# Gelesis

Startup profile on Capital Atlas: https://capitalatlas.ai/startups/gelesis

- Industry: Biotechnology
- Headquarters: Boston, US
- Website: www.gelesis.com
- Total disclosed funding: $22M
- Latest round: Series A (May 25, 2011)
- Investors on record: 3

## About

Founded in 2006 and based in Massachusetts, US, Gelesis Inc. is a biotechnology company that develops therapeutics for the treatment of obesity and chronic diseases. CEO Mr. Yishai Zohar and CTO Mr. Eyal Ron co-founded the company and have raised venture capital funding from private equity investors, including OrbiMed Advisors, Cormorant Asset Management, LLC, and Vitruvian Partners. As of January 2021,  Gelesis has raised a total of USD 212.8 million in funding from investors including Vitruvian Partners, OrbiMed, PureTech Health and QIC BioVentures. In July 2021, Gelesis Inc. agreed to merge with Capstar Special Purpose Acquisition Corp., a SPAC (special purpose acquisition company), at an enterprise value of approximately USD 1 million.

The company's development team manufactures and provides Plenity, biomimetic superabsorbent hydrogels made from cellulose and citric acid used to manage weight for adults suffering from excess weight and metabolic disorders. Gelesis Inc.'s biotherapeutic formulation help patients feel full and eat less. The company also develops potential therapies to treat GI-related chronic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), and Functional Constipation.

Gelesis Inc. plans to list on the New York stock exchange under the ticker symbol GLS upon completing the merger agreement.

## Funding rounds

- Series A, May 25, 2011, $2.5M — OrbiMed Advisors
- Series A, Apr 30, 2011, $3.6M — QIC
- Series A, Jan 16, 2008, $16M — OrbiMed Advisors, PureTech Ventures, QIC

## Investors

- OrbiMed Advisors (https://capitalatlas.ai/funds/orbimed-advisors) — Series A
- PureTech Ventures — Series A
- QIC (https://capitalatlas.ai/funds/qic) — Series A