About Life Sciences sector in South Korea
The Life Sciences sector in South Korea comprises 1.24K companies, including 716 funded companies having collectively raised $5.21B in venture capital money and private equity. Out of these, 308 are Series A+ funded, and 1 has achieved unicorn status.
Life Sciences sector in South Korea has seen 21 acquisitions and 190 IPOs. This represents almost 17.0% of all such companies - which is higher than the 5.0% exit rate of tech companies in general.
This sector includes companies providing disease specific and disease agnostic therapy, diagnostic solutions, drugs, and life science R7D.
Life Sciences sector is also known as Biotech or Biological Sciences.
It includes companies developing drugs, devices and diagnostic tests for various diseases, nutraceutical supplements, and solutions for life science research. It excludes digital health platforms, assistive technology etc for the health industry.
Top Life Sciences Companies in South Korea
There are 1,241 Life Sciences startups in South Korea which include Orum Therapeutics, Samsung Bioepis, Rznomics, D&D Pharmatech, OliX Pharmaceuticals. Out of these, 716 startups are funded, with 308 having secured Series A+ funding, and 1 achieving unicorn status.
Over the past 10 years, an average of 51 new companies have been launched annually. Notably, several of these startups have been founded by alumni of Seoul National University, Cornell University and Stanford University.
Here is the list of top Life Sciences startups in South Korea
Developer of cell-penetrating antibodies as oncology therapeutics. It has a proprietary cell-penetrating antibody technology and is developing monoclonal antibodies to directly target the activated form of RAS. The cell-penetrating technology develops antibodies that can access the cytosol of living cells following receptor-mediated endocytosis. RAS proteins function to transmit signals within cells that control cell growth, differentiation, and survival. The product pipeline includes ORM-5029, ORM-6151, and ANDC-0001 for solid tumors and hematological cancers
Key facts about Orum Therapeutics
- Founded Year: 2016
- Location: Daejeon (South Korea)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $92M
- Investors: IMM Investment, KTB Network and 19 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Dec 18, 2025, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 64/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 95 of 3,795 Competitors
Developer of biosimilar drugs for the treatment of multiple diseases. It is a Joint venture formed by the collaboration of Samsung Biologics and Biogen to develop biosimilars of advanced biologics to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and Crohn’s disease. Ontruzant is Samsung Bioepis’ first cancer biosimilar approved by the FDA. It provides biosimilar of Etanercept, Infliximab, Adalimumab, Trastuzumab, Bevacizumab, etc.
Key facts about Samsung Bioepis
- Founded Year: 2012
- Location: Incheon (South Korea)
- Stage: Acquired
- Investors: Biogen and Samsung BioLogics
- Tracxn Score: 64/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 23 of 1,253 Competitors
3. Rznomics
Developer of drugs for anti-cancer and refractory diseases based on RNA Platform technology. It has developed gene therapy products for the treatment of various cancers, degenerative diseases, hereditary diseases of liver cancer, and others. It's lead products RZ001that helps in treating cancer diseases, RZOO2, RZ003 helps in the treatment of Alzheimer's diseases.
Key facts about Rznomics
- Founded Year: 2017
- Location: Yongin si (South Korea)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $48.7M
- Investors: Korea Development Bank Europe, QUAD and 12 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Jun 08, 2022, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 62/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 173 of 4,055 Competitors
Developer of small molecule based therapeutics for the treatment of CNS diseases. The company has developed a glucagon-like peptide receptor 1 (GLP-1R) agonist which inhibits the conversion of astrocytes into a neurotoxic phenotype and protects against neurodegeneration, thus helping in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
Key facts about D&D Pharmatech
- Founded Year: 2018
- Location: Seongnam-si (South Korea)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $205M
- Investors: Praxis Capital, Smile Gate Investment and 10 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Jun 20, 2025, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 62/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 13 of 605 Competitors
Developer of RNAi therapeutics for dermal, ophthalmic, and pulmonary diseases. Its drug pipeline includes OLX101 for the treatment of Skin Scar (licensed out to Huge Inc.), OLX201 for the treatment of Lung fibrosis, OLX301 for the treatment of Wet AMD/Retinal Fibrosis, OLX701 for liver fibrosis. Other products include OLX102 for skin whitening and OLX105 to get rid of wrinkles. The company's technology is based on three types of RNA: Small interfering RNA (siRNA), Asymmetric siRNA (siRNA), and Cell-penetrating asymmetric siRNA (cp-siRNA).
Key facts about OliX Pharmaceuticals
- Founded Year: 2010
- Location: Suwon-si (South Korea)
- Stage: Public
- Investors: IMM Investment, Atinum Investment and 14 Others
- Tracxn Score: 60/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 9 of 131 Competitors
Companies founded year-on-year in the Life Sciences sector in South Korea
112 Life Sciences startups in South Korea were founded in 2019 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | - |
2024 | 12 |
2023 | 12 |
2022 | 41 |
2021 | 74 |
2020 | 85 |
2019 | 112 |
2018 | 97 |
2017 | 86 |
Stage-wise distribution of Life Sciences sector companies in South Korea
Out of the total 1,241 Life Sciences companies in South Korea, 716 have secured funding. Among them, 308 have reached Series A or higher, and 267 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 1,241
Funded - 716
Series A+ - 308
Series B+ - 267
Series C+ - 227
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 1,241 |
Funded | 716 |
Series A+ | 308 |
Series B+ | 267 |
Series C+ | 227 |
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Funding Trends in the Life Sciences sector in South Korea
Total funding year-on-year in the Life Sciences sector in South Korea
The Life Sciences sector in South Korea saw a total funding of more than $2.71B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2018 at more than $529M.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2025 | $298M |
2024 | $125M |
2023 | $95.7M |
2022 | $379M |
2021 | $475M |
2020 | $277M |
2019 | $405M |
2018 | $529M |
2017 | $59M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Life Sciences in South Korea
In the year 2025, till December 2025, Life Sciences companies in South Korea have raised $162M in equity funding across 17 rounds.
In the same period last year (i.e. till December 2024), Life Sciences companies in South Korea had raised $125M across 29 rounds.
So, 2025 has seen a 30.33% rise in funding in Life Sciences companies in South Korea as compared to 2024.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Life Sciences companies in South Korea:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Series B | 9538 | Dec 02, 2025 | and 6 more | |
Seed | 4431 | Nov 11, 2025 | ||
Seed | 1106 | Nov 11, 2025 | ||
Seed | 2401 | Oct 30, 2025 | ||
Series B | 2647 | Oct 27, 2025 | and 13 more |
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Top Investors in Life Sciences in South Korea
Korea Investment Holdings is the top investor in Life Sciences companies in South Korea based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Life Sciences companies in South Korea:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Seoul (South Korea) | ||
Stockholm (Sweden) | - | |
Fort Worth (United States) | - | |
Sunnyvale (United States) | - | |
New York City (United States) | - |
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M&A activity in Life Sciences sector in South Korea
In the year 2025, till June 2025, 2 acquisitions happened in Life Sciences sector in South Korea. Last year, in 2024, a total of 3 acquisitions happened in Life Sciences sector in South Korea.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Life Sciences sector in South Korea:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Jun 20, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Mar 10, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Aug 13, 2024 | ||
Business Acquisition | Jan 24, 2024 | ||
Business Acquisition | Jan 22, 2024 |
Acquisition trends in Life Sciences sector in South Korea
Here are the acquisition trends in Life Sciences sector in South Korea:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | 2 |
2024 | 3 |
2023 | 4 |
2022 | 3 |
2021 | 1 |
2020 | 1 |
2019 | 1 |
2018 | 1 |
2017 | 2 |
IPOs in Life Sciences in South Korea
In the year 2025, till December 2025, 17 IPOs happened in Life Sciences sector in South Korea.
Here are some recent, important IPOs in Life Sciences sector in South Korea:
Company | IPO Date | Exchange Symbol |
|---|---|---|
Dec 18, 2025 | Korea Exchange (KRX) | |
Dec 12, 2025 | Korea Exchange (KRX) | |
Dec 04, 2025 | Korea Exchange (KRX) | |
Nov 13, 2025 | Korea Exchange (KRX) | |
Aug 21, 2025 | Korea Exchange (KRX) |
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Colleges which produce the most Life Sciences companies in South Korea
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Life Sciences in South Korea
Most number of Life Sciences startups in South Korea have been founded by alumni from Seoul National University, Cornell University and Stanford University.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Seoul National University | 5 |
Cornell University | 4 |
Stanford University | 4 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 3 |
University of California (Berkeley) | 3 |
University of Cambridge | 2 |
Columbia University | 1 |
Hanyang University | 1 |
University of California (Los Angeles) | 1 |
University of Chicago | 1 |
Total funding in Life Sciences companies founded by alumni from top colleges in South Korea
In the last 10 years, University of California (Berkeley) graduates' Life Sciences companies in South Korea have raised the most funding among top colleges. University of Edinburgh alumni are second, and Cornell University alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
University of California (Berkeley) | $213M |
University of Edinburgh | $69.7M |
Cornell University | $39.8M |
Seoul National University | $27.5M |
University of Chicago | $27.5M |
Columbia University | $17M |
Stanford University | $10.6M |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $4M |
University of Toronto | $3.42M |
Hanyang University | - |
Top News in Life Sciences in South Korea
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Celltrion and Samsung Bioepis Take Divergent Paths in the Global Biosimilar RaceKoreabizwire•Dec 26, 2025•Samsung Bioepis, Celltrion
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Nature Cell Announces Revival of Vascostem's U.S. FDA Clinical Development for Critical Limb Ischemia Treatmentaccessnewswire.com•Dec 23, 2025•Nature Cell
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Seegene Establishes French Subsidiary to Expand European PresenceEuropa Press•Dec 05, 2025•Seegene Technologies
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Osstem Implant spearheads India's digital dentistry with comprehensive digital solutions.BusinessFortNight•Nov 29, 2025•Osstem
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HoneyNaps Accelerates Clinical Trial Pipelines with FDA-Cleared AI "SOMNUM"PR Newswire•Nov 24, 2025•HoneyNaps
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