Inspirna Funding, Investors & Competitors

Inspirna has raised $145M across 6 funding rounds, most recently a $55M Series D in July 2022.

Last Inspirna funding round

$55M

Series D · Jul 2022

Cumulative funding Inspirna raised

$145M

across 6 funding rounds

Key investors in Inspirna

  • Novo Holdings
  • Sofinnova Partners
  • Lepu Medical
  • Alexandria Venture Investments
  • Sands Capital Ventures
  • Vivo Capital
  • Partnership Fund for New York City
  • Wuxi AppTec

Inspirna Overview

About Inspirna

Inspirna is a New York-headquartered clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company formerly known as Rgenix that targets RNA-dysregulated cancer drivers with small molecules and biologics. Its lead candidates include RGX-202, an oral therapy in Phase 1b for RAS-mutant colorectal cancer, and RGX-104 in Phase 1b/2 for small cell and non-small cell lung cancers. The proprietary discovery platform identifies novel oncology targets.


Founded

2010

HQ

United StatesNew York City, NY

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Licensing

Inspirna Funding History

Inspirna has raised a total of $145M across 6 funding rounds.

Inspirna's first fundraising round was a $3M seed round in September 2013. The most recent completed round was a $55M Series D in July 2022.

Inspirna funding rounds

Inspirna funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Jul 2022Series DSands Capital Ventures (lead); Vivo Capital (lead); Sixty Degree Capital; Novo Holdings; Sofinnova Partners; The New York City Investment Fund; Lepu Medical; Dreavent 6$55MInspirna, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics targeting key pathways in cancers of high unmet need, using its proprietary microRNA-based target discovery platform, RNA-DRIVEr, originally developed at The Rockefeller University. The company's lead candidate, ompenaclid (RGX-202), is an orally-administered small molecule targeting the CKB/SLC6A8 pathway, advancing in clinical trials for colorectal cancer and other indications, with promising data presented at ASCO 2022 showing 50% response rates in KRAS-mutant CRC patients. On July 11, 2022, Inspirna closed a $50-55 million Series D financing round co-led by Sands Capital and Vivo Capital, matching the specified investors including Dreavent 6, Lepu Medical, Novo Holdings, Sixty Degree Capital, Sofinnova Partners, and The New York City Investment Fund. The funding supports continued clinical development of its oncology programs, particularly ompenaclid. Michael Ginder from Sands Capital and Jack Nielsen from Vivo Capital joined the board as part of the transaction. Inspirna has attracted top-tier biotechnology investors and collaborators, positioning it to advance its pipeline. Subsequent developments include a 2023 corporate presentation and a May 2024 corporate overview highlighting clinical data such as median PFS of 10.2 months and mOS of 19.1 months in RAS-mutant cohorts, outperforming controls. In 2024, Inspirna entered a collaboration receiving $45M upfront for ompenaclid, with milestones and royalties on ex-US sales, and potential for follow-on SLC6A8 compounds.
Feb 2021Series A-$6MInspirna, previously known as Rgenix, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for oncology, including RGX-202 for RAS mutant colorectal cancer and RGX-104 for lung and endometrial cancer. The company originated from science at Rockefeller University and has raised over $142 million across eight funding rounds from 17 investors, including Novo Holdings, Sofinnova Partners, Sands Capital, and Vivo Capital. On February 24, 2021, Inspirna completed an unattributed funding round, part of its series of financings ahead of larger Series D rounds. Subsequent rounds included a $50 million Series D in July 2022 co-led by Sands Capital and Vivo Capital to advance clinical programs. Inspirna advanced its pipeline with RGX-202 showing a 37% objective response rate and 10.2 months median progression-free survival in colorectal cancer patients at ESMO 2023, leading to a $45 million upfront deal with Merck KGaA for ex-U.S. rights. The company wound down operations on March 31, 2025, after 10 years.
Oct 2018Series CLepu Medical (lead); Wuxi AppTec; Novo Holdings; Alexandria Venture Investments; Sofinnova Partners; Partnership Fund for New York City; Oceanpine Capital$40MRgenix, Inc. (rebranded as Inspirna), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops first-in-class small molecule and antibody cancer therapeutics targeting novel RNA-based mechanisms, including RGX-104 for combination with checkpoint inhibitors. On October 9, 2018, it raised $40 million in a Series C financing led by Lepu Medical (listed as Lepu Holdings Limited), with participation from new investors Oceanpine Capital and WuXi AppTec’s Corporate Venture Fund, alongside existing investors Novo Holdings A/S, Sofinnova Partners, Alexandria Venture Investments, LLC, and the Partnership Fund for New York City’s Innovate NY Fund. The funds support advancement of clinical and pre-clinical oncology programs and general corporate purposes. Lepu Medical expressed interest in potential collaborations given their PD-1, PD-L1 inhibitors and oncolytic virus in trials.
Jun 2016Series BNovo Holdings (lead); Sofinnova Partners (lead)$33MInspirna, formerly known as Rgenix, is a cancer therapeutics company developing first-in-class small molecule drugs targeting novel cancer pathways, utilizing an mRNA-based target discovery platform from its scientific co-founders at The Rockefeller University. The company focuses on drug candidates for cancers with high unmet needs and is backed by leading biotechnology investors including Novo A/S, Sofinnova Partners, Partnership Fund for New York City, Alexandria Venture Investments, and Conegliano Ventures LP. On June 15, 2016, Rgenix (now Inspirna) announced a $33 million Series B financing round led by Novo A/S (Novo Holdings) and Sofinnova Partners, with participation from existing investors. Nilesh Kumar of Novo Ventures and Antoine Papiernik of Sofinnova Partners joined the board alongside existing members such as Executive Chairman Eric Rowinsky, M.D., Masoud Tavazoie, M.D. Ph.D., Nancy Chang, Ph.D., and Saeed Tavazoie, Ph.D. Later rounds include a $50M Series D in July 2022 co-led by Sands Capital and Vivo Capital with participation from Novo Holdings A/S and Sofinnova Partners, and a $55M funding noted around the same time. Inspirna continued development of candidates like Abequolixron (RGX-104) for relapsed or refractory lung cancer and presented Phase 1b data in later years, indicating ongoing clinical progress post-2016 funding.
Aug 2015Series APaolo Rubatto (lead); Dreavent Capital$8MInspirna raised $8 million in a funding round on August 17, 2015, from investors Dreavent Capital and Paolo Rubatto. Paolo Rubatto served as the lead investor.
Sep 2013SeedArya Bolurfrushan$3M-

Who has invested in Inspirna?

15 investors have backed Inspirna across its funding rounds, including Novo Holdings, Sofinnova Partners, Lepu Medical, Alexandria Venture Investments, Sands Capital Ventures and Vivo Capital.

Lead investors include Sands Capital Ventures, Vivo Capital, Lepu Medical, Novo Holdings, Sofinnova Partners and 1 other investor.


Inspirna Investors

Investors in Inspirna by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Novo HoldingsDenmarkCopenhagen3LeadJun 2016
Sofinnova PartnersFranceParis3LeadJun 2016
Lepu MedicalChinaBeijing2LeadOct 2018
Paolo RubattoUnited KingdomLondon1LeadAug 2015
Sixty Degree CapitalCanadaToronto1ParticipantJul 2022
Wuxi AppTecChinaShanghai1ParticipantOct 2018
Arya BolurfrushanUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantSep 2013
Alexandria Venture InvestmentsUnited StatesLos Angeles, CA1ParticipantOct 2018
Sands Capital VenturesUnited StatesWashington, DC1LeadJul 2022
Partnership Fund for New York CityUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantOct 2018
Vivo CapitalUnited StatesUnited States1LeadJul 2022
Oceanpine CapitalHong KongHong Kong1ParticipantOct 2018
The New York City Investment FundUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantJul 2022

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Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples

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Inspirna Competitors

Inspirna competitors include listed companies like Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie and Merck, and private ones like Biosplice Therapeutics and Biocon Biologics.

Public and private companies comparable to Inspirna
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
Eli LillyUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$65B$28B$1.0T13.1x
Johnson & JohnsonUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$94B$40B$651B6.8x
AbbVieUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$61B$17B$467B8.1x
MerckUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$65B$28B$363B6.2x
Biosplice TherapeuticsUnited StatesSan Diego, CAPrivate--$12B-
Biocon BiologicsIndiaBangalorePrivate$1.1B-$4.5B4.2x

Inspirna Public Comps

Inspirna is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Merck, Roche, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Amgen, Novo Nordisk and Gilead Sciences.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Eli Lilly$65B$28B16.5x13.1x38.7x27.0x
Johnson & Johnson$94B$40B7.2x6.8x17.0x18.3x
AbbVie$61B$17B8.7x8.1x30.6x17.6x
Merck$65B$28B6.3x6.2x14.7x21.0x
Roche$77B$26B5.0x4.9x14.6x12.4x
Novartis$57B$22B5.5x5.5x14.2x13.3x
AstraZeneca$59B$19B4.8x4.5x14.6x12.7x
Amgen$37B$17B6.8x6.5x14.8x14.4x

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Common questions about Inspirna

When was Inspirna founded?Inspirna was founded in 2010.
Where is Inspirna headquartered?Inspirna is headquartered in New York City, NY, United States.
Is Inspirna publicly listed?No, Inspirna is a private, VC-backed company.
How much funding has Inspirna raised?Inspirna has raised $145M across 6 funding rounds.
What was Inspirna's last funding round?Inspirna's last funding round was a $55M Series D in July 2022, led by Sands Capital Ventures and Vivo Capital.
Who are Inspirna's investors?Inspirna's investors include Novo Holdings, Sofinnova Partners, Lepu Medical, Paolo Rubatto, Sixty Degree Capital, Wuxi AppTec, Arya Bolurfrushan, Alexandria Venture Investments, Sands Capital Ventures, Partnership Fund for New York City and 5 others.
Which companies are comparable to Inspirna?Companies comparable to Inspirna include Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Merck, Biosplice Therapeutics and Biocon Biologics.

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