About Plexxikon
Plexxikon is a Healthcare company based in Berkeley (United States) founded in 2000, and was acquired by Daiichi Sankyo in February 2011. It develops small molecule pharmaceuticals for oncology, CNS and autoimmune diseases. Plexxikon has raised $72.86 million across 2 funding rounds from investors including Daiichi Sankyo, Gimv and Pappas Capital. Plexxikon offers products and services including Zelboraf and Turalio. Its focus areas include Diversified Pharmaceuticals and Drugs. Its legal entity is Plexxikon Inc. Its competitors include AbbVie, Lilly and Gilead.
Company details
Founded in 2000 in Berkeley, United States, Plexxikon operates in the pharmaceutical sector, focusing on small molecule drugs for oncology, central nervous system disorders, and autoimmune conditions. A proprietary Scaffold-Based Drug Discovery Platform is utilized to create selective therapies. ZELBORAF (vemurafenib), discovered in 2005, was co-developed with Roche and approved in over 40 countries, accompanied by a diagnostic tool. The company was acquired by Daiichi Sankyo in 2011.
- Headquarters Berkeley, United States
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsHealthcare
- Website plexxikon.com
- Social LinkedIn
- Acquired by Daiichi Sankyo (Feb 2011)
- Legal Name Plexxikon Inc.
- Total Equity Funding$72.86M (USD)
in 2 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$46M (USD), Series B
May 2004
- InvestorsDaiichi Sankyo
& 7 more
- Acquired byDaiichi Sankyo
(Feb 2011)
Products & Services of Plexxikon
Plexxikon offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Zelboraf and Turalio.
A drug invented for personalized medicine treatments.
Another drug developed for personalized medicines.
Funding Insights of Plexxikon
Plexxikon has successfully raised a total of $72.86M across 2 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series B round of $46 million completed in May 2004. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $72.86M
- Total Rounds 2
- Last Round Series B β $46M
- First Round $26.86M
(Apr 2002)
- Investors Count 7
All 2 funding rounds of Plexxikon with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2004 | $46M | Series B | β | β | |
| Apr 2002 | $26.86M | Series A | β | β | β |
8 investors in total: 8 institutional.
Investors in Plexxikon
Plexxikon has secured backing from 8 investors, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Daiichi Sankyo, Gimv and Pappas Capital.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
VC firm focusing on life science sector | pappas-capital.com | Durham, United States | ||
VC firm making investment in early stage startups in the US | atvcapital.com | Menlo Park, United States | ||
Venture capital firm focused on healthcare companies | altapartners.com | Jackson, United States | ||
Early-stage healthcare startups are invested in by CW Ventures. | cwventures.com | New York, United States | ||
Private equity firm | 1980 | gimv.com | Antwerp, Belgium | |
Online slot gaming services are offered by ng24h platform. | nifventures.com | |||
VC firm investing globally in early & expansion stage companies | waldenintl.com | San Francisco, United States | ||
Pharmaceutical drugs are developed to address diverse medical needs. | 2005 | daiichisankyo.com | Tokyo, Japan |
Investor details for Plexxikon
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- Complete investor list
- Round participation
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People of Plexxikon
4 people are tracked at Plexxikon (1 in leadership, 3 in board & advisors).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Chao Zhang | Senior Vice President, Research | Leadership |
Pat Barbieri | Secretary | Board & advisors |
Amy Klug | Assistant Secretary | Board & advisors |
Kenjiro Konishi | Treasurer | Board & advisors |
Complete people profiles for Plexxikon
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
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Timeline of Plexxikon
4 dated milestones of Plexxikon across 11 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Plexxikon is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $26.9M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series B, of $46.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Daiichi Sankyo.
Competitors of Plexxikon
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| abbvie.com | 2012 | Chicago, United States | 8,667 | Biopharmaceutical research and drug development are conducted globally by AbbVie. | ||
| lilly.com | 1876 | United States | 39,000 | Traditional pharmaceutical medicines are developed for multiple health fields. | ||
| gilead.com | 1987 | Foster, United States | 4,267 | Developer of medicines to treat HIV/AIDS, liver diseases, cancer & others |
Detailed competitors of Plexxikon
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Web traffic of Plexxikon
Websites that share an audience with Plexxikon (plexxikon.com).
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Plexxikon. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xoma.com | 100% | 8K | #3,718,828 | View details | |
| dynavax.com | 99% | 11K | #2,032,192 | View details | |
| quarkpharma.com | 95% | View details | |||
| roche.com | 89% | 1.3M | #42,219 | View details | |
medizin-aspekte.de | medizin-aspekte.de | 54% | #4,713,098 | β |
Top companies in Pharmaceuticals & Distribution
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Plexxikon (Pharmaceuticals & Distribution) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Therapeutics for neurology, oncology, rare, and endocrinology diseases are developed. | 2014 | New York, New York, United States | USD 1.3 B | USD 8.26 M | 750 | |
Developer of pharmaceutical products for treating multiple diseases | 1980 | Thousand Oaks, California, United States | USD 33.23 B | 28,000 | ||
Biopharmaceutical research and drug development are conducted globally by AbbVie. | 2012 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | USD 5.33 B | 55,000 |
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Related news about Plexxikon
Complete news archive for Plexxikon
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Frequently Asked Questions about Plexxikon
Plexxikon was founded in 2000 and raised its 1st funding round 2 years after it was founded.
Plexxikon is headquartered in Berkeley, United States. It is registered at Berkeley, California, United States.
Plexxikon is a funded company, having raised a total of $72.86M across 2 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series A of $26.86M, raised on Apr 2002.
Founded in 2000 in Berkeley, United States, Plexxikon operates in the pharmaceutical sector, focusing on small molecule drugs for oncology, central nervous system disorders, and autoimmune conditions. A proprietary Scaffold-Based Drug Discovery Platform is utilized to create selective therapies. ZELBORAF (vemurafenib), discovered in 2005, was co-developed with Roche and approved in over 40 countries, accompanied by a diagnostic tool. The company was acquired by Daiichi Sankyo in 2011.
Plexxikon offers Zelboraf and Turalio.
Plexxikon has 8 investors. Key investors include Daiichi Sankyo, Gimv, Pappas Capital, Advanced Technology Ventures, and Alta Partners.
Plexxikon operates through Plexxikon Inc..
Yes. Plexxikon was acquired by Daiichi Sankyo in February 2011.

