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Galux

Category: AI in Biotech / Drug Discovery

An AI-driven biotechnology startup specializing in 'de novo' antibody and protein design through a proprietary platform that integrates award-winning physics-based modeling with advanced deep learning. Galux was founded in 2020. The company is led by Chaok Seok. Based in Seoul, South Korea. Team size: 50. Total funding raised: $47.0M. Latest round: Series B. Key investors include Yuanta Investment, Korea Development Bank (KDB), Intervest, Kakao Brain, SL Investment, LG, Daily Partners, NH Investment & Securities, Pathway Investment.

Founded
2020
Headquarters
Seoul, South Korea
Team size
50
Total funding
$47.0M

Value proposition

Revolutionizes early-stage drug discovery by enabling 'zero-shot' design of novel antibodies that do not exist in nature, significantly reducing experimental trial-and-error and improving candidate success rates to over 30%.

Products and solutions

GaluxDesign: A modality-agnostic AI platform for precision protein and molecule design., Galux App Design: A specialized platform for the de novo design of therapeutic antibodies., GALAXY Suite: The commercial evolution of the world-leading academic protein modeling software., Therapeutic Pipeline: Internal and co-developed candidates for oncology, rare diseases, and autoimmune disorders.

Unique value

Galux is one of only a few global players capable of 'Zero-shot' de novo antibody design, creating high-affinity binders for difficult-to-target proteins without requiring existing natural templates.

Target customer

Global 'Big Pharma' companies, mid-to-large scale biotechnology firms, and pharmaceutical research organizations.

Industries served

Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, Artificial Intelligence, Computational Biology

Technology advantage

Combines decades of expertise in physics-based protein folding (winning CASP and CAPRI international competitions) with proprietary AI models, allowing for superior accuracy in predicting complex protein-protein interactions compared to pure AI-based approaches.

How they differentiate

Galux differentiates through its 'Zero-shot' de novo antibody design capability, which generates high-affinity binders without existing natural templates. It uniquely combines three decades of physics-based protein modeling expertise (the award-winning GALAXY suite) with advanced deep learning, achieving success rates exceeding 30% with significantly fewer design sets (only ~50 sequences) compared to pure AI or experimental approaches.

Main competitors

Nabla Bio, Chai Discovery, Xaira Therapeutics, Absci, Standigm

Key partnerships

Boehringer Ingelheim (Strategic collaboration for AI-based antibody design), LG Chem (Joint research for anti-cancer protein therapeutics), Celltrion (Co-development of multi-antibody therapies for autoimmune diseases), Isu Abxis (MOU for rare disease drug discovery using AI platforms), Kakao Brain (Strategic investment and joint research partnership)

Notable customers

Boehringer Ingelheim, Celltrion, LG Chem, Isu Abxis, Y-Biologics

Major milestones

Founded in Sep 2020 by Prof. Chaok Seok (SNU), Ranked #1 in international protein structure prediction competitions (CASP/CAPRI), Secured 5B KRW strategic investment from Kakao Brain in 2021, Completed 21B KRW Series A in Sep 2022, Published breakthrough research on de novo antibody design for multiple therapeutic targets in 2025, Signed global strategic research agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim in Dec 2025, Closed 42B KRW (~$29M) Series B round in Feb 2026

Growth metrics

Cumulative funding reached 68 billion KRW (~$47M) following Series B; successful de novo design of PD-L1 and EGFR targeting antibodies with picomolar affinity.

Market positioning

A global leader in the 'top-three' race for de novo antibody design, positioned as a high-precision biotechnology platform provider for 'Big Pharma' and biologics developers.

Geographic focus

South Korea (HQ), North America, and Europe (strategic partnerships).

Patents and IP

Operates with a strategic 'Trade Secret' policy for its core GaluxDesign platform to maintain competitive advantage; possesses intellectual property and experimental validation data for specific designed candidates, such as the GX-aPDL1-3 antibody.

About Chaok Seok

Chaok Seok is a Professor of Chemistry at Seoul National University and a globally recognized authority in protein structure prediction. With over 20 years of experience in computational biology, she led the development of the 'GALAXY' protein modeling software, which consistently ranked at the top of international competitions such as CASP and CAPRI. She transitioned her academic excellence into the commercial sector by founding Galux to revolutionize drug discovery using AI and physics-based modeling.

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