancing Werner Helicase program for which a development candidate has been selected in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, and, subject to investigational new drug-, or IND-, enabling studies, are targeting an IND in 2024. In addition. the company also works on multiple earlier-stage preclinical programs. 
 
 
 By targeting specific genetic drivers, IDEAYA advances precision oncology using synthetic lethality approaches. The company is focused on developing novel targeted therapies for patient populations with high unmet need and limited treatment options.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 In December 2023, IDEAYA Biosciences teamed up with Gilead Sciences to test the combination of IDE397 and Trodelvy in a Phase I clinical trial for MTAP-deletion bladder cancer.
 
 
 
 
 Key partnerships and customers
 
 
 
 
 The company collaborates with pharmaceutical partners to advance its pipeline, including a strategic partnership with GSK in June 2020. The collaboration with GSK covers co-development and commercialization of two synthetic lethality programs. IDEAYA received USD 100 million upfront and USD 20 million in a direct private placement through the GSK deal. In June 2022, IDEAYA announced it would co-develop its Pol Theta candidate with GSK, with a Phase 1 trial starting in the first half of 2023.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 IDEAYA also holds an exclusive license from Novartis for LXS196 (IDE196), a PKC inhibitor for metastatic uveal melanoma. Additionally, the company is exploring IDE196 combinations with Pfizer and its potential in other rare skin diseases. In July 2022, IDEAYA signed an agreement with Amgen to evaluate IDE397 with Amgen's AMG 193 in solid tumors. Strategic pharma partnerships help advance and expand IDEAYA's pipeline of synthetic lethality precision oncology programs.
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 
 
 
 The company was listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol &ldquo;IDYA&rdquo; in May 2019, raising USD 50 million via an initial public offering. In September 2022, the company raised USD 92 million.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 For 2022, the company reported a net loss of USD 58.7 million (up 17.9% YoY) while collaboration revenue was USD 50.9 million (up 82.3% YoY). 
 
 
 On October 24, 2023, IDEAYA Biosciences priced an underwritten public offering of 5 million shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase 319,150 shares of common stock. The common stock offered was priced at USD 23.50 per share, while the exercise price of a pre-funded warrant was USD 0.0001. The offering was expected to bring in approximately USD 125 million in gross proceeds.
 
 
 
</div>

IDEAYA Biosciences

Companies providing genetic tests to identify individuals with high risk or at-risk of having hereditary disease, aid physicians with a diagnosis, and support clinical decision making.

Secure cloud-based platforms and data sharing networks that collect, index, store, and analyze large amounts of health data and patient population data sets from sources including genomic, clinical, wearables, imaging, and population data.

Biopharma and biotechnology companies that develop precision medicine drugs based on novel disease biomarkers present in multi-omic patient population data and genetic insights.

Companies that study intergenomic variations in genes associated with drug response and metabolism to match patients with the appropriate drug and dosage.

Companies that develop an in-vitro medical device or imaging tools and tests that identify genetic mutations for both diagnostic (nature of the disease) and prognostic (likely course of the disease) purposes, allowing providers to match a patient to a specific drug or therapy.

Software analytics platforms that integrate multiple omics datasets (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) to gain insights and support target discovery, drug development, clinical trials, and diagnostics.

Some companies leverage AI/ML to develop tailored medication

Considers individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person

Genomics is used across all the segments of precision medicine from diagnostic solutions to treatments

AI/ML analyzes genomic data to find drug targets, predict disease progression, and treatment response

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 Kryptos Biotechnologies has garnered USD 10 million in a Series A funding round, with South Korea's Osang Healthcare as the leading investor.
 These funds are earmarked for progressing clinical studies of respiratory combo tests, aiming for FDA approval by 2025. Further development of Kryptos’ molecular diagnostic solution, Kuick, is also in the pipeline, with plans towards more rapid, accurate, and affordable point-of-care testing.
 Beyond financial involvement, Osang Healthcare has aligned with Kryptos Biotechnologies in a strategic alliance to manufacture and distribute their product. Kryptos capitalizes on its unique photothermal heating technology to bolster molecular diagnostic devices and other life sciences instruments. One notable development is their point-of-care molecular diagnostics system named "Kuick", which cuts down waiting time for test results by approximately 20 minutes.
 
</div>

Kryptos Biotechnologies

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