Biotech & genomics startups in San Diego

Tien Lee, Andreas Niethammer

Founded 2017, Aardvark develops small-molecule gut-hormone (TAS2R bitter-taste-receptor) agonists for obesity and metabolic disease, led by ARD-101 and ARD-201. It IPO'd on NASDAQ (AARD) in February 2025, ra...

Uli Hacksell (early CEO), founders via Receptor Technologies

Founded 1993, Acadia (NASDAQ: ACAD) is a San Diego CNS pharma known for NUPLAZID (Parkinson's disease psychosis) and DAYBUE, the first approved treatment for Rett syndrome. A commercial-stage neuroscience an...

founders via Scripps (Peter Schultz lineage)

A protein-engineering company using expanded genetic code to build precisely designed antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Rooted in Scripps chemistry, Ambrx was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2024 for ~$2.0–2...

Joseph Payne, Pad Chivukula

Founded 2013, Arcturus (NASDAQ: ARCT) develops self-amplifying mRNA vaccines and therapeutics on its LUNAR lipid-nanoparticle delivery platform. It won approval for a self-amplifying mRNA COVID vaccine (KOST...

Mark Erlander (CEO)

San Diego clinical-stage oncology company (NASDAQ: CRDF) developing onvansertib, a first-in-class oral PLK1 inhibitor, in combination regimens for metastatic colorectal and other RAS-mutated cancers. A publi...

Jonathan Lim, Kevin Koch

Founded 2018 by serial founder Jonathan Lim, Erasca (NASDAQ: ERAS) is a clinical-stage precision-oncology company built to 'erase cancer' by shutting down the RAS/MAPK pathway. It IPO'd in 2021 (~$300M raise...

John Mendlein, scientific founders (incl. Sheng Ding)

Founded 2007, Fate (NASDAQ: FATE) is a leader in off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived cell therapies (CAR-T and NK) for cancer and autoimmune disease. Its induced-pluripotent-stem-cell product engine remains one of S...

Gregory Frost (early CEO), founders via Global Genomics

Founded 1998 (IPO 2004), Halozyme (NASDAQ: HALO) licenses its ENHANZE hyaluronidase drug-delivery platform that converts IV biologics to subcutaneous injections for partners like Roche, J&J and argenx. A pro...

David Walt, John Stuelpnagel, Anthony Czarnik, Larry Bock, Mark Chee

Founded 1998, Illumina is the global leader in DNA sequencing and array technologies and San Diego's biotech crown jewel. Its NovaSeq X platform drives the drop toward sub-$200 whole genomes; FY2025 revenue ...

Stanley Crooke

Founded 1989 as Isis Pharmaceuticals, Ionis (NASDAQ: IONS) pioneered antisense oligonucleotide (RNA-targeted) medicines and remains the anchor of North County's RNA cluster. Its pipeline underpins approved d...

Carl Hull (chairman/CEO)

Formed 2014 and IPO'd 2020 (NASDAQ: MRVI), Maravai is a life-science tools leader whose TriLink CleanCap technology supplied mRNA capping reagents for COVID vaccines. It provides nucleic-acid production and ...

Charles Baum

A precision-oncology company whose KRAS G12C inhibitor KRAZATI (adagrasib) won FDA approval for lung cancer. Bristol Myers Squibb acquired Mirati in early 2024 for ~$4.8–5.8B, one of San Diego's largest onco...

Kevin Gorman, Wylie Vale

Founded 1992 out of UCSD neuroscience, Neurocrine is San Diego's flagship commercial-stage pharma (NASDAQ: NBIX), maker of INGREZZA (tardive dyskinesia) and Crenessity. In 2025 it acquired Soleno Therapeutic...

Eric Ostertag

Founded 2014, Poseida built non-viral gene-engineering platforms (piggyBac transposon, Cas-CLOVER) for allogeneic 'off-the-shelf' CAR-T and gene therapies. Roche acquired Poseida in 2025 (~$1.5B plus milesto...

Kent Hawryluk, Mark Davis, Troy Wilson, Frank McCormick

Founded 2012, Avidity pioneered Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs) to deliver RNA therapeutics into muscle for rare neuromuscular diseases (myotonic dystrophy, DMD, FSHD). In a landmark 2025 exit, No...

Christian Homsy + Penn scientific founders (Carl June, Drew Weissman)

Founded 2021 and SD-headquartered, Capstan pioneers in vivo CAR-T — using targeted lipid nanoparticles to reprogram immune cells inside the body (tech from Penn's Carl June and Nobel laureate Drew Weissman)....

Jeffrey Stein

Founded 2012, Cidara developed anti-infectives and its Cloudbreak drug-Fc conjugate platform, headlined by a long-acting flu antiviral (CD388). Merck agreed to acquire Cidara in late 2025 for ~$9.2B, a block...

Benjamin Cravatt, Keriann Backus, Tom Maimone (Scripps founders)

Founded 2013 out of Scripps chemical-proteomics, Vividion uses chemoproteomics to drug 'undruggable' targets. Bayer acquired it in 2021 for up to ~$2B while keeping it as an independent SD R&D unit; it conti...

Molly He, Michael Previte, Matthew Kellinger

Founded 2017 by ex-Illumina scientists, Element makes the AVITI benchtop DNA sequencer (avidite chemistry) and multiomic AVITI24, directly challenging Illumina on cost and accuracy. It has raised $600M+ and ...

Christophe Schilling & Bernhard Palsson

Founded 1998 in San Diego; biomanufacturing company that engineers fermentation processes to convert renewable plant feedstocks into sustainable chemicals and materials (bio-BDO, plant-based nylon). Has rais...

Jeanne Loring, Andres Bratt-Leal

Founded 2018 out of Scripps Research (Jeanne Loring's regenerative-medicine lab), Aspen develops autologous iPSC-derived dopamine-neuron replacement for Parkinson's (ANPD001), now in clinical trials. It rais...

Lou Cooperhouse

Founded 2018; cell-cultivated seafood company growing premium seafood directly from fish cells, with a lead product of cultivated bluefin tuna toro for sushi/fine dining pending regulatory approval. Operates...

(Arthrosi asset spinout leadership)

Emerged from stealth in September 2025 with a large ~$205M Series A — one of San Diego's biggest 2025 rounds — to develop a next-generation oral URAT1 inhibitor for chronic gout / hyperuricemia. Backed by to...

(SD-based leadership)

San Diego next-gen proteomics company building a single-molecule protein-sequencing platform that borrows NGS-style scale to read proteins, targeting the large proteomics market. Venture-backed (through Seri...

Fred Manby, Tom Miller (rebrand from Entos)

San Diego's leading TechBio: an AI-driven drug-discovery company (rebranded from Entos in 2023) whose NeuralPLexer generative models plus automated wet labs took AI-designed HER2 inhibitor IAM1363 from disco...

(SD-based leadership)

A San Diego small-molecule biotech targeting protein-misfolding / amyloid diseases (including cardiac amyloidosis). Raised a ~$130M round in 2025 to advance its lead stabilizer programs toward the clinic.

(SD-based leadership)

Emerged in April 2025 with a ~$110M Series A to develop next-generation oral small-molecule immunology drugs for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases — one of the SD ecosystem's notable 2025 early-stage laun...

Dan Kaufman, Kleanthis Xanthopoulos

Founded 2020 on UCSD's Dan Kaufman iPSC science, Shoreline engineers off-the-shelf iPSC-derived NK-cell and macrophage immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune disease. Raised $140M+ and signed platform dea...

Drew Spaventa, Eli Glezer, David Barker

Founded 2016 (also Illumina-alumni-linked), Singular Genomics built the G4 benchtop sequencer and the G4X spatial platform for single-cell and spatial genomics. It IPO'd in 2021 and was taken private by foun...

(SD-based leadership)

San Diego biotech building 'Tentacle' conditionally-active, multi-specific biologics with a high therapeutic index for oncology and autoimmune disease. Launched with a ~$100M+ backing (Versant, RA Capital) t...

Port of San Diego Blue Economy Incubator shellfish startup testing a FLUPSY (Floating Upweller System) nursery barge to grow oyster (and abalone/seaweed) seed and help address a coast-wide shellfish seed sho...

Leslie Booher & Torre Polizzi

Marine-ecologist-led aquaculture startup cultivating native Southern California seaweed species in San Diego Bay, assessing carbon sequestration and water-quality benefits. A Port of San Diego Blue Economy I...