KayoThera is developing first-in-class, oral small-molecule inhibitors that target the retinoid pathway. The platform originated from biology discovered at Princeton University by Mark Esposito and Yibin Kang. The company is advancing lead programs in diabetes and oncology, including therapies for late-stage and metastatic cancers. KayoThera states the additional resources will support IND-enabling safety studies and position programs for strategic partnering. To date the company has secured $14 million in total financial support, comprised of equity and non-dilutive grant funding. Recent grants include NIH SBIR awards (NIDDK and NCI) and funding from the Andy Hill Cancer Research Endowment (CARE) Fund. KayoThera is an early-stage therapeutics company developing a new class of cancer immunotherapies grounded in research from Princeton University. The company was co-founded in 2019 by Mark Esposito and Yibin Kang and has identified a family of key enzymes targetable with novel small molecule inhibitors. KayoThera is advancing a lead oncology program aimed at treating late-stage and metastatic cancers, including breast, lung, pancreatic, colorectal, brain, and kidney cancers. The firm plans to move its lead program toward the clinic to translate its discoveries into therapies for patients with advanced disease. Leadership includes Dr. Esposito as Vice President of Research and Development and Dr. Kang as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. Financially, KayoThera received initial backing from Foundation Venture Capital Group and has recently closed a Series A to fund development.

Total raised

$13M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Jul 2023