Year 2011 in Zürich, SpiroChem was founded as an ETH spin-off. Having our roots in one of the most prestigious research centers for Science (in particular chemistry), we were equipped with values that we have been fighting ever since: creativity, hard work and integrity.
20th November 2012, the same day our CEO became a father for the first time, SpiroChem received the termsheet for its first financing round to support our growth. Unforgettable days that put us on a successful trajectory and enabled us to develop ourselves faster.
BOSS XIII - Leuven, Belgium - Our first conference as exhibitors and our CEO, Thomas Fessard, was the only attendee wearing suit and a tie. He got more relaxed (from a dress code point of view) but the passion and enthusiasm remains the same as on that first conference of ours. Meeting fellow scientists and entrepreneurs is fueling our ability to innovate.
Year 2015, we signed our first FTE contract with a biotech company in North America! This was the beginning of our fruitful collaborations with biotechs, for whom our innovation, speed and quality are important components of their R&D strategy.
Our job is to find solutions to problems. Back in 2016, there was no scalable and efficient way to manufacture bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes. Moreover, this motif was recently (2012) demonstrated to be a novel bio-isosteric replacement to benzenes … which was enough to convince us to take on the challenge. The result: a process patent that shortcuts the existing route by several steps and made its production scalable.
In 2017, we relocated the company from Zürich to Basel, leaving a leading intellectual center of excellence to what is arguably the most vibrant Life Science Hub in continental Europe, home of the Swiss pharmaceutical industry for over a century. The move took us to the Rosental area, where fully equipped research laboratories, ample space to expand and a great network of scientists allowed us to accelerate our growth.
What began with a small handful of passionate chemists slowly grew into a larger team. At the end of 2018, the SpiroTeam counted 20 employees, most of which are chemistry experts who shared the same passion: solving problems in chemistry. 20 individuals that created the spirit, energy and strength that SpiroChem projected on the outside.
After time period of strategic market penetration in Japan, we successfully signed our first FTE contract with a Japanese client. This contract demonstrated that our focus on innovation and quality was the right choice. And this was only the beginning…
Since 2018, our team expanded in size but the spirit within the company remained the same. Carefully selected top notch chemists in a profound interview process, where deep scientific knowledge, creativity and team spirit are evaluated. Each new addition is bringing a new set of complementary skills, while our company spirit and values must remain strong.
By 2021, SpiroChem had grown to more than 60 employees and established a leading position in the elite segment of discovery chemistry. The company's continued focus on quality, creativity and scientific depth had become a clear competitive advantage, setting the stage for its next phase of growth.
In 2022, SpiroChem took a decisive step beyond its small-molecule heritage and began expanding into new modalities. It was a natural evolution for a company built on solving complex problems and pushing scientific boundaries. By broadening its scope, SpiroChem laid the groundwork for a more integrated and future-facing discovery model.
In 2023, SpiroChem acquired Cyclenium Pharma Inc., establishing its first research foothold in North America — a long overdue step, given that the United States had always been its main market. The acquisition also brought Cyclenium’s recognised expertise in macrocycles, a highly specialised modality requiring deep scientific know-how, into SpiroChem’s growing platform. The year marked a broader strategic shift: strengthening leadership, deepening platform capabilities, and moving from being recognised as a best-in-class chemistry CRO towards becoming a true Discovery Engine.
In 2024, SpiroChem established an integrated discovery ecosystem by combining its chemistry strength with best-in-class biology CRO partners. This enabled the launch of integrated discovery programmes and marked an important milestone for the company: the first development candidates nominated from SpiroChem laboratories into client programmes. It was a clear signal that the model had evolved from chemistry excellence alone into broader discovery impact.
In 2025, SpiroChem expanded its platform in Montréal with Hercules+™, a high-throughput parallel solid-phase synthesis platform enabling more than 12 transformations and broad diversity coverage. The year also brought multiple target deals, further expansion into radiotherapeutics through combined macrocyclic ligand and linker optimisation platforms, and the launch of SpiroBrain™ for virtual exploration and deep knowledge mining. It was a year of scale, acceleration and platform depth.
By 2026, SpiroChem had grown to more than 100 people, while continuing to build around a clear idea: that the future of discovery lies in combining human expertise with smart, targeted automation. This next chapter is shaped by the rise of the Augmented Chemist, where deep scientific judgement meets differentiated platforms, AI-supported macrocycle design, expanded ADC solutions and new strategic alliances in end-to-end discovery. Larger in scale, broader in capability and sharper in direction, SpiroChem continues to evolve its Discovery Engine for the challenges ahead.
This celebration extends to all new and old collaborators, partners, clients and groups that supported our work through our fifteen years.
A huge thank you to all of you!
