Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money

Do you defintely want to know how Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV) is trying to turn chronic heart disease treatment into a one-time, curative event? This clinical-stage genetic medicine company, which Eli Lilly and Company agreed to acquire in June 2025, is a pure play on base editing-a form of gene editing-to permanently lower cholesterol, a strategy that drove its market capitalization to nearly $996.82 million by mid-2025. You should care because their lead candidate, VERVE-102, showed a time-averaged mean reduction in LDL-C (bad cholesterol) of 59% in the highest dose group from its Heart-2 trial in Q1 2025, suggesting a paradigm shift from daily pills to a single infusion. That's a massive technical and commercial bet, and with $497.1 million in cash and equivalents as of March 31, 2025, their runway is long enough to see if this one-and-done model can revolutionize a multi-billion dollar market.

Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV) History

You're looking at Verve Therapeutics, Inc., a company that fundamentally changed its trajectory in 2025. The core takeaway is that this biotech firm, founded on a revolutionary idea for a one-time genetic cure for heart disease, was validated and acquired by Eli Lilly and Company for up to $1.3 billion in June 2025, a massive vote of confidence in their gene-editing platform.

Given Company's Founding Timeline

The company's origin story is deeply personal, rooted in the tragic loss of CEO Sekar Kathiresan's brother to a heart attack at age 42. This event spurred Dr. Kathiresan, a cardiologist and human geneticist, to shift his focus to developing a single-course genetic medicine to permanently lower cardiovascular risk.

Year established

2018

Original location

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.

Founding team members

The company was built by a team of world-renowned experts in cardiovascular genetics and gene editing, including:

• Sekar Kathiresan, M.D. (Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer)
• Kiran Musunuru, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H. (Co-Founder & Senior Scientific Advisor)
• J. Keith Joung, M.D., Ph.D. (Co-Founder)
• Burt Adelman, M.D. (Co-Founder & Chairman of the Board)

Initial capital/funding

The company officially launched with a $58.5 million Series A financing round in May 2019, led by GV (formerly Google Ventures). That initial capital was crucial to start advancing their pre-clinical programs through proof-of-concept studies.

Given Company's Evolution Milestones

The journey from a startup idea to a major acquisition in 2025 was marked by critical funding, a successful public offering, and a pivotal clinical program pivot. Here's the quick math on their early capital: $58.5M (Series A) + $94M (Series B) + $267M (IPO) set the stage for their clinical work.

Given Company's Transformative Moments

The most transformative period for Verve Therapeutics, Inc. was the first half of 2025, which saw the company move from overcoming a clinical setback to a massive acquisition. This is defintely a case study in biotech resilience.

The pivot from VERVE-101 to VERVE-102 was a defining moment. After VERVE-101 faced safety concerns in early trials in 2024, the company swiftly shifted focus to VERVE-102, which uses a new lipid nanoparticle delivery system for sharper liver targeting. This quick, decisive action addressed the safety issues and led directly to the positive clinical data that followed.

The regulatory and clinical wins in early 2025 were the final catalyst:

• Fast Track Designation: In April 2025, the FDA granted Fast Track designation for VERVE-102, which is designed to expedite the development and review process.
• Clinical Validation: The initial data from the Heart-2 trial in April 2025 showed the new candidate was well-tolerated and achieved significant LDL-C reductions, with one patient seeing a 69% drop.
• The Eli Lilly and Company Acquisition: The definitive transformative event occurred in June 2025. Eli Lilly and Company agreed to acquire Verve Therapeutics, Inc. for up to $1.3 billion, confirming the market's belief in the long-term potential of their one-time gene-editing approach for cardiovascular disease.

For the first quarter of 2025, the company reported collaboration revenue of $32.98 million, largely from its partnership with Eli Lilly and Company, and a net loss of $31.0 million, demonstrating the high-cost, high-reward nature of clinical-stage biotech before the acquisition closed. You can find more details on the strategic direction in the Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV).

Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV) Ownership Structure

The ownership structure of Verve Therapeutics, Inc. underwent a fundamental shift in 2025, moving from a publicly traded entity to a wholly-owned subsidiary of a major pharmaceutical company. This means the company is no longer governed by a diverse public shareholder base but is now fully controlled by its parent corporation.

This transition provides a clear, singular decision-making structure, aligning Verve Therapeutics' pioneering gene-editing programs directly with the global clinical and commercial capabilities of its new owner.

Given Company's Current Status

As of November 2025, Verve Therapeutics, Inc. is an acquired/merged operating subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly). The acquisition, valued at approximately $1.3 billion, successfully closed on July 25, 2025, effectively taking VERV stock off the NASDAQ exchange. [cite: 8, 10 in first search, 16 in first search]

The deal offered former shareholders $10.50 per share in cash, plus one non-tradable contingent value right (CVR) tied to the achievement of a future clinical milestone. [cite: 8, 18 in first search] This move integrates Verve's in vivo gene editing platform into Lilly's growing cardiometabolic research and development pipeline.

Given Company's Ownership Breakdown

Post-acquisition, the ownership of Verve Therapeutics is straightforward: it is 100% owned by Eli Lilly and Company. For context, before the acquisition closed in July 2025, the company's stock was primarily held by institutional investors, a common pattern for clinical-stage biotechnology firms.

The old ownership structure is now history; you now answer to one shareholder. That's a big change.

Given Company's Leadership

The leadership team that pioneered the company's one-time gene editing approach remains in place to steer the research and development efforts under Lilly's umbrella. This continuity is defintely key for advancing the clinical pipeline, which includes the lead candidate VERVE-102.

• Sekar Kathiresan, M.D.: Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. He continues to lead the company, focusing on the mission to transform cardiovascular disease treatment from chronic care to a single-course therapy.
• Troy Lister, Ph.D.: Chief Scientific Officer. Promoted to this role in June 2024, he oversees the research and early development of the gene editing programs.
• The company's focus remains on its core programs: VERVE-102 (targeting PCSK9), VERVE-201 (targeting ANGPTL3), and VERVE-301 (targeting LPA). [cite: 10 in first search]

To understand the core principles driving this team, you can review the Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV).

Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV) Mission and Values

Verve Therapeutics, Inc.'s mission and values are laser-focused on one audacious goal: transforming the chronic, lifelong management of heart disease into a single, permanent cure using gene editing. This is a company built on the urgency of tackling the world's leading cause of death, not just incremental drug development.

You're investing in a new paradigm-a shift from daily pills and procedures to a one-time genetic fix. To understand the depth of this commitment, look at the capital they've secured; their cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities stood at a strong $524.3 million as of December 31, 2024, funding their runway into mid-2027 and showing the serious backing behind their long-term vision.

Given Company's Core Purpose

The core purpose of Verve Therapeutics goes beyond just developing a drug; it's about disrupting the entire care model for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Their work, including the advancement of programs like VERVE-102 into the Heart-2 Phase 1b clinical trial in 2025, is a direct challenge to the current fragile system that depends on perfect patient adherence and constant healthcare access.

Official Mission Statement

The company's formal mission is centered on establishing market leadership in a revolutionary field. It's about being the best, not just being good.

• Striving to build the preeminent company developing gene editing medicines to treat patients with cardiovascular disease.

Vision Statement

The vision is clear, simple, and deeply human-a singular, powerful purpose that drives every research dollar spent on programs like VERVE-301, which was nominated as a development candidate in January 2025.

• To protect the world from cardiovascular disease.
• Pioneering a new approach to the care of cardiovascular disease with single-course gene editing medicines.

Given Company Core Values

Their values reflect the high-stakes, long-term nature of genetic medicine development. Honestly, you need this kind of internal fire to push a therapy through a 14-year follow-up study, which is planned for their clinical trials.

• Grit: The perseverance needed for multi-year clinical development.
• Spirit: The enthusiasm for pioneering a new class of medicine.
• Drive: The relentless push to transform chronic care to a one-time fix.
• Passion: The deep commitment to patients with cardiovascular disease.

Given Company Slogan/Tagline

While a snappy, consumer-facing tagline is less common for a clinical-stage biotech, their core message is clear in their investor communications:

• Transforming treatment from chronic therapies to single-course gene editing medicines.

This is the quick math: if you can replace a lifetime of statins with one injection, the societal and economic value is immense, which is why the company's valuation is so high; for instance, the July 2025 acquisition/merger deal was valued at $1.3 billion. For a deeper look at the financial implications of this mission, check out Breaking Down Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV) How It Works

Verve Therapeutics, now operating as an acquired entity of Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) since July 2025, works by developing a new class of genetic medicines that aim to transform the treatment of cardiovascular disease from chronic, daily pills to a single-course, potentially curative gene-editing injection. This is a fundamental shift from managing a lifelong condition to permanently correcting the underlying genetic drivers of high cholesterol and other lipid risk factors.

Given Company's Product/Service Portfolio

Given Company's Operational Framework

The core of Verve Therapeutics' value creation is its proprietary in vivo gene-editing platform, which allows them to correct disease-causing genes directly inside the body. This is not traditional gene therapy; it's base editing-a more precise form of gene editing (often called CRISPR 2.0)-that changes a single DNA letter without cutting the double helix, which is a big deal for safety.

Here's the quick math on their operations: they focus on a small number of genetically validated targets, like PCSK9, where naturally occurring loss-of-function mutations already protect people from heart disease. Their operational process is built around three critical pillars:

• Target Identification: Select genes where permanent silencing (knocking out the gene) mimics a natural, protective human genetic variant.
• Base Editor Design: Engineer a base editor (the molecular machinery) to precisely change the target DNA letter in the liver cell's genome.
• Delivery System: Package the base editor into a GalNAc-Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) for safe and efficient intravenous delivery, specifically targeting the liver. The LNP is the delivery truck that gets the editor to the right place.

In the first quarter of 2025, before the Lilly acquisition, Verve Therapeutics reported quarterly revenue of $32.98 million, mostly from collaboration and licensing agreements, underscoring that their current business model is focused on R&D milestones, not product sales yet. The acquisition by Lilly for up to $1.3 billion in July 2025 fundamentally shifts the operational focus to accelerating clinical development with the financial and regulatory firepower of a major pharmaceutical company.

You can see the full financial picture in Breaking Down Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

Given Company's Strategic Advantages

Verve Therapeutics' competitive edge is defintely their focus and their technology, which is now backed by a global pharmaceutical giant. They are laser-focused on the massive cardiovascular market, which is a $40+ billion lipid-lowering space. That's a huge addressable market.

• One-Dose Paradigm: Their main advantage is the potential to offer a single, one-time treatment that permanently lowers disease-driving cholesterol, replacing decades of chronic medication adherence. This is a game-changer for patient compliance and long-term healthcare costs.
• Base Editing Precision: Using base editing (a form of gene editing) rather than traditional CRISPR-Cas9 offers a theoretical safety advantage by avoiding the double-strand DNA breaks that can lead to unwanted genomic rearrangements.
• Clinical Validation: Initial Phase 1b data for VERVE-102 showed a mean LDL-C reduction of 53% at the 0.6 mg/kg dose, which is a strong early efficacy signal that validates the platform.
• Deep-Pocketed Parent Company: The acquisition by Lilly provides the capital, manufacturing scale, and global commercialization expertise necessary to navigate the complex and expensive path from clinical trials to market, especially in a competitive field with rivals like CRISPR Therapeutics.

The goal is to move beyond treating just familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) to treating the much larger population of patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who still have high LDL-C. That's where the real value is unlocked.

Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV) How It Makes Money

Verve Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company, so it does not yet generate revenue from selling commercial products; instead, it makes money almost entirely through strategic research and development collaborations with larger pharmaceutical partners, like Eli Lilly and Company, and from non-recurring revenue tied to the termination of past agreements.

The company's financial engine is fueled by upfront payments, research funding reimbursements, and milestone payments that are triggered when the company hits specific development goals, such as advancing a gene editing candidate into a new clinical trial phase.

Verve Therapeutics' Revenue Breakdown

As a pre-commercial business, Verve Therapeutics' revenue is highly concentrated and can be volatile. The trailing twelve months (TTM) revenue as of November 2025 stands at approximately $59.61 million, and 100% of that is derived from its collaboration activities.

The growth trend is technically 'Increasing,' but you have to look closely: the Q1 2025 collaboration revenue of $33.0 million was significantly boosted by the recognition of remaining deferred revenue following the termination of the collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals. This is a non-recurring event, so the revenue stream is inherently lumpy and milestone-driven, not a smooth, predictable sales curve.

Business Economics

The core economic reality for Verve Therapeutics is that it is a high-burn, high-potential research and development (R&D) operation. The business model is a classic biotech one: spend heavily now to create a single-course genetic medicine that could command a premium price later.

• R&D Intensity: The company's total operating expenses for Q1 2025 were $69.6 million, with R&D being the dominant component, reflecting the cost of running clinical trials like Heart-2 for VERVE-102. This is a necessary expense to move the pipeline forward.
• Pricing Strategy (Future): The goal is to develop a one-time, potentially curative gene editing medicine for cardiovascular disease. If successful, the pricing would likely be in line with other specialty gene therapies (e.g., in the high six to seven figures per patient) due to the single-course administration and the massive long-term healthcare cost savings from eliminating chronic treatment.
• Collaboration Structure: Partnerships, such as the one with Eli Lilly and Company, are a form of non-dilutive financing. They provide cash for research services and development milestones, which helps offset the massive R&D costs without issuing more stock. The Lilly opt-in decision on the PCSK9 program, expected in the second half of 2025, is a key economic inflection point.

Honestly, the current economics are simple: burn rate is high, revenue is a trickle, but the future value is exponential if the clinical data holds up. You can find a deeper dive on this at Breaking Down Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

Verve Therapeutics' Financial Performance

As of the most recent reporting, the company's financial health is defined by a strong cash position that buys it time to execute on its clinical pipeline, but it remains heavily loss-making. Here's the quick math on their runway:

• Cash Position: As of March 31, 2025, Verve Therapeutics held $497.1 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities.
• Cash Runway: Management has reiterated that this capital position is sufficient to fund operations into mid-2027. That's a solid 18+ months of visibility from today, November 2025.
• Net Loss: The net loss for Q1 2025 was $31.0 million, a significant improvement from the prior year, primarily due to the unusually high collaboration revenue. The operating profile is defintely still loss-making.
• Revenue Growth: TTM revenue is approximately $59.61 million, reflecting a year-over-year growth of about 271.44% compared to the 2024 annual revenue of $32.33 million. What this estimate hides is that most of this growth is non-recurring milestone and deferred revenue recognition, not a sustainable sales increase.

The key action for you is to monitor the R&D spend against the clinical milestones, especially the final Heart-2 dose-escalation data and the Lilly opt-in decision expected in the second half of 2025.

Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV) Market Position & Future Outlook

Verve Therapeutics, Inc.'s market position fundamentally shifted in June 2025 with the definitive agreement for its acquisition by Eli Lilly, a move that validates its single-course in vivo (inside the body) gene-editing approach for cardiovascular disease. This transition positions the company's pipeline, including the lead candidate VERVE-102, under the vast financial and operational umbrella of a major pharmaceutical player, dramatically increasing the probability of advancing these complex therapies through late-stage clinical trials and eventual commercialization.

The company is now a spearhead for Eli Lilly's entry into curative cardiovascular gene-editing, backed by a deal valued at up to $1.3 billion. The strategic focus remains on transforming the treatment of chronic conditions like high cholesterol from indefinite daily pills to a one-time genetic fix. The initial data from the Heart-2 Phase 1b trial for VERVE-102, expected in the second half of 2025, will be the next critical catalyst for the combined entity.

Competitive Landscape

In the high-stakes, pre-commercial gene-editing space, competition is defined by technological platform and pipeline maturity, not traditional sales. The table below uses a relative valuation proxy based on Verve Therapeutics, Inc.'s acquisition value and the market capitalization of key gene-editing and genetic disease competitors in 2025 to illustrate comparative standing.

Here's the quick math: Verve Therapeutics, Inc.'s $1.3 billion acquisition value is dwarfed by the approximately $5 billion market capitalization of CRISPR Therapeutics, which already has an approved product. This shows that while Verve Therapeutics, Inc. is a niche leader in in vivo cardiovascular editing, CRISPR Therapeutics holds the dominant valuation in the broader gene-editing field due to its platform maturity and diverse pipeline.

Opportunities & Challenges

The near-term outlook is dominated by clinical data readouts and the integration with Eli Lilly, which brings both immense opportunity and new operational risks.

Industry Position

Verve Therapeutics, Inc., now operating under Eli Lilly, is a key player in the nascent, high-potential field of in vivo gene editing for common chronic diseases.

• Technology Validation: The acquisition itself is a massive validation of the base editing technology and its application to cardiovascular disease, attracting a $1.3 billion valuation.
• Financial Strength: The company's cash position of $497.1 million as of March 31, 2025, combined with Eli Lilly's backing, ensures a long runway for capital-intensive clinical development, extending into mid-2027 and beyond.
• Curative Focus: Verve Therapeutics, Inc. is positioned as a leader in the industry's shift from chronic disease management to potentially curative, single-course treatments, a profound change in the entire cardiometabolic market.

If you're looking for a deeper dive into the numbers that drove this valuation, you should read Breaking Down Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (VERV) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.