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- Oncorus
Oncorus Funding, Investors & Competitors
Oncorus has raised $141M across 3 funding rounds, most recently a $80M Series B in August 2019.
Last Oncorus funding round
$80M
Series B · Aug 2019
Cumulative funding Oncorus raised
$141M
across 3 funding rounds
Key investors in Oncorus
Deerfield
Perceptive Advisors
MPM Capital
Celgene
Cowen Healthcare Investments
Astellas Venture Management
Arkin Bio Ventures
Excelyrate Capital
About Oncorus
Oncorus is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engineering oncolytic herpes simplex viruses for solid tumor treatment. Its lead candidate, ONC-201, targets recurrent glioblastoma via intravenous delivery. Cambridge, Massachusetts-headquartered and founded in 2015, Oncorus listed on NASDAQ in 2020 and conducts Phase I/II trials in the US and Europe.
Founded
2015
HQ
Website
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2B
Revenue model
Licensing
Sectors
Oncorus Funding History
Oncorus has raised a total of $141M across 3 funding rounds.
Oncorus' first fundraising round was a $57M Series A in July 2016. The most recent completed round was a $80M Series B in August 2019.
Oncorus funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2019 | Series B | Cowen Healthcare Investments (lead); Perceptive Advisors (lead) | $80M | Oncorus, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops oncolytic viruses designed to selectively replicate in and directly kill cancer cells while stimulating a systemic immune response against tumors. The company focuses on novel intratumoral and intravenous oncolytic virus approaches to address unmet needs in oncology, with lead candidate ONCR-177 advancing into clinical trials after presenting supportive preclinical data at the AACR Annual Meeting earlier in 2019. On August 21, 2019, Oncorus completed an oversubscribed $79.5 million Series B financing round co-led by Cowen Healthcare Investments and Perceptive Advisors. Existing Series A investors including MPM Capital, UBS Oncology Impact Fund, Deerfield Management, Arkin Bioventures, Celgene, and Astellas Venture Management participated, alongside new investors such as Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), Sphera Funds, IMM Investment, QUAD Investment Management, UTC Investment, SV Investment Corp., and Shinhan Investment-Private Equity. Proceeds from the round were intended to advance proprietary oncolytic virus platforms, including clinical development of ONCR-177, which achieved early Phase 1 milestones with no dose-limiting toxicities observed in initial patients, triggering a subsequent $35.8 million tranche of Series B financing prior to the company's 2020 IPO. Oncorus positioned itself as a leader in the emerging oncolytic virus space amid growing investor interest from both financial and strategic parties. The company later went public in 2020, raising $93 million in its IPO underwritten by Jefferies, Evercore, and Piper Sandler, with funds allocated primarily to ONCR-177 development ($32 million), synthetic platforms ($14 million), production expansion ($18 million), and recapitalization. Prior to the Series B, Oncorus had raised additional capital across earlier rounds, totaling around $141.5 million by 2019. |
| Dec 2016 | Series A | Astellas Venture Management (lead) | $5M | Oncorus is a US-based immuno-oncology company developing a next-generation immunotherapy platform of oncolytic viruses, specifically oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV), to treat highly malignant and aggressive cancers such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The company licensed patent rights from the University of Pittsburgh based on work by scientists Joseph Glorioso III and Paola Grandi. In December 2016, Astellas Venture Management invested $4 million, increasing Oncorus's Series A financing to $61 million from the prior $57 million raised in July 2016. The initial tranche was led by MPM Capital (from MPM BV2014 and Oncology Impact Fund), with participation from Celgene, Deerfield Management, Arkin Bio Ventures, Excelyrate Capital, Long March Investment Fund, and MPM’s SunStates Fund. Proceeds supported advancement of the oHSV platform through preclinical development into clinical trials. Oncorus's lead candidate was in preclinical development for GBM at the time, with plans to expand the technology platform and develop pipeline programs for other cancers. |
| Jul 2016 | Series A | MPM Capital (lead); Long March Investment Fund; SunStates Fund; Arkin Bio Ventures; Celgene; Excelyrate Capital; Deerfield | $57M | Oncorus launched on July 19, 2016, with a $57 million Series A financing led by MPM Capital, including equal contributions from MPM BV2014 and the Oncology Impact Fund, joined by Deerfield Management, Arkin Bio Ventures, Celgene, Excelyrate Capital, Long March Investment Fund, and MPM’s SunStates Fund. The company, founded by a team including MPM Capital executive partner Mitchell Finer, focuses on developing oncolytic viral constructs for cancer treatment, aiming to advance them from preclinical development into clinical trials with a lead product targeted at glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive brain tumor with high recurrence rates. This approach falls under immuno-oncology, leveraging viruses to stimulate the immune system against cancer, similar to Amgen's approved Imlygic for melanoma. Luke Evnin, Oncorus chairman and MPM Capital co-founder, highlighted the strong investor support for the experienced management team to potentially establish a new paradigm in cancer treatment. The financing enabled the startup, formerly led by bluebird bio's CSO, to initiate operations focused on innovative oncolytic virus therapies. Oncorus also committed to corporate philanthropy, pledging a portion of future product sales to fund cancer research and support care in developing world, though commercialization remained years away. Subsequent developments included a $61 million Series A extension listed in some sources around December 2016 with similar investors, and an oversubscribed $79.5 million Series B in August 2019 co-led by Cowen Healthcare Investments and Perceptive Advisors, with participation from Series A backers like MPM Capital, Deerfield, Arkin Bio Ventures, and Celgene, plus new investors. The Series B funded advancement of lead program ONCR-177 into Phase 1 trials and other intravenous candidates, following promising preclinical data at AACR. |
Who has invested in Oncorus?
10 investors have backed Oncorus across its funding rounds, including Deerfield, Perceptive Advisors, MPM Capital, Celgene, Cowen Healthcare Investments and Astellas Venture Management.
Lead investors include Cowen Healthcare Investments, Perceptive Advisors, Astellas Venture Management and MPM Capital.
Oncorus Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lead | Aug 2019 | ||
| -- | 1 | Participant | Jul 2016 | |
| 1 | Lead | Jul 2016 | ||
| -- | 1 | Participant | Jul 2016 | |
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2016 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Dec 2016 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2016 | ||
| -- | 1 | Participant | Jul 2016 | |
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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 TrialOncorus Competitors
Oncorus competitors include listed companies like Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie and Merck, and private ones like Biosplice Therapeutics and Biocon Biologics.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publicly listed | $65B | $28B | $1.0T | 13.1x | ||
| Publicly listed | $94B | $40B | $651B | 6.8x | ||
| Publicly listed | $61B | $17B | $467B | 8.1x | ||
| Publicly listed | $65B | $28B | $363B | 6.2x | ||
| Private | - | - | $12B | - | ||
| Private | $1.1B | - | $4.5B | 4.2x |
Oncorus Public Comps
Oncorus 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 FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $65B | $28B | 16.5x | 13.1x | 38.7x | 27.0x | |||
| $94B | $40B | 7.2x | 6.8x | 17.0x | 18.3x | |||
| $61B | $17B | 8.7x | 8.1x | 30.6x | 17.6x | |||
| $65B | $28B | 6.3x | 6.2x | 14.7x | 21.0x | |||
| $77B | $26B | 5.0x | 4.9x | 14.6x | 12.4x | |||
| $57B | $22B | 5.5x | 5.5x | 14.2x | 13.3x | |||
| $59B | $19B | 4.8x | 4.5x | 14.6x | 12.7x | |||
| $37B | $17B | 6.8x | 6.5x | 14.8x | 14.4x | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Oncorus competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about Oncorus
| When was Oncorus founded? | Oncorus was founded in 2015. |
| Where is Oncorus headquartered? | Oncorus is headquartered in United States. |
| Is Oncorus publicly listed? | No, Oncorus is a private, VC-backed company. |
| How much funding has Oncorus raised? | Oncorus has raised $141M across 3 funding rounds. |
| What was Oncorus' last funding round? | Oncorus' last funding round was a $80M Series B in August 2019, led by Cowen Healthcare Investments and Perceptive Advisors. |
| Who are Oncorus' investors? | Oncorus' investors include Cowen Healthcare Investments, Long March Investment Fund, MPM Capital, SunStates Fund, Arkin Bio Ventures, Astellas Venture Management, Celgene, Excelyrate Capital, Perceptive Advisors and Deerfield. |
| Which companies are comparable to Oncorus? | Companies comparable to Oncorus include Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Merck, Biosplice Therapeutics and Biocon Biologics. |
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