HITS
Category: AI in Healthcare
An integrated AI-driven drug discovery SaaS platform that digitalizes the entire pharmaceutical R&D process through high-performance virtual simulations and predictive modeling. HITS was founded in 2020. The company is led by Woo-yeon Kim. Based in Seoul, South Korea. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: KRW 28.6B. Latest round: Series B. Key investors include Korea Investment Partners, Stick Ventures, Kium Investment, Capstone Partners, Schmidt.
- Founded
- 2020
- Headquarters
- Seoul, South Korea
- Team size
- 11-50
- Total funding
- KRW 28.6B
Value proposition
Reduces drug discovery R&D timelines by up to 90% and increases the success rate (hit rate) of finding valid substances by 9x through a user-friendly, cloud-based virtual laboratory environment.
Products and solutions
HyperLab: The core all-in-one SaaS platform for drug design, Hyper Screening X: Ultra-large scale virtual screening capable of searching 11 trillion molecules within 48 hours, Hyper Binding Co-folding: AlphaFold3-based structural prediction and protein-ligand binding affinity analysis, Hyper Design: Generative AI module for creating novel molecular structures using fragment-based deep learning, Hyper ADME/T: Predictive modeling for drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity, NOVA: An LLM-integrated AI research assistant for intuitive data querying and experiment management, K-Fold: Bio-AI foundation model developed with KAIST and integrated into HyperLab for protein and molecular-complex structure prediction; publicly unveiled August 2026, HyperLab Bio Co-Scientist / HyperLab 3.0: Multi-agent research environment connecting literature search, data analysis, molecular design and structure prediction; in beta, with full launch planned for November 2026
Unique value
Distinguished by being the first in Korea to productize a drug discovery SaaS, HITS combines physics-based computational chemistry with proprietary deep learning to simulate experiments at a scale of 11 trillion molecules, which is among the highest in the world.
Target customer
Early to mid-stage biotech startups, large-scale pharmaceutical corporations, and academic life science research institutes.
Industries served
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Healthcare IT
Technology advantage
Eliminates the 'bottleneck' of laboratory experiments by providing a 'Click-to-Synthesis' workflow; their binding affinity prediction models achieve accuracy levels comparable to Google DeepMind's AlphaFold while maintaining higher practical usability for medicinal chemists.
How they differentiate
HITS differentiates by providing a SaaS-based AI platform (HyperLab) rather than a service-based CRO model. It combines physics-based computational chemistry with deep learning to offer a 'Click-to-Synthesis' workflow that enables medicinal chemists to directly conduct 11-trillion-molecule simulations without requiring deep AI expertise.
Main competitors
Standigm, Deargen, Schrodinger
Key partnerships
Enterprise Customers: LG Chem, Boryeong Pharmaceutical, HK inno.N, Strategic Partners: eMolecules (USA) and Synple Chem (Switzerland) for automated molecule synthesis and procurement, Institutional: Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association (KPBMA), MD Anderson Cancer Center, National Project: Yonsei University-led 17.7B KRW AI drug discovery platform project with GC Green Cross, Daewoong Pharmaceutical (2026), National Cancer Center (South Korea): MOU signed June 18, 2026 for AI-based oncology drug discovery, including virtual screening, candidate discovery and optimization, ADME/T prediction and omics analysis
Notable customers
LG Chem, Boryeong Pharmaceutical, HK inno.N, Il-dong Pharmaceutical
Major milestones
Series A Bridge completion in 2025 bringing cumulative funding to 10.3B KRW, Launched HyperLab 2.0 with LLM-integrated AI research assistant 'NOVA' (April 2025), Selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups 'Scale-up TIPS' program (Sept 2024), Established global molecule synthesis partnerships with eMolecules and Synple Chem (2025), CTO Jae-chang Lim named in Forbes Asia 30 Under 30
Growth metrics
Reached KRW 28.6B in cumulative investment following the September 2026 Series B; achieved 9x higher hit rates in drug discovery compared to traditional methods.
Market positioning
Leading South Korean AI drug discovery SaaS provider transitioning into a global bioinformatics tool developer.
Geographic focus
South Korea (domestic market leader), North America (via eMolecules partnership), and Europe (via Synple Chem partnership).
Patents and IP
Holds multiple core patents including 'Deep learning-based molecular design technology' and 'Fragment-based molecular generation deep learning technology' (Registered in KR).
About Woo-yeon Kim
KAIST Chemistry professor since 2011; previously a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics (2009–2010). Director of KPBMA's Korea AI Center for Drug Discovery and Development (2022–2024), then Vice Director of its Convergence AI Institute for Drug Discovery (January–March 2024).
Latest news about HITS
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Official website: https://hits.ai/