- Companies
- Forge Biologics
Forge Biologics Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors
Forge Biologics was acquired by Ajinomoto for $620M in November 2023, a 20.7x multiple on $30M of revenue.
Forge Biologics revenue at acquisition
$30M
Last twelve months · Nov 2023
Forge Biologics revenue multiple at acquisition
20.7x
EV/Revenue · Nov 2023
Cumulative funding Forge Biologics raised
$250M
across 3 funding rounds
About Forge Biologics
Forge Biologics is a Grove City-headquartered gene therapy CDMO founded in 2020. The company offers end-to-end services from plasmid DNA production and viral vector manufacturing to process development and analytical testing. It operates a 64,000-square-foot facility compliant with cGMP standards, partnering with biotech firms to advance AAV, LVV, and LV therapies toward clinical trials.
Founded
2020
HQ
Website
Status
Acquired
Customer focus
B2B
Revenue model
Services
Revenue
$30M (Nov 2023)
Valuation
$620M (acquired Nov 2023)
Sectors
Forge Biologics Acquisition
Forge Biologics was acquired by Ajinomoto for $620M on 13 November 2023.
The acquisition price implies a 20.7x revenue multiple on $30M of revenue.
Before the acquisition Forge Biologics had raised $250M across 3 funding rounds.
Forge Biologics, founded in 2020, operates as a viral vector and plasmid contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) and clinical-stage biotech company from its 200,000-square-foot cGMP facility, the Hearth, in Columbus, Ohio, employing over 300 staff. It provides end-to-end services including process and analytical development, cGMP viral vector and plasmid DNA manufacturing, final fill, and regulatory consulting for gene therapy programs from preclinical to commercial stages. Ajinomoto Co., Inc., a Japanese biotechnology and food multinational, acquired Forge through its subsidiary Ajinomoto North America Holdings via a reverse triangular merger for an initial all-cash enterprise value of $620 million (cash-free, debt-free), adjusting to an equity value of $554 million at signing and $545 million at completion. The deal, announced November 13, 2023, closed December 21-22, 2023, following U.S. regulatory clearance and customary conditions, making Forge a wholly-owned, fully consolidated subsidiary. Strategic rationale aligns with Ajinomoto's Medium-Term ASV Initiatives 2030 Roadmap, targeting healthcare growth via AminoScience strengths, by adding gene therapy capabilities to its Bio-Pharma Services, including cell culture media, ADCs, and oligonucleotides. Yasuyuki Otake, General Manager of Ajinomoto’s Bio-Pharma Services, described Forge's expertise as transformative for enhancing global manufacturing and creating societal value. Forge had raised $120 million in 2021 to expand capacity and workforce, securing over two dozen customers early on, and partnered with Life Biosciences for AAV services in age-related diseases. The acquisition bolsters Ajinomoto's position in the competitive gene therapy CDMO market amid rising demand for scalable viral vector production.
| Acquirer | Date | Type | Price | EV/Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Nov 2023 | Strategic M&A | $620M | 20.7x |
Forge Biologics Funding History
Forge Biologics has raised a total of $250M across 3 funding rounds.
Forge Biologics' first fundraising round was a $40M Series A in July 2020. The most recent completed round was a $90M Series C in September 2022.
Forge Biologics funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2022 | Series C | Aisling Capital (lead); Drive Capital (lead) | $90M | Forge Biologics is a Columbus, Ohio-based gene therapy-focused contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) providing end-to-end services for AAV viral vector manufacturing, including proprietary technologies, cell lines, and scaling from research to clinical and commercial production in its 200,000 square foot cGMP facility with 20 suites and bioreactors up to 5,000L. On September 12, 2022, the company raised $90 million in a Series C financing round co-led by Drive Capital and Aisling Capital, with an additional undisclosed strategic investor, bringing total funding to $330 million across five rounds. The proceeds are designated for expanding client offerings, manufacturing systems, and services to address capacity constraints in the gene therapy industry. The round occurred during a challenging period for biotech funding, yet Forge Biologics secured the investment at an increased valuation compared to prior rounds, as noted in local business reporting, underscoring investor confidence in its hybrid model combining contract manufacturing and clinical-stage therapeutics development. CEO Timothy J. Miller leads the company, which has grown rapidly by hiring experienced talent and scaling operations to tackle technical, operational, and capacity bottlenecks in gene therapy production. Investors highlighted Forge's leadership, technical expertise, and potential to become a market-defining player, with quotes from Drive Capital's Molly Bonakdarpour and Aisling Capital's Andrew Schiff emphasizing its meticulous execution and strategic positioning. The company was preparing to deploy the gene therapy industry's largest manufacturing equipment, including 16-foot-tall vats, to alleviate production limitations for AAV vectors. A later $120M Series C in 2024 with different investors brought total raised to $350M, and the company was acquired in November 2023. |
| Apr 2021 | Series B | RA Capital Management (lead); Marshall Wace; Octagon Capital Advisors; Drive Capital; Surveyor Capital; Perceptive Advisors | $120M | Forge Biologics is a gene therapy-focused contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in the production of cGMP adeno-associated viruses (AAV). On April 29, 2021, the company closed a $120 million Series B financing round led by RA Capital Management, with participation from Perceptive Advisors and related affiliates, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), Octagon Capital, Marshall Wace, and Drive Capital. Chardan Capital Markets acted as the exclusive placement agent, with Ice Miller as legal advisor. The proceeds from the Series B round are intended to accelerate the expansion of Forge Biologics' CDMO capacity to address industry-wide shortages in AAV manufacturing. CEO Timothy J. Miller emphasized the company's focus on becoming a global gene therapy manufacturing and development leader, serving clients with high-quality products for potentially life-saving therapies. RA Capital's Matthew Hammond highlighted Forge's role in alleviating capacity constraints for complex biologics like AAV through reliable cGMP production. The financing underscores strong investor confidence in Forge's experienced team and its positioning within the growing gene therapy sector, where manufacturing capacity remains a critical bottleneck. |
| Jul 2020 | Series A | Perceptive Advisors (lead); Drive Capital | $40M | Forge Biologics is a hybrid gene therapy-focused contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with a proprietary pipeline of AAV-based novel gene therapies, founded by Tim Miller, former Co-founder, CEO, and CSO of Abeona Therapeutics. Forge Biologics is based in Columbus, Ohio, and focuses on gene therapy contract manufacturing. The Forge platform launched in July 2020 with Series A funding led by Perceptive Xontogeny and Drive Capital as founding investors. Perceptive Advisors and Drive Capital committed significant capital into a later $120 million oversubscribed Series B round. |
Who has invested in Forge Biologics?
7 investors have backed Forge Biologics across its funding rounds, including Drive Capital, Perceptive Advisors, RA Capital Management, Surveyor Capital, Aisling Capital and Marshall Wace.
Lead investors include Aisling Capital, Drive Capital, RA Capital Management and Perceptive Advisors.
Forge Biologics Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Lead | Jul 2020 | ||
| 2 | Lead | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Apr 2021 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Apr 2021 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Apr 2021 | ||
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Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples
Sign up to see data on 350K+ funding rounds and disclosed revenue and EBITDA valuation multiples, from seed, through growth stage, to pre-IPO.
Start Free TrialForge Biologics Competitors
Forge Biologics competitors include listed companies like Crescent Biopharma, Valneva, CytomX Therapeutics and Medigen Vaccine Biologics, and private ones like Yidao Biotechnology and Tizona Therapeutics.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | - | - | $618M | - | ||
| Publicly listed | $11M | ($153M) | $623M | 103.3x | ||
| Publicly listed | $201M | ($60M) | $625M | 4.0x | ||
| Publicly listed | $76M | ($21M) | $614M | 7.3x | ||
| Publicly listed | $19M | ($5M) | $626M | 26.0x | ||
| Private | - | - | $601M | - |
Forge Biologics Public Comps
Forge Biologics is no longer listed, but its public comps include Crescent Biopharma, Valneva, CytomX Therapeutics, Medigen Vaccine Biologics, Phathom Pharmaceuticals, TTY Biopharm, Chong Kun Dang Pharma, Altimmune, Scribe Therapeutics and Cormedix.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $11M | ($153M) | 42.1x | 103.3x | (3.0x) | - | |||
| $201M | ($60M) | 3.6x | 4.0x | (12.1x) | (13.6x) | |||
| $76M | ($21M) | 3.8x | 7.3x | (13.8x) | (3.7x) | |||
| $19M | ($5M) | 31.0x | 26.0x | (118.5x) | (153.9x) | |||
| $175M | ($160M) | 3.5x | 2.2x | (3.8x) | (19.0x) | |||
| $203M | $72M | 2.9x | 2.8x | 8.3x | - | |||
| $1.2B | $92M | 0.6x | 0.5x | 7.7x | 8.2x | |||
| $41K | ($95M) | 8292.1x | 29102.1x | (3.6x) | (3.2x) | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Forge Biologics competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about Forge Biologics
| When was Forge Biologics founded? | Forge Biologics was founded in 2020. |
| Where is Forge Biologics headquartered? | Forge Biologics is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, United States. |
| Is Forge Biologics publicly listed? | No, Forge Biologics was acquired by Ajinomoto in November 2023. |
| Who acquired Forge Biologics? | Forge Biologics was acquired by Ajinomoto in November 2023. |
| How much was Forge Biologics acquired for? | Forge Biologics was acquired for $620M in November 2023, a 20.7x revenue multiple. |
| How much funding has Forge Biologics raised? | Forge Biologics has raised $250M across 3 funding rounds. |
| What was Forge Biologics' last funding round? | Forge Biologics' last funding round was a $90M Series C in September 2022, led by Aisling Capital and Drive Capital. |
| Who are Forge Biologics' investors? | Forge Biologics' investors include Drive Capital, Perceptive Advisors, Marshall Wace, Octagon Capital Advisors, RA Capital Management, Surveyor Capital and Aisling Capital. |
| Which companies are comparable to Forge Biologics? | Companies comparable to Forge Biologics include Yidao Biotechnology, Crescent Biopharma, Valneva, CytomX Therapeutics, Medigen Vaccine Biologics and Tizona Therapeutics. |
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