About Vela Pharmaceuticals
Vela Pharmaceuticals is a Healthcare company based in Lawrenceville (United States) founded in 1998, and was acquired by Pharmos in March 2006. Therapeutics for nervous system disorders were developed by Vela Pharmaceuticals. Vela Pharmaceuticals has raised $41.3 million across 2 funding rounds from investors including J P Morgan, NEA and Venrock. Its focus areas include Life Sciences, Neurology, Drugs and Psychiatric. Its competitors include Alto Neuroscience, Supernus Pharmaceuticals and Neurovance; 2 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Vela Pharmaceuticals was a US-based, clinical stage pharma company developing therapeutics for nervous system disorders. In Oct.2006, it was acquired by Pharmos Corp. Vela develops therapeutics targeting neurotransmitters. At the time of acquisition, the company had a Phase 1b drug for the treatment of menopausal hot flashes; an asset in Phase 2 for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome; and a late Phase 2 asset for the treatment of depression. The company was formerly known as Janus Pharmaceuticals.
- Headquarters Lawrenceville, United States
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsHealthcare
- Email••••••••
- Website velapharm.com
- Social LinkedIn
- Acquired by Pharmos (Mar 2006)
- Total Equity Funding$41.3M (USD)
in 2 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$25M (USD), Series D
Feb 2002
- InvestorsJ P Morgan
& 5 more
- Acquired byPharmos
(Mar 2006)
Funding Insights of Vela Pharmaceuticals
Vela Pharmaceuticals has successfully raised a total of $41.3M across 2 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series D round of $25 million completed in February 2002. 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 $41.3M
- Total Rounds 2
- Last Round Series D — $25M
- First Round $16.3M
(Nov 2000)
- Investors Count 5
All 2 funding rounds of Vela Pharmaceuticals 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 2002 | $25M | Series D | – | J P Morgan | |
| Nov 2000 | $16.3M | Series B | – | – |
6 investors in total: 6 institutional.
Investors in Vela Pharmaceuticals
Vela Pharmaceuticals has secured backing from 6 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include J P Morgan, NEA and Venrock.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Venture capital investments are offered to startups by NEA. | nea.com | Menlo Park, United States | ||
Venture capital firm focused on tech sectors | venrock.com | Palo Alto, United States | ||
Seed capital is provided by Johnston Associates for healthcare startups. | 1968 | jaivc.com | Princeton, United States | |
| mbfcapital.com | ||||
Comprehensive financial services are provided to corporations and individuals. | 1799 | jpmorgan.com | New York, United States | |
Researches innovative medicines and vaccines to treat various diseases through online platforms. | 1990 | pharmoscorp.com | Iselin, United States |
Investor details for Vela Pharmaceuticals
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- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Vela Pharmaceuticals
4 dated milestones of Vela Pharmaceuticals across 8 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Vela Pharmaceuticals is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $16.3M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series D, of $25.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Pharmos.
Competitors of Vela Pharmaceuticals
Vela Pharmaceuticals has 3 listed competitors in our database, 2 of them funded. They include Alto Neuroscience, Supernus Pharmaceuticals and Neurovance.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| altoneuroscience.com | 2019 | San Francisco, United States | $144.72M | 34 | AI-driven drug discovery platform for neurological diseases based on patients biomarkers | |
| supernus.com | 2005 | Rockville, United States | 652 | Specialty pharmaceutical products for CNS diseases are developed and commercialized. | ||
| neurovance.com | 2011 | Cambridge, United States | $53.03M | 7 | Neurochemical modulators for ADHD treatment are developed by Neurovance. |
Detailed competitors of Vela Pharmaceuticals
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Neurology
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Vela Pharmaceuticals (Neurology) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Immuno-modulatory therapies for dementia and neurodegenerative disorders are developed. | 2013 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 214.78 M | USD 21.05 M | 211 | |
Developer of therapeutics for psychiatric and neurologic diseases | 2002 | New York, New York, United States | USD 80.87 M | USD 250.31 M | 600 | |
Biologics platform developed for intracellular delivery in rare diseases. | 2016 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | USD 175.25 M | USD 25.42 M | 183 |
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Frequently Asked Questions about Vela Pharmaceuticals
Vela Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1998 and raised its 1st funding round 2 years after it was founded.
Vela Pharmaceuticals is headquartered in Lawrenceville, United States.
Vela Pharmaceuticals is a funded company, having raised a total of $41.3M across 2 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series B of $16.3M, raised on Nov 2000.
Vela Pharmaceuticals was a US-based, clinical stage pharma company developing therapeutics for nervous system disorders. In Oct.2006, it was acquired by Pharmos Corp. Vela develops therapeutics targeting neurotransmitters. At the time of acquisition, the company had a Phase 1b drug for the treatment of menopausal hot flashes; an asset in Phase 2 for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome; and a late Phase 2 asset for the treatment of depression. The company was formerly known as Janus Pharmaceuticals.
Vela Pharmaceuticals's top competitors include Alto Neuroscience, Supernus Pharmaceuticals and Neurovance.
Vela Pharmaceuticals has 6 investors. Key investors include J P Morgan, NEA, Venrock, Johnston Associates, and MBF Capital Corporation.
Yes. Vela Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Pharmos in March 2006.