Volastra
New York, US Β· Founded 2019 Β· 40 employees on LinkedIn Β· 7 known investors
Volastra Therapeutics is a drug discovery and development company working on novel cancer therapies. Its team spans drug discovery, clinical development, and business strategy to bring new oncology treatments to patients.
Also known as Volastra Therapeutics Β· Volastra Therapeutics, Inc.
Founders & leadership
Volastra was founded in 2019 by Samuel Bakhoum, Lewis Cantley, and Olivier Elemento.
Board
Investors Β· 7
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Also in the syndicate Β· 2
Reported raises Β· per SEC filings
Form D private placements$105.3M disclosed across 3 of 5 rounds Β· 2021β2025
βΆ$30.1MraisedSep 2025 Β· 11 investors Β· PharmaceuticalsRule 506(b)
- Sandra PetersonDirector
- Robert MittendorffDirector
- Jill GoldsteinDirector
- David SouthwellExecutive Officer, Director
- Arjun BalarDirector
- Samuel BakhoumDirector
- Ellie McGuireDirector
- Luc DochezDirector
- David NicholsonDirector
- Offering amount
- $30.1M
- Amount sold
- $30.1M
- First sale
- Sep 2025
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
βΆ$15MraisedMay 2024 Β· 2 investors Β· BiotechnologyRule 506(b)
- Arjun BalarDirector
- Stefan VitorovicDirector
- Eileen McGuireDirector
- Rachel Zolot SchwartzExecutive Officer
- Samuel BakhoumDirector
- Scott DrutmanExecutive Officer
- Charles Hugh-JonesExecutive Officer, Director
- David NicholsonDirector
- Sandra PetersonDirector
- Rez HalzeDirector
- Offering amount
- $15M
- Amount sold
- $15M
- First sale
- May 2024
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
βΆ$60.2MraisedMar 2023 Β· 13 investors Β· BiotechnologyRule 506(b)
- Sandra PetersonExecutive Officer, Director
- Diane TagerExecutive Officer
- Michael SuExecutive Officer
- Stefan VitorovicDirector
- Amy SchulmanDirector
- Luc DochezDirector
- Charles Hugh-JonesExecutive Officer, Director
- Samuel BakhoumDirector
- Offering amount
- $60.2M
- Amount sold
- $60.2M
- First sale
- Mar 2023
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2019
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Volastra Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage oncology biotechnology company based in New York City that discovers and develops therapeutics targeting chromosomal instability (CIN), defined by the company as an increased rate of chromosome segregation errors during mitosis that produces structural and numerical genomic changes and tumor heterogeneity. The company frames CIN as a cancer-specific vulnerability that can be drugged, and pursues two complementary research approaches: synthetic lethality, which identifies targets required for survival by chromosomally unstable cells but not normal cells, and immune activation, which seeks targets that restore immune sensing of chromosomal instability.
The pipeline centers on two orally administered small-molecule inhibitors of KIF18A, a mitotic kinesin that regulates chromosome alignment during metaphase and that chromosomally unstable cancer cells depend on while normal diploid cells do not. VLS-1488, discovered internally, is in a Phase 1 trial (NCT05902988) in advanced solid tumors with high levels of chromosomal instability. Sovilnesib (previously AMG 650), licensed from Amgen in February 2023, completed a Phase 1 trial and entered a Phase 1b trial (NCT06084416) initiated in early 2024 in ovarian cancer. Both compounds have received fast track designation in platinum-resistant high-grade serous ovarian cancer. The company also lists two undisclosed programs (Program 3 and Program 4) and a discovery-stage "CINsight Engine" generating additional targets, along with biomarker approaches intended to match therapies to likely responders.
Volastra was founded in 2019 by Lewis Cantley, Samuel Bakhoum and Olivier Elemento, whose research identified chromosomal instability as a driver of metastatic cancer. Its earlier public positioning (2021) emphasized preventing and treating metastasis; current materials describe a broader CIN-focused oncology therapeutics strategy. Leadership includes CEO David P. Southwell (appointed May 2025), Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer Samuel Bakhoum, and Chief Medical Officer Timothy Bowler (appointed January 2026). The board is chaired by Sandi Peterson (Clayton, Dubilier & Rice) and includes representatives of Polaris Partners, DROIA Ventures and B Capital.
Founding story
The company's scientific founders β Lewis Cantley, Olivier Elemento and Samuel Bakhoum β made discoveries identifying chromosomal instability as a key driver of metastatic cancer; Volastra was built on those insights and founded in 2019 with Polaris Partners as founding investor.
Business model
Volastra is a therapeutics developer that funds R&D through venture capital and strategic investment and monetizes through drug development, in-licensing of clinical assets (sovilnesib from Amgen) and partnerships or strategic deals with pharmaceutical and technology organizations. No product revenue is described in the sources.
Not described in the sources; the company is pre-commercial, funded by venture and strategic investors and engaged in partnered discovery collaborations.
Traction
Two KIF18A inhibitors are in clinical development: VLS-1488 in Phase 1 (NCT05902988) and sovilnesib in Phase 1b (NCT06084416) after completing Phase 1; both have fast track designation in platinum-resistant high-grade serous ovarian cancer. The company reported $44 million in seed financing as of April 2021, 29 employees per Built In NYC, multiple peer-reviewed and conference publications on KIF18A inhibition, and partnerships with Bristol Myers Squibb, Amgen (license), Dewpoint Therapeutics and Microsoft.
Latest developments
In April 2026 Volastra announced biomarker and combination data around AACR 2026 identifying p16 expression β a marker of Rb pathway inactivation β as a candidate predictive biomarker for KIF18A inhibition, supporting an Rb pathway-driven pan-cancer development strategy across multiple tumor types and in combination with standard therapies. In January 2026 the company appointed Timothy Bowler, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer while highlighting continued pipeline advancement.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Volastra positions itself as a pioneer in translating chromosomal instability biology into targeted oncology drugs, and states it is advancing two differentiated KIF18A inhibitors in Phase 1. Company publications note KIF18A has attracted attention from multiple research groups as a cancer target, indicating a competitive target space; specific competitors are not named in the sources.
The company cites its CINtech research strategy β proprietary technology, screening techniques and computational modeling β to measure and characterize chromosomal instability and identify CIN-specific targets paired with new biomarkers, including applying that lens to large existing oncology datasets. It also notes that its two KIF18A inhibitors use different molecular scaffolds, yielding two distinct clinical drug profiles.
Technology
Volastra's CINtech platform combines proprietary technology, screening techniques and computational modeling to measure and characterize chromosomal instability, identify CIN-specific targets and associated biomarkers, and mine large oncology datasets. Reported discovery work included mining the Cancer Dependency Map (DepMap) for genes essential to cells with high copy-number aberrations, which identified KIF18A, followed by RNAi validation, high-throughput screening that produced an ATP-noncompetitive hit, and optimization for potency, selectivity and pharmacokinetics. A biomarker discovery partnership with Microsoft applies artificial intelligence to measure chromosomal instability in human tissue samples, and a discovery-stage "CINsight Engine" is listed as generating additional targets.
Go-to-market
As a clinical-stage drug developer, Volastra advances candidates through company-sponsored clinical trials (Phase 1 and Phase 1b) and pursues regulatory designations such as FDA fast track. It supplements internal discovery with in-licensing (Amgen) and collaborations with pharmaceutical (Bristol Myers Squibb), biotechnology (Dewpoint Therapeutics) and technology (Microsoft) partners.
Patients with chromosomally unstable, difficult-to-treat solid tumors, including platinum-resistant high-grade serous ovarian cancer and other advanced solid tumors; commercially, oncology prescribers and pharmaceutical partners.
Geography
Headquartered in New York City, with office and laboratory space in West Harlem. Investors are described as US and European venture firms.
History
Founded in 2019 by Lewis Cantley, Samuel Bakhoum and Olivier Elemento, and initially incubated by Polaris Partners. An original $12 million seed round was extended to $44 million in April 2021, when the company was described as focused on preventing and treating metastatic cancer. Around that time it announced a discovery partnership with Dewpoint Therapeutics and an AI collaboration with Microsoft. In February 2023 it licensed the KIF18A inhibitor sovilnesib (AMG 650) from Amgen, and by 2023-2024 had two KIF18A inhibitors in clinical trials. Leadership transitioned from Charles Hugh-Jones (CEO as of 2021) to David P. Southwell in May 2025, with Timothy Bowler appointed Chief Medical Officer in January 2026.
Risks & controversies
No controversies are reported in the sources. Risks implied by the material include clinical-stage development risk (all disclosed programs are Phase 1/1b or earlier), dependence on a single validated target class (KIF18A) for both lead assets, reliance on an in-licensed asset from Amgen, unvalidated predictive biomarkers, recent turnover in the CEO and CMO roles, and competition from other groups pursuing KIF18A.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Competitors Β· 3
by search overlap
Companies competing with Volastra for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline Β· 9
launches, deals, and filingsVolastra announced data identifying p16 expression, a marker of Rb pathway inactivation, as a candidate predictive biomarker for KIF18A inhibition, defining an Rb pathway-driven pan-cancer development strategy supporting development across multiple tumor types and in combination with standard therapies.
Volastra appointed Timothy Bowler as Chief Medical Officer, alongside highlighting continued advancement across its pipeline.
Volastra Therapeutics announced the appointment of David P. Southwell as Chief Executive Officer.
A Phase 1b trial of sovilnesib (NCT06084416) was initiated in early 2024 following completion of a Phase 1 trial.
Built In NYC profile states Volastra has a multi-year drug discovery collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb.
Volastra licensed sovilnesib (previously AMG 650), a clinical-stage oral small-molecule KIF18A inhibitor, from Amgen in February 2023.
Volastra announced the extension of its original $12 million seed round to a total of $44 million, led by new investor Vida Ventures with Catalio Capital Management joining a syndicate including Polaris Partners, Droia Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners and Quark Venture. Funding was to support build-out of its chromosomal instability technology platform and programs to block metastasis.
$44M source β
Volastra announced a collaboration with Microsoft to develop proprietary artificial intelligence algorithms to detect and predict metastatic potential in human tissue samples; later described as a biomarker discovery partnership using AI to measure chromosomal instability.
Volastra announced a partnership with Dewpoint Therapeutics to discover novel molecules capable of blocking immuno-suppressive signaling in CIN-high tumors.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
βΈResearch sources Β· 8
primary sources listed
- Volastravolastratx.com Β· web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Volastra do?
- NYC clinical-stage biotech developing oncology therapeutics that target chromosomal instability, led by two KIF18A inhibitors.
- Who founded Volastra?
- Volastra was founded by Samuel Bakhoum, Lewis Cantley, Olivier Elemento in 2019.
- Who are Volastra's investors?
- Volastra's investors include Droia Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, B Capital Group, B4 Capital, Vida Ventures.
- How much funding has Volastra raised?
- Volastra has disclosed $105.3M raised across 3 of its 5 known rounds.
- Where is Volastra headquartered?
- Volastra is headquartered in New York, US.