innovothera Venture Capital

Innovo Therapeutics (이노보테라퓨틱스) is a South Korean pharmaceutical research and development company focused on discovering and developing synthetic small-molecule drugs for unmet medical needs in immunity, inflammation, fibrosis and cancer. The company positions its research teams as experienced medicinal chemists and biologists with more than two decades of practical drug development work, aiming at first-in-class candidates.

The company operates an in-house artificial intelligence drug discovery platform called DeepZema, which it uses to design drug candidates and improve druggability, and which it says compresses candidate discovery timelines substantially compared with conventional approaches. Its disclosed portfolio spans roughly ten pipeline programs, of which four are reported to have entered clinical stages, including INV-001 for scar treatment and INV-008, an oral 15-PGDH inhibitor for inflammatory bowel disease.

Business model

The company develops small-molecule drug candidates internally and monetizes them through out-licensing to pharmaceutical partners, as illustrated by the licensing agreement for INV-008 with Daewoong Pharmaceutical. It has also raised equity through repeated third-party allotment new share issuances and is pursuing a KOSDAQ public listing.

Out-licensing of drug candidates to pharmaceutical partners, generating technology transfer income; the company has not disclosed product sales.

Traction

As of mid-2026 the company reported ten pipeline programs with four in clinical stages. INV-001, a scar treatment, received Korean MFDS approval for a domestic Phase 3 trial in June 2026 after a Phase 2 study reported a statistically significant 24.5% reduction in scar formation versus comparator. INV-008, a first-in-class oral 15-PGDH inhibitor for inflammatory bowel disease, was licensed to Daewoong Pharmaceutical in May 2026, with Korean coverage describing the deal in the range of 660 billion won. The company passed technology evaluation for KOSDAQ listing in May 2026 and submitted its preliminary listing review application in July 2026.

Latest developments

In May 2026 the company entered a licensing agreement with Daewoong Pharmaceutical for INV-008 and passed the technology evaluation for a KOSDAQ listing. In June 2026 it received MFDS approval for a domestic Phase 3 trial of the scar treatment INV-001, and issued new shares via third-party allotment. In July 2026 it filed a preliminary review application for a KOSDAQ listing.