PharmCube Secures Tens of Millions of RMB in Series A Funding to Empower China's Pharmaceutical Industry with Precision Big Data

VCBeat (WeChat: vcbeat) has learned that on September 17, PharmaCube, a well-known domestic precision big data platform for the pharmaceutical industry, announced the completion of its tens-of-millions-yuan Series A financing round. The round was led by Chongde Capital, with participation from Legend Star, Dynamic Balance Capital, and other investors. This investment will support PharmaCube in deepening its coverage of data across the entire pharmaceutical industry chain, further enhancing its machine learning capabilities, and expanding its international business.

The pharmaceutical industry is characterized by high professional barriers and a long value chain. China’s long-standing system of “fragmented multi-agency oversight” has led to severe fragmentation of domestic drug data, inconsistent standards, and pronounced data silos. Furthermore, as the pharmaceutical sector is closely tied to public welfare, frequent regulatory policy changes and institutional reforms have made it difficult to ensure continuity with historical data.

For professionals in the pharmaceutical industry, accessing target data has long been plagued by challenges such as fragmented sources, inconsistent methodologies, and excessive reliance on manual processes. PharmCube was founded with the mission to integrate industry-wide data, promote digitalization and standardization, significantly enhance operational efficiency, and serve as the “sunshine, air, and water” of the pharmaceutical sector. As the first organization in China to comprehensively restructure drug-related data, PharmCube has remained committed to leveraging data to provide industry insights, empower stakeholders, and drive innovation, thereby fostering a more efficient, transparent, and equitable pharmaceutical ecosystem.

As of now, PharmaCube has established systematic data standards, integrating end-to-end industry data across R&D intelligence, patent literature, clinical trials, regulatory approvals, technology transactions, market access, medical insurance reimbursement, competitive landscape, corporate credit reporting, and investment and financing. This has built a scalable and highly compatible technological and data foundation, upon which multiple products have been launched tailored to the scenarios of professional pharmaceutical users.

Zhou Liyun, Founder and Chairman of PharmCube, stated that generic data processed solely by machines cannot support the business decisions of professional industry users. Data standards derived from user application scenarios represent a critical juncture in the evolution from generic data to big data. By addressing this entry point, PharmCube has tackled long-standing industry challenges, overcome numerous obstacles, and successfully forged a viable path. Our vision for advancing from industry digitalization to data productization and, ultimately, market commercialization has become increasingly clear and resolute.

The founding team of PharmCube brings years of industry experience and a deep understanding of the shortcomings in domestic pharmaceutical data. This insight enables them to better align with user needs during data product development and place greater emphasis on data quality. Committed to continuously optimizing user experience and enhancing work efficiency, PharmCube pursues endless improvement. Its core products have undergone hundreds of iterations, with updates released several times per week.

As China’s economic level steadily rises and public demand for medications continues to grow, the structure of the Chinese pharmaceutical industry and its regulatory framework are gradually aligning with those of mature international pharmaceutical markets. China is now the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical market, with its market size continuing to expand steadily.

Innovation has become the core force driving the upgrading of China’s pharmaceutical industry. In particular, positive reforms in regulatory policies in recent years have spurred the vigorous development of the innovative drug sector. The return of talent, influx of capital, and streamlined investment pathways have infused China’s innovative drug industry with boundless potential. According to statistics from NextPharma®, the global new drug database by PharmaCube, the number of active innovative drug projects from Chinese enterprises has exceeded 1,000, accounting for nearly 15% of global innovative drug projects.

Source: PharmaCube Global New Drug DatabaseNextPharma

As China’s voice in the global innovative drug industry grows increasingly influential, overseas enterprises, institutions, and investors are eager to understand the development trends of China’s innovative drug sector and gain a comprehensive overview of the country’s pharmaceutical industry. However, due to limitations in data transparency, completeness, and accuracy, there is currently no effective channel to help international markets accurately comprehend China’s pharmaceutical landscape, nor is there any media outlet dedicated to presenting the developmental trajectory of China’s pharmaceutical industry to overseas audiences.

To address this gap, PharmaCube has developed NextPharma®, a global new drug data product that dynamically monitors innovative drug projects worldwide. It provides particularly comprehensive, in-depth, and real-time tracking of innovative drug projects in China, aiming to help overseas users unlock the “black box” of China’s new drug market through data-driven tools.

Source: PharmaCube Global New Drug DatabaseNextPharma

In April this year, PharmaCube entered into a strategic partnership with Endpoints News, a globally renowned biopharmaceutical media outlet. The collaboration aims to leverage both parties’ media channels, industry data, and conference activities to help overseas users gain insights into China’s innovative drug industry, while also supporting Chinese innovative pharmaceutical companies in their global expansion.

As a key component of the strategic partnership implementation, the “China-US Biopharma Innovation and Capital Summit (Bisi Summit),” co-hosted by PharmaCube and Endpoints News, will be held in Shanghai on October 22–23. The conference will bring together top founders of innovative drug companies and venture capital investors from China and the United States. Participants will discuss collaboration and development between innovative pharmaceutical enterprises and venture capital firms, focusing on hot topics such as innovation, technology, investment, and deal-making, while jointly exploring pathways to success with industry peers.

Jiang Jianhua, Co-founder and CEO of PharmaCube, stated, “Interest in China’s innovative drug industry is growing among global capital market participants and pharmaceutical professionals, with an increasingly strong demand for investment targets or partners in China. Through its data, media platforms, and collaborations with top-tier international media outlets such as Endpoints News, PharmaCube helps global users gain deeper insights into the real landscape of China’s pharmaceutical industry and identify optimal partnership opportunities in the country. At the same time, it supports Chinese innovative drug projects, enterprises, and investment institutions in expanding their global presence.”

Guided by data, PharmaCube’s one-stop data products have cumulatively served more than 200 pharmaceutical companies and investment institutions, while also providing long-term new drug data monitoring services to government agencies such as the National Health Commission. Building on its standardized data offerings, the company’s high-quality industrial consulting, investment and financing matchmaking, and media promotion services have collectively served over 100 corporate clients in the past three years.

For years, PharmaCube has closely monitored the dynamics of the global pharmaceutical industry. Leveraging its extensive data accumulation and platforms such as WeChat, it actively reports on global new drug developments and investment and financing transactions, provides in-depth analysis of the evolution of China’s pharmaceutical policies, and offers insights into industry trends. This approach has earned high recognition and an excellent reputation within the industry, making PharmaCube one of the most widely followed industry-specific self-media outlets among professionals in pharmaceutical R&D, regulatory affairs, business development (BD), and investment. It is the domestic vertical pharmaceutical media outlet with the most prominent “data” label.

As a company founded on data, PharmaCube has engaged in extensive exploration and accumulation in applying new technologies such as data cleaning and machine learning to data processing, thereby helping both itself and its clients further improve work efficiency. The data cleaning system developed by PharmaCube compressed a workload that a well-known domestic medical big data company had originally planned to complete over several months into just 10 minutes, earning significant recognition from the client. This round of financing will also provide assurance for PharmaCube’s subsequent technological explorations.

Cheng Jing, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of PharmCube, stated, “Building on our multi-dimensional drug data standards refined over many years, PharmCube has established a comprehensive system for data cleaning, aggregation, and mining, thereby integrating relevant data across the entire pharmaceutical value chain. Furthermore, grounded in our deep understanding of application scenarios across various sectors of the pharmaceutical industry, our products are closely aligned with the practical needs of industry users and have received widespread acclaim from numerous clients, including Qilu Pharmaceutical and Chia Tai Tianqing. Looking ahead, we will continue to leverage emerging technologies to further enhance the quality of our data pipelines and product functionalities. We are confident that high-quality, integrated data combined with advanced technologies will deliver greater value to our customers.”

Su Yan, President of Chongde Capital, stated: “Chongde Capital focuses on early-stage investments in high-tech innovative enterprises within the pharmaceutical sector, and several of our portfolio companies have emerged as star innovators in the industry. PharmaCube is a distinctive company that combines data capabilities with media influence. By continuously delving into and developing high-quality products and services, it has earned significant credibility in China’s pharmaceutical landscape. We are confident in PharmaCube and believe it has the potential to become a leader in its vertical sector, thereby contributing to the development of China’s pharmaceutical industry.”

Leng Yan, Partner at Legend Star, stated: “Regarding specific investment projects, we focus on two key dimensions: first, the venture must have explosive growth potential; second, the founding team must demonstrate high adaptability and coachability. PharmaCube is a data-driven vertical media platform specializing in the pharmaceutical industry. In the foreseeable future, innovative drug companies will place greater emphasis on micro-level competitive intelligence for both sales and R&D activities. As such, PharmaCube will serve as an auxiliary decision-making partner for new drug companies at various stages of their development.”

Liang Yanyan, Investment Director at Dongpingheng Capital, stated: “The pharmaceutical industry is a unique sector where data support is indispensable throughout the entire process, from R&D project initiation to market sales. PharmaCube has built a professional, data-driven ecosystem spanning drug development to commercialization, enhancing efficiency from project立项 (initiation) and R&D to sales and promotion, while providing robust data support for optimal resource allocation. This plays a positive role in driving the overall pharmaceutical industry forward, reducing resource waste and time investment. As professionals in the pharmaceutical industry, we have closely monitored PharmaCube since its inception and deeply admire the founding team’s enterprising spirit, professionalism, and dedication. PharmaCube has gathered a group of insightful professionals and elites in the pharmaceutical sector. Over the past three years, driven by the ‘talent, self-media, and database’ triad, the company has achieved rapid growth while simultaneously boosting industry efficiency. We are delighted to have the opportunity to participate in this round of investment. Dongpingheng and PharmaCube share common goals, and we hope that through our joint efforts, we can promote healthier development in the pharmaceutical industry and ensure that resource investments deliver greater value.”

About Chongde Capital

Founded in 2013, Chongde Capital is a venture capital firm specializing in the biopharmaceutical sector. It manages three biopharmaceutical venture funds, focusing on early- to mid-stage startups in innovative drugs, novel medical diagnostics, medical devices, and high-end healthcare services. To date, it has invested in more than 20 high-quality biopharmaceutical companies. Leveraging its affiliation with the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission’s Biological Center and supported by a professional fund management team, Chongde Capital not only provides venture capital to portfolio companies but also offers robust support in strategic resource alignment and commercial channel expansion, thereby facilitating their rapid growth and development.

About Legend Star

Legend Star was founded in 2008 and currently manages an angel investment fund with a total size of approximately RMB 2.5 billion, having invested in over 200 projects. As the early-stage investment and incubation arm of Legend Holdings, Legend Star leverages more than three decades of entrepreneurial experience and resource accumulation from Legend to provide entrepreneurs with distinctive services combining angel investment and in-depth incubation, serving as a "Super Angel" by their side. Over 90% of its capital is invested in angel or Series A rounds, primarily focusing on three key sectors: healthcare, TMT (Technology, Media, and Telecom), and artificial intelligence. It actively strategically positions itself in frontier fields such as innovative drugs, biotechnology, intelligent robotics, and internet-enabled transformation of traditional industries.

On Dynamic Balance Capital

Dongpingheng Capital is a fund management company that aggregates resources from the government, industrial parks, and various industries. It manages multiple venture capital funds, government guidance funds, and industry-specific funds, with a total asset under management (AUM) of RMB 17 billion. The firm has invested in over 80 companies, focusing primarily on early- to mid-stage innovative projects in the life sciences sector. It places particular emphasis on the research and development innovation of small-molecule drugs and biologics; the innovative improvement and import substitution of medical devices; and customer-centric innovative medical services aimed at enhancing efficiency within the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Through both direct investments and fund-of-funds strategies, Dongpingheng Capital provides investment support, demonstrating distinct advantages in integrating industrial resources and offering long-term support for enterprise development.