Araris Biotech Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors

Araris Biotech was acquired by Taiho Pharmaceutical for $1.1B in March 2025.

Araris Biotech acquisition price

$1.1B

Acquired by Taiho Pharmaceutical · Mar 2025

Cumulative funding Araris Biotech raised

$43M

across 4 funding rounds

Key investors in Araris Biotech

  • redalpine
  • VI Partners
  • b2venture
  • Schroder Adveq
  • Pureos Bioventures
  • 4BIO Capital
  • Venture Kick
  • Kinled Holding

Araris Biotech Overview

About Araris Biotech

Araris Biotech AG is a Swiss biotechnology company, spun out of the Paul Scherrer Institute in 2019, that develops next-generation antibody-drug conjugates using its proprietary AraLinQ linker platform. The technology attaches drug payloads to off-the-shelf antibodies without prior engineering, aiming to produce more uniform, stable, and potent candidates with improved safety over conventional ADCs. The company's pipeline targets hematological and solid tumors, including a lead candidate for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.


Founded

2019

HQ

SwitzerlandSwitzerland

Status

Acquired

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Licensing

Valuation

$1.1B (acquired Mar 2025)

Araris Biotech Acquisition

Araris Biotech was acquired by Taiho Pharmaceutical for $1.1B on 17 March 2025.

Before the acquisition Araris Biotech had raised $43M across 4 funding rounds.

Araris Biotech AG, a Swiss biotechnology company spun out from the Paul-Scherrer-Institute in 2019, develops next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) using its proprietary AraLinQ™ linker platform, which enables highly uniform, stable, and potent candidates with improved safety and antitumor effects over conventional ADCs in preclinical studies. The company is advancing three preclinical products targeting hematological and solid tumors, expected to enter clinical trials between 2025 and 2026. Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a Japan-based R&D-driven specialty pharmaceutical company and subsidiary of Otsuka, focuses on oncology and immune-related diseases, marketing drugs like Lytgobi, Lonsurf, and Inqovi in the U.S. and other anticancer medicines in Japan. On March 17, 2025, Taiho and Araris announced a definitive share purchase agreement for Taiho's full acquisition of Araris, following a November 2023 research collaboration to develop ADCs against Taiho-selected targets using AraLinQ™. Taiho will pay $400 million upfront at closing, with up to $740 million in additional milestone payments, valuing the deal at up to $1.14 billion and propelling Araris to unicorn status. The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of 2025 after necessary procedures, integrating Araris' technology, expertise, and pipeline to expand Taiho's oncology portfolio and drug discovery capabilities. Taiho President Masayuki Kobayashi stated the addition of Araris' innovative ADC platform will strengthen Taiho's global patient contributions. Araris CEO Dragan Grabulovski highlighted AraLinQ™ as a quantum leap for precise payload delivery with reduced toxicity. The deal occurs amid surging ADC interest, with recent transactions like Johnson & Johnson's $2 billion Ambrx acquisition in 2024 and Roche's and ArriVent's over-$1 billion licenses in early 2025.

Araris Biotech acquisition details
AcquirerDateTypePrice
  • Taiho Pharmaceutical
17 Mar 2025Strategic M&A$1.1B

Araris Biotech Funding History

Araris Biotech has raised a total of $43M across 4 funding rounds.

Araris Biotech's first fundraising round was a $100K pre-seed round in June 2019. The most recent completed round was a $24M Series A in October 2022.

Araris Biotech funding rounds

Araris Biotech funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Oct 2022Series A4BIO Capital (lead); Pureos Bioventures (lead); Schroders Capital (lead); redalpine; b2venture; Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation; Wille Finance; VI Partners$24MAraris Biotech AG is a Swiss biotechnology company developing next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) using a novel linker technology that enables attachment of payloads to off-the-shelf antibodies without prior engineering. The company focuses on ADCs for hematological and solid tumors, including a lead candidate for relapsed or refractory diffuse B cell lymphoma. In April 2022, Araris closed a $24 million Series A financing round led by 4BIO Capital and Pureos Bioventures, with participation from b2venture (btov Partners), Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation, redalpine, Schroders Capital (Schroder Adveq), VI Partners, and Wille Finance. This followed a CHF 15.2 million (~$17.8 million) seed round in October 2020 led by Pureos Bioventures with redalpine, VI Partners, and Schroder Adveq. The $24 million was to advance lead programs into preclinical and clinical development and build a proprietary ADC pipeline. Total funding across rounds reached approximately $43-44 million by 2023-2024, including additional Series A tranches like one in 2023 with Samsung Ventures. Araris expanded through partnerships, such as a 2023 research collaboration with Chugai Pharmaceutical offering up to $780 million in milestones plus royalties, acquisition of a Nectin-4 antibody from ARS, and ADC patents from Innate Pharma. In March 2025, Taiho Pharmaceutical agreed to acquire Araris for an upfront $400 million plus up to $740 million in milestones (total potential $1.14 billion), expected to close in H1 2025. Schroders Capital, an investor, expects $24.3 million distribution at closing (7.2x multiple on its capital) with potential up to $43.6 million (20.2x). This exit highlights Araris' progress in the booming ADC sector amid deals like Johnson & Johnson's $2 billion Ambrx acquisition and others exceeding $1 billion.
Oct 2020SeedPureos Bioventures (lead); redalpine; Schroder Adveq; b2venture; Kinled Holding; VI Partners; 4BIO Capital$17MAraris Biotech AG, a spin-off from ETH Zurich and Paul Scherrer Institute, raised CHF 15.2 million in a seed financing round on October 22, 2020, including an additional CHF 12.7 million. The round was led by Pureos Bioventures with participation from 4BIO Capital, btov Partners, Redalpine, VI Partners, and Schroder Adveq. Proceeds funded advancement of lead antibody-drug conjugates into preclinical and clinical development and building a proprietary pipeline of ADC compounds. Araris pioneers a novel ADC-linker technology enabling stoichiometric and stable attachment of toxic payloads to off-the-shelf antibodies without engineering, resulting in stable, monomeric ADCs with well-defined drug-to-antibody ratios.
Aug 2019Seedredalpine; Schroder Adveq; VI Partners$3MAraris Biotech, a spin-off from the Paul-Scherrer-Institute founded in 2019, closed an oversubscribed seed financing round of CHF 2.5 million on August 20, 2019, with participation from Redalpine, Schroder Adveq, and VI Partners. The funds supported the development of a pipeline of proprietary antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) using its novel linker ADC technology. Araris' co-founders, including CEO Dr. Philipp Spycher and chairman Dr. Dragan Grabulovski, highlighted the strong investor interest and plans to generate key proof-of-principle data.
Jun 2019Pre-seedVenture Kick (lead)$100K-

Who has invested in Araris Biotech?

11 investors have backed Araris Biotech across its funding rounds, including redalpine, VI Partners, b2venture, Schroder Adveq, Pureos Bioventures and 4BIO Capital.

Lead investors include 4BIO Capital, Pureos Bioventures, Schroders Capital and Venture Kick.


Araris Biotech Investors

Investors in Araris Biotech by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
redalpineSwitzerlandZurich3ParticipantAug 2019
VI PartnersSwitzerlandAltendorf3ParticipantAug 2019
Schroder AdveqSwitzerlandZurich2ParticipantAug 2019
b2ventureGermanyBerlin2ParticipantOct 2020
Pureos BioventuresSwitzerlandZurich2LeadOct 2020
4BIO CapitalUnited KingdomLondon2LeadOct 2020
Venture KickSwitzerlandZurich1LeadJun 2019
Institute for Follicular Lymphoma InnovationUnited StatesLos Angeles, CA1ParticipantOct 2022
Wille FinanceSwitzerlandZurich1ParticipantOct 2022

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Araris Biotech Competitors

Araris Biotech competitors include listed companies like Strides Pharma, MannKind, Blue Jet Healthcare and Odyssey Therapeutics, and private ones like La Renon and Antekin Biotech.

Public and private companies comparable to Araris Biotech
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
Strides PharmaIndiaIndiaPublicly listed$483M$104M$1.2B2.4x
MannKindUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$349M$43M$1.2B3.3x
Blue Jet HealthcareIndiaIndiaPublicly listed$98M$37M$1.1B9.9x
Odyssey TherapeuticsUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$3M($151M)$1.1B973.1x
La RenonIndiaAhmedabadPrivate$180M$38M$1.2B6.5x
Antekin BiotechChinaChengduPrivate--$1.2B-

Araris Biotech Public Comps

Araris Biotech is no longer listed, but its public comps include Strides Pharma, MannKind, Blue Jet Healthcare, Odyssey Therapeutics, Cosmo, Savara, Seaport Therapeutics, Apnimed, Ribolia and Philogen.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Strides Pharma$483M$104M2.7x2.4x12.7x12.6x
MannKind$349M$43M3.9x3.3x31.6x-
Blue Jet Healthcare$98M$37M11.1x9.9x29.7x31.3x
Odyssey Therapeutics$3M($151M)279.0x973.1x(5.5x)(4.8x)
Cosmo$120M$13M8.0x7.8x76.4x70.8x
Savara-($123M)-505.5x(7.9x)-
Seaport Therapeutics-($84M)--(10.7x)(6.5x)
Apnimed$38M($2M)34.4x-(571.3x)-

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Common questions about Araris Biotech

When was Araris Biotech founded?Araris Biotech was founded in 2019.
Where is Araris Biotech headquartered?Araris Biotech is headquartered in Switzerland.
Is Araris Biotech publicly listed?No, Araris Biotech was acquired by Taiho Pharmaceutical in March 2025.
Who acquired Araris Biotech?Araris Biotech was acquired by Taiho Pharmaceutical in March 2025.
How much was Araris Biotech acquired for?Araris Biotech was acquired for $1.1B in March 2025.
How much funding has Araris Biotech raised?Araris Biotech has raised $43M across 4 funding rounds.
What was Araris Biotech's last funding round?Araris Biotech's last funding round was a $24M Series A in October 2022, led by 4BIO Capital, Pureos Bioventures and Schroders Capital.
Who are Araris Biotech's investors?Araris Biotech's investors include redalpine, VI Partners, Schroder Adveq, b2venture, Pureos Bioventures, 4BIO Capital, Venture Kick, Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation, Wille Finance, Kinled Holding and 1 other.
Which companies are comparable to Araris Biotech?Companies comparable to Araris Biotech include Strides Pharma, MannKind, Blue Jet Healthcare, Odyssey Therapeutics, La Renon and Antekin Biotech.

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