From ETH roots to platform-driven discovery, SpiroChem marks 15 years of scientific ambition, long-term investment and a model built far beyond conventional service chemistry.
Fifteen years after its founding as a spin-off from ETH Zürich, SpiroChem is marking more than an anniversary. It is marking the continued evolution of a company that has steadily built a distinctive position in modern discovery, one defined not simply by service delivery, but by scientific ownership, platform depth and the ability to engage with the problems others tend to avoid.
Established in 2011 on strong academic foundations and an entrepreneurial mindset, SpiroChem has grown into a research partner with differentiated capabilities, proprietary know-how and a clear role in helping clients move complex discovery programmes forward.
Today, it stands as a Partner Research Organisation and a Discovery Engine, a model shaped by strategic scientific investment and designed to create relevance well beyond execution alone. This milestone is therefore not simply about longevity. It is about what has been built over time: a company with the judgement, infrastructure and scientific breadth to contribute meaningfully where complexity is highest and where the right chemistry can change the direction of a programme.
ETH Roots and Founder Vision / or ETH Foundations, Founder Vision
SpiroChem’s story begins in Zürich, within one of the world’s most respected scientific environments. Its roots in ETH Zürich did more than define its origin; they established the standards that continue to shape the company today: scientific rigour, intellectual curiosity and the conviction that chemistry should do more than deliver results, it should unlock progress.
As Erick M. Carreira, Co-Founder of SpiroChem, reflects:
SpiroChem began with a strong scientific foundation and a clear sense of purpose. From the outset, the ambition was not simply to create another chemistry company, but to build an organisation capable of bringing rigorous science, originality and long-term relevance to discovery.
From the outset, the company was built around a belief that meaningful scientific contribution requires more than technical capability. It requires perspective, creativity and the confidence to approach difficult questions with both ambition and discipline. That belief remains central to SpiroChem today.
What has changed is the scale and sophistication of what the company now offers, and the extent to which it has deliberately built the capabilities to support a more integrated role in discovery.
As Thomas Fessard, CEO of SpiroChem, adds:
What began with strong scientific roots and a clear vision has, over the years, become something much more differentiated. We built SpiroChem step by step — by investing in the right science, developing the right capabilities and staying focused on where we could create the greatest value in discovery.
The Discovery Engine SpiroChem is today
Over the past 15 years, SpiroChem has evolved into a business that reflects a different kind of value in discovery. Its role today is not limited to execution. It lies in the combination of scientific depth, platform access and integrated thinking that allows clients to move the right molecules and the right decisions forward with greater confidence.
This is the Discovery Engine SpiroChem has built.
It is not a tagline, nor a simple act of repositioning. It is the practical result of years of long-term capability building, built on the principle that at SpiroChem, discovery is not left to chance. It describes a model in which clients gain access not only to chemistry expertise, but to a research partner with accumulated scientific judgement, proprietary platforms and the ability to contribute meaningfully to the direction of a programme.
That differentiation is visible across areas including macrocycles, peptidomimetics, ADC linkers, radiopharmaceuticals, degraders, direct-to-biology approaches and high-throughput chemistry. These are not capabilities assembled by chance, nor extensions of routine service work. They are the outcome of focused scientific choices made and refined over many years.
SpiroChem has continuously reinvested in internal R&D, academic collaborations, grant-supported programmes and strategic partnerships to develop the platforms and know-how that define the business today. Unlike many technology-driven biotech companies that rely on large Series A fundraising rounds, SpiroChem’s Discovery Engine has been built thoughtfully over years—primarily through the continuous reinvestment of our own profits. This deliberate approach has enabled us to accumulate proprietary know-how and develop differentiated platforms that accelerate discovery programs and help our partners go beyond the status quo. Our growth has been further leveraged by multiple non-dilutive grants, amplifying the impact of our internal investments. This journey reflects a commitment to scientific ownership and long-term value creation, not opportunistic growth.
A notable example of SpiroChem’s commitment to investing in new complex modalities is the acquisition of Cyclenium Pharma Inc, a Canadian company with over a decade of experience in macrocycle chemistry and a differentiated, proven platform. This strategic move has significantly expanded SpiroChem’s capabilities, enabling us to offer advanced solutions in macrocycle discovery and further accelerate our partners’ programmes. The integration of Cyclenium’s proprietary know-how underscores our dedication to building impactful.
Its standing in areas such as ADC chemistry and macrocycles did not emerge through opportunism. It was built with intent, through scientific commitment, patience and long-view investment in the foundations of differentiation.
Built for the chemistry others avoid
SpiroChem has earned its reputation by working where scientific complexity is highest and where standard approaches are often insufficient.
Its differentiation lies not simply in speed or capacity, but in capability and judgement, in the ability to frame complex problems correctly, navigate uncertainty intelligently and design pathways that are more likely to yield meaningful outcomes. In that sense, SpiroChem does not simply execute chemistry. It helps shape scientific direction.
That philosophy is captured in a principle that continues to define the company’s work:
"Help clients make the molecules they should, not only the ones they could."
It is a line that reflects the essence of SpiroChem’s role today. In a field where technical possibilities are broad but strategic clarity is often scarce, the ability to identify what truly matters has become one of the company’s most important contributions.
The people behind the engine
Behind SpiroChem’s platforms, programmes and capabilities lies a discovery engine shaped by deep scientific expertise and a sustained commitment to solving complex problems well. What distinguishes this engine is not only its technical sophistication, but the way it has been built deliberately over time to translate creativity into dependable impact.
This has been apparent to those who have observed SpiroChem’s development from outside and worked closely with the company as partners, advisors or board members. Their perspective highlights how scientific depth, culture and execution have converged into something robust and enduring.
As Peter Harboe‑Schmidt, Chairman, observes:
SpiroChem has succeeded in building a discovery engine that combines intellectual rigor with consistency of delivery. The strength of the company lies in how its science, people and ways of working reinforce one another to create lasting value for partners.
That view is echoed by long‑standing collaborators who have seen the company evolve alongside increasingly demanding discovery challenges.
As Raj Lehal, former client and current advisor, notes:
What sets SpiroChem apart is its ability to turn strong scientific thinking into reliable platforms that partners can trust. Over time, this has become a genuine engine for innovation rather than a collection of capabilities.
Together, these perspectives underline a simple point: SpiroChem’s Discovery Engine is not an abstract concept. It is the result of sustained scientific excellence, thoughtful leadership and a culture that has enabled the company to keep advancing discovery in ways that matter.
A model shaped by long-term investment
What SpiroChem represents today is the cumulative result of long-term choices.
For 15 years, the company has continued to invest in the scientific foundations of differentiation: in people, in internal research, in academic proximity, in strategic collaborations and in the development of platforms that expand what discovery teams can realistically access and achieve.
This has created a business that has deliberately moved beyond conventional chemistry service. Clients do not engage SpiroChem simply to outsource discrete tasks. They engage with a partner that brings scientific ownership, differentiated capability and the confidence to contribute at a higher level when complexity matters most.
That is what gives real substance to the term Partner Research Organisation.
And that is what makes the Discovery Engine more than a description. It is the operating model SpiroChem has built.
Looking ahead
Fifteen years is an important milestone for SpiroChem, but it also marks the beginning of the next chapter.
The first 15 years have been shaped by scientific rigour, entrepreneurial ambition, long-term investment and a constant determination to move discovery forward with greater precision and relevance.
On that foundation, SpiroChem looks ahead with confidence, ready to deepen its expertise, strengthen its platforms and continue expanding its role in solving the complex discovery problems that matter most.
As Thomas Fessard, CEO of SpiroChem, reflects on the journey so far and the direction ahead:
Fifteen years ago, SpiroChem began with a strong scientific vision and an entrepreneurial mindset. Since then, we have grown into a company that helps clients solve increasingly complex challenges and move their programmes forward with confidence. What makes me most proud is not only how far we have come, but how we have come this far, by staying close to science, staying close to our partners, and continuing to evolve. SpiroChem today is a Discovery Engine built for growth, and I believe the next chapter will be even more exciting than the first.
Celebrating 15 years of SpiroChem
Thank you to the founders, scientists, clients, partners and collaborators who have helped shape SpiroChem over the past 15 years.
This anniversary marks more than a milestone. It reflects a way of building thoughtfully, ambitiously and with long-term scientific intent.
Join us in marking 15 years of platform-driven discovery and the journey that has made SpiroChem the Discovery Engine it is today.
