About Semma Therapeutics
Semma Therapeutics is a Healthcare company based in Cambridge (United States) founded in 2015, and was acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals in September 2019. Provider of bio-artificial pancreas for Type 1 Diabetes treatment. Semma Therapeutics has raised $158 million across 3 funding rounds from investors including Medtronic, Novartis and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The company has 58 employees. Semma Therapeutics has completed 1 acquisition, including CytoSolv. Its focus areas include Life Sciences, Diabetes, Drugs and Cell Therapy. Its legal entity is SEMMA THERAPEUTICS, INC. Its competitors include Kriya Therapeutics, Sana Biotechnology and Cellino; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Semma Therapeutics engages in developing a cell therapy for Type 1 diabetes. It focuses on developing a cell therapy for patients who depend on insulin injections. It discovers a method to generate billions of functional, insulin-producing beta cells in the laboratory. These cells develop in islet-like clusters grown from stem cells. Initial preclinical work in animal models of diabetes has shown that transplantation of these cells is sufficient to control blood glucose levels and the company is currently planning to file an IND for this program. This breakthrough technology has been exclusively licensed (from Meltons lab) to Semma Therapeutics for the development of cell-based therapy for diabetes.
- Headquarters Cambridge, United States
- Employees 58
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsHealthcare
- Website semma-tx.com
- Acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Sep 2019)
- Legal Name Semma Therapeutics, Inc.
- Total Equity Funding$158M (USD)
in 3 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$114M (USD), Series B
Feb 2019
- InvestorsMedtronic
& 12 more
- Employee Count58
- Investments & Acquisitions
- Acquired byVertex Pharmaceuticals
(Sep 2019)
Funding Insights of Semma Therapeutics
Semma Therapeutics has successfully raised a total of $158M across 3 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series B round of $114 million completed in February 2019. 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 $158M
- Total Rounds 3
- Last Round Series B — $114M
- First Round $44M
(Mar 2016)
- Investors Count 12
All 3 funding rounds of Semma Therapeutics 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2019 | $114M | Series B | – | Eight Roads Ventures, Cowen | |
| Mar 2017 | Series A | – | T1D Fund | – | |
| Mar 2016 | $44M | Series A | – | MPM Capital |
13 investors in total: 13 institutional.
Investors in Semma Therapeutics
Semma Therapeutics has secured backing from 13 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Medtronic, Novartis and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Venture capital investment and global platform support for startups. | 2008 | eightroads.com | London, United Kingdom | |
Investments in life sciences, technology, healthtech, and crypto sectors from global locations. | fprimecapital.com | |||
Venture capital firm focused on life science companies | 1986 | archventure.com | Chicago, United States | |
| wu-capital.com | ||||
| sinopharmcapital.com | ||||
Life-Sciences focused early and growth stage VC firm funding companies in China & the US | 6dimensionscapital.com | Pudong, China | ||
A venture capital firm focused on early-stage biotech investments. | 2015 | ori-capital.com | Hong Kong, Hong Kong | |
Companies developing T1D products are funded through venture philanthropy. | t1dfund.org | Boston, United States | ||
Corporate finance advisory, mergers, acquisitions, and investment services are provided. | 1918 | cowen.com | New York, United States | |
Invests in biotech firms developing life-saving drugs and technologies. | mpmcapital.com |
Investor details for Semma Therapeutics
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People of Semma Therapeutics
15 people are tracked at Semma Therapeutics (9 in leadership, 6 in board & advisors); the tracked headcount is 58.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Reshma Kewalramani | CEO & President | Leadership |
David Altshuler | EVP, Global Research, & Chief Scientific Officer | Leadership |
Stuart A. Arbuckle | EVP & COO | Leadership |
Jonathan Biller | EVP & Chief Legal Officer | Leadership |
Carmen Bozic | EVP, Global Medicines Development & Medical Affairs, & Chief Medical Officer | Leadership |
Charles Wagner | EVP & CFO | Leadership |
Diana McKenzie | Director | Leadership |
Bruce Sachs | Director | Leadership |
Nia Tatsis | EVP & Chief Regulatory & Quality Officer | Leadership |
Jeffrey Leiden | Chairman | Board & advisors |
Sangeeta N. Bhatia | Director | Board & advisors |
Lloyd Carney | Director | Board & advisors |
Alan Garber | Director | Board & advisors |
Terrence Kearney | Director | Board & advisors |
Suketu Upadhyay | Director | Board & advisors |
Complete people profiles for Semma Therapeutics
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Investments & Acquisitions by Semma Therapeutics
Semma Therapeutics has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 1 company. Notable acquisitions include CytoSolv.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Biotech company developing encapsulating cell technology for indications in cell therapy; acquired by Semma Therapeutics in 2015 | cytosolv.com | Newport, United States | 2009 | Nov 2015 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for Semma Therapeutics
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Timeline of Semma Therapeutics
5 dated milestones of Semma Therapeutics across 4 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Semma Therapeutics is founded.
- Acquisition Acquires CytoSolv.
- Funding First funding round of $44.0M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series B, of $114.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
Competitors of Semma Therapeutics
Semma Therapeutics has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include Kriya Therapeutics, Sana Biotechnology and Cellino.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| kriyatherapeutics.com | 2012 | Redwood, United States | $930.93M | 159 | Developer of therapeutic solutions for the treatment of diabetes | |
| sana.com | 2018 | Seattle, United States | $821M | 328 | Genetically engineered cell therapies are developed for multiple disorders. | |
| cellinobio.com | 2017 | Cambridge, United States | $125M | 63 | Developer of autologous cell therapies |
Detailed competitors of Semma Therapeutics
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Top companies in Diabetes
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Semma Therapeutics (Diabetes) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Developer of devices for continuous glucose monitoring and manual insulin delivery | 2008 | San Diego, California, United States | USD 100.73 M | USD 1.02 B | 2,650 | |
Wearable glucose monitoring patches are provided for real-time data tracking. | 1999 | San Diego, California, United States | USD 52.5 M | USD 4.66 B | 10,300 | |
Wearable insulin infusion systems are developed for diabetes patients. | 2000 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | USD 120.4 M | USD 2.71 B | 3,900 |
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Frequently Asked Questions about Semma Therapeutics
Semma Therapeutics was founded in 2015 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
Semma Therapeutics is headquartered in Cambridge, United States. It is registered at Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.
Semma Therapeutics is a funded company, having raised a total of $158M across 3 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series A of $44M, raised on Mar 2016.
Semma Therapeutics has 58 employees.
Semma Therapeutics engages in developing a cell therapy for Type 1 diabetes. It focuses on developing a cell therapy for patients who depend on insulin injections. It discovers a method to generate billions of functional, insulin-producing beta cells in the laboratory. These cells develop in islet-like clusters grown from stem cells. Initial preclinical work in animal models of diabetes has shown that transplantation of these cells is sufficient to control blood glucose levels and the company is currently planning to file an IND for this program. This breakthrough technology has been exclusively licensed (from Meltons lab) to Semma Therapeutics for the development of cell-based therapy for diabetes.
Semma Therapeutics's top competitors include Sana Biotechnology, Cellino and Kriya Therapeutics.
Semma Therapeutics has made 1 acquisition, including CytoSolv.
Semma Therapeutics has 13 investors. Key investors include Medtronic, Novartis, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, TD Securities, and Arch Venture Partners.
Semma Therapeutics operates through Semma Therapeutics, Inc..
Yes. Semma Therapeutics was acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals in September 2019.