UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 13D

Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No.     )*

Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Name of Issuer)

Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

(Title of Class of Securities)

221015 10 0

(CUSIP Number)

Thomas Dyrberg

Novo A/S

Tuborg Havnevej 19

Hellerup, Denmark DK-2900

+45 3527 6592

Copy to:

B. Shayne Kennedy, Esq.

Latham & Watkins LLP

650 Town Center Drive, 20^th Floor

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Telephone: (714) 540-1235

(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications)

March 29, 2016

(Date of Event which Requires Filing of this Statement)

If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report the acquisition which is subject of this Schedule 13D, and is filing this statement because of Rule 13d-1(e), 13d-1(f) or 13d-1(g), check the following box.  ¨

Note: Schedules filed in paper format shall include a signed original and five copies of the schedule, including all exhibits. See Rule 13d-7(b) for other parties to whom copies are to be sent.

The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).

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This Schedule 13D relates to the shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Issuer”). The Issuer’s principal executive office is located at 863 Mitten Road, Suite 102, Burlingame, California 94010.

The name of each director and executive officer of both Novo A/S and the Foundation is set forth on Schedule I to this Schedule 13D.

The residence or business address of each director and executive officer of both Novo A/S and the Foundation is set forth on Schedule I to this Schedule 13D.

The Foundation is a Danish self-governing and profit-making foundation, whose objectives are to provide a stable basis for commercial and research activities undertaken by the group of Novo companies and to support scientific, humanitarian and social purposes through grants.

Prior to the Issuer’s initial public offering (the “IPO”), the Reporting Person held the following securities of the Issuer:

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The purchase price of the Preferred Stock was paid by Novo A/S from its working capital.

On March 29, 2016, the closing date of the IPO:

The acquisitions of Issuer securities made by Novo A/S, as described in this Schedule 13D, were for investment purposes. Novo A/S intends to review its investments in the Issuer on a continuing basis and any actions Novo A/S might undertake will be dependent upon its review of numerous factors from time to time, including, but not limited to: an ongoing evaluation of the Issuer’s business, financial condition, operations and prospects; price levels of the Issuer’s securities; general market, industry and economic conditions; the relative attractiveness of alternative business and investment opportunities; and other future developments. Novo A/S may, at any time and from time to time, acquire additional securities of the Issuer, or retain or sell all or a portion of the securities of the Issuer then held, in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. Other than as described herein, Novo A/S currently does not have any plans or proposals that relate to, or would result in, any of the matters listed in Items 4(a)–(j) of Schedule 13D, although, depending on the factors discussed herein, Novo A/S may change its purpose or formulate different plans or proposals with respect thereto at any time. Peter Moldt, Ph.D., a member of the board of directors of the Issuer, is employed as a Partner of Novo Ventures (US) Inc., a company that provides consultancy services to Novo A/S. Dr. Moldt is not deemed a beneficial owner of, and does not have a reportable pecuniary interest in, the Novo Shares (as defined below).

(a) Novo A/S beneficially owns 3,154,046 shares (the “Novo Shares”) of Common Stock representing approximately 15.5% of the Issuer’s outstanding Common Stock, based upon 20,406,356 shares of the Issuer’s Common Stock outstanding as of the Issuer’s initial public offering as reported in the Issuer’s prospectus (Form 424B4) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 24, 2016.

(b) Novo A/S is a Danish limited liability company wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Novo A/S, through its Board of Directors (the “Novo Board”), has the sole power to vote and dispose of the Novo Shares. The Novo Board, currently comprised of Sten Scheibye, Goran Ando, Jeppe Christiansen, Steen Riisgaard and Per Wold-Olsen, may exercise voting and dispositive control over the Novo Shares only with the support of a majority of the Novo Board. As such, no individual member of the Novo Board is deemed to hold any beneficial ownership or reportable pecuniary interest in the Novo Shares. Peter Moldt, Ph.D., a member of the board of directors of the Issuer, is employed as a Partner of Novo Ventures (US) Inc., a company that provides consultancy services to Novo A/S. Dr. Moldt is not deemed a beneficial owner of, and does not have a reportable pecuniary interest in, the Novo Shares. Except as described in this Schedule 13D, neither the Foundation nor any person listed on Schedule I has the power to direct the vote as to, or the disposition of the Novo Shares.

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(c) Except as set forth in Item 3 of this Schedule 13D, Novo A/S has not effected any transactions in the Issuer’s Common Stock within the past 60 days and neither the Foundation nor any person listed on Schedule I has effected any transactions in the Issuer’s Common Stock within the past 60 days.

(d) Novo A/S does not know of any other person having the right to receive or the power to direct the receipt of dividends from, or the proceeds from the sale of the Issuer’s Common Stock held in the name of the Novo A/S and reported herein.

(e) Not applicable.

Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement

The Issuer, Novo A/S and certain other holders of the Issuer’s securities are party to that certain Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement dated as of September 16, 2015 to become effective upon the closing of the IPO (the “Investors’ Rights Agreement”). The Investors’ Rights Agreement grants to Novo A/S and the other parties thereto certain rights that include demand registration rights, piggyback registration rights and Form S-3 registration rights as more fully described in such agreement which will expire, with respect to any particular stockholder, upon the earlier of four years after the consummation of the IPO or when such stockholder can immediately sell all of its shares under Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), during any 90 day period (and without the requirement for the Company to be in compliance with the current public information required under Section c(1) of Rule 144 of the Securities Act).

Lock-Up Agreement

In connection with the Issuer’s initial public offering, Novo A/S entered into a letter agreement (the “Lock-Up Agreement”) with the Issuer and the Underwriters, pursuant to which Novo A/S agreed that, during the “Lock-Up Period” as defined below and subject to certain limited exceptions specified in the Lock-Up Agreement, Novo A/S will not (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock beneficially owned or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock; (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of Common Stock; or (3) publicly disclose the intention to make any such offer, sale, pledge or disposition of shares of Common Stock. In addition, Novo A/S has agreed in the Lock-Up Agreement that, without the prior written consent of the Underwriters, it will not, during the Lock-Up Period, make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any shares of the Issuer’s capital stock. The “Lock-Up Period” is defined in the Lock-Up Agreement as the period ending 180 days after the date of the final prospectus used to sell Common Stock in the Issuer’s initial public offering. The Lock-Up Agreement automatically terminates and shall be of no further force or effect following the expiration of the Lock-Up Period.

The descriptions contained in this Statement on Schedule 13D of the Investors’ Rights Agreement and the Lock-Up Agreement are summaries only and are qualified in their entireties by the actual terms of each such agreement, which are incorporated herein by this reference. See Item 7 “Material to be Filed as Exhibits.”

Except for the Investors’ Rights Agreement and the Lock-Up Agreement, neither Novo A/S, the Foundation, nor any person named in Schedule I has entered into any contracts, arrangements, understandings or relationships with respect to securities of the Issuer.

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Exhibit A – Amended and Restated Investor Rights Agreement, dated as of September 16, 2015 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Form S-1 Registration Statement of the Issuer filed January 4, 2016 (File No. 333-208850)).

Exhibit B – Form of Lock-Up Agreement.

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SIGNATURE

After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

Signature Page to Schedule 13D

Schedule I

Information regarding each director and executive officer of both Novo A/S and the Novo Nordisk Foundation is set forth below.

Exhibit B

Date:                                 

Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

863 Mitten Road Suite 102

Burlingame, CA 94010

CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC

COWEN AND COMPANY, LLC,

  As Representatives of the Several Underwriters,

    c/o Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC,

Eleven Madison Avenue

New York, N.Y. 10010-3629

    c/o Cowen and Company, LLC,

599 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10022

Dear Sirs:

As an inducement to the Underwriters to execute the Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”), pursuant to which an offering (“Offering”) will be made that is intended to result in the establishment of a public market for the common stock, par value $0.0001 (the “Securities”) of Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”), the undersigned hereby agrees that during the period commencing on the date of this Lock-Up Agreement (this “Lock-Up Agreement”) and ending 180 days after the public offering date set forth on the final prospectus used to sell the Securities (the “Public Offering Date”) pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, to which you are or expect to become parties (the “Lock-Up Period”), the undersigned will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any Securities or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any Securities, enter into a transaction which would have the same effect, or enter into any swap, hedge or other arrangement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Securities, whether any such aforementioned transaction is to be settled by delivery of the Securities or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, or publicly disclose the intention to make any such offer, sale, pledge or disposition, or to enter into any such transaction, swap, hedge or other arrangement, without, in each case, the prior written consent of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Cowen and Company, LLC (together the “Representatives”), in each case, other than (A) transfers of Securities or other securities as a bona fide gift or gifts or by testate succession or intestate distribution, (B) any Securities acquired by the undersigned in the Offering or on the open market following the Offering, (C) the exercise of stock options or other similar awards granted pursuant to the Company’s equity incentive plans, provided that such restriction shall apply to any of the Securities issued to the undersigned upon such exercise, (D) any Securities or other securities that are transferred to the Company for the primary purpose of satisfying any tax or other governmental withholding obligation, through cashless surrender or otherwise, with respect to any award of equity-based compensation granted pursuant to the Company’s equity incentive plans or in connection with tax or other obligations as a result of testate succession or intestate distribution, (E) the establishment of any contract, instruction or plan (a “Plan”) that satisfies all of the requirements of Rule 10b5-1(c)(1)(i)(B) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), provided that no sales of the undersigned’s Securities shall be made pursuant to such a Plan prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period referred to above, (F) transfers not involving a disposition for value to a member or members of the undersigned’s family or to a trust, the direct or indirect beneficiaries of which are the undersigned and/or a member or members of his or her family, (G) transfers or dispositions of the Undersigned’s Securities by will, other testamentary document or intestate succession to the legal representative, heir, beneficiary or a member of the immediate family of the undersigned, (H) distributions not involving a disposition for value of Securities or other securities to members, partners or stockholders of the undersigned or to any corporation, partnership or other person or entity that is a direct or indirect affiliate of the undersigned (including, for the avoidance of doubt, a fund managed by the same manager or managing member or general partner or management company or by an entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with such manager or managing member or general partner or management company as the undersigned or who shares a common investment advisor with the undersigned), (I) the transfer or disposition of the undersigned’s Securities or other securities that occurs by operation of law, such as pursuant to a qualified domestic order or in connection with a divorce settlement, (J) if the undersigned is an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (a “Mutual Fund”),

transfers of the undersigned’s Securities pursuant to a merger or reorganization with or into another Mutual Fund that shares the same investment adviser registered pursuant to the requirements of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended and (K) the transfer of the undersigned’s Securities or other securities to the Company pursuant to any contractual arrangement in effect on the date of this Lock-Up Agreement that provides for the repurchase of the undersigned’s Securities or such other securities by the Company or in connection with the termination of the undersigned’s employment or other service relationship with the Company; provided that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (A), (F), (G), (H), (I) or (J), each donee, distributee or transferee shall execute and deliver to the Representatives a lock-up letter in the form of this paragraph; and provided, further, that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (A), (B), or (D) through (I), no filing by any party (donor, donee, transferor or transferee) under Section 16 of the Exchange Act shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such transfer or distribution (other than a filing on a Form 5 made after the expiration of the Lock-Up Period referred to above). In addition, the undersigned agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, it will not, during the Lock-Up Period, make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any Securities or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for the Securities.

In the event that any of the restrictions set forth in this Lock-Up Agreement or in any similar letter agreement shall be waived or terminated with respect to any of the securities of any Holder (as defined in the Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement dated September 16, 2015, by and among the Company and the investors listed on Exhibit A thereto), officer, director or holder of more than one percent of the Company’s outstanding Securities (in any such case, the “Released Securities”), the same percentage of securities of each Holder as the percentage the Released Securities represent with respect to the Securities held by the applicable Holder, officer, director or holder of more than one percent of the Company’s outstanding Securities shall be waived or terminated on the same terms (the “Pro Rata Release”), as applicable; provided, however, that in the case of a waiver or termination from the restrictions described herein during the Lock-Up Period in connection with an underwritten public offering of the Securities, whether or not such offering or sale is wholly or partially a secondary offering, such waiver or termination shall only apply with respect to the undersigned’s participation in such offering or sale (provided that the conditions of the following paragraph are satisfied). The provisions of this paragraph will not apply unless and until the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters have waived or terminated the restrictions set forth in this Lock-Up Agreement with respect to Securities subject to this Lock-Up Agreement or a similar letter agreement having an aggregate value of $2,000,000 or more.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Lock-Up Agreement, no waiver or termination will trigger the Pro Rata Release if such waiver or termination, in full or in part, is in connection with any follow on underwritten public offering, whether or not such offering or sale is wholly or partially a secondary offering of the Securities during the Lock-Up Period, so long as the undersigned, to the extent the undersigned has a contractual right to demand or require the registration of the undersigned’s Securities or otherwise “Piggyback” on a registration statement filed by the Company for the offer and sale of Securities, is offered the opportunity to participate on a pro rata basis in such follow-on offering on pricing terms that are no less favorable than the terms of such follow-on offering, and in the event the Representatives make the determination to cut back the number of securities to be sold by all selling stockholders in the follow-on offering, such cut back shall be applied to the undersigned on a consistent basis.

The restrictions contained herein shall not apply to any transfers, sales, tenders or other dispositions of Securities or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Securities pursuant to a bona fide third party tender offer made to all holders of the Company’s common stock or a merger, amalgamation, consolidation or other similar transaction, in each case that is approved by the Board of Directors of the Company and that is on substantially the same terms for holders of at least 50.1% of the outstanding common stock of the Company, the result of which is that any “person” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), or group of persons, other than the Company, becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 of the Exchange Act) of 50% of total voting power of the voting stock of the Company (including, without limitation, the entering into any lock-up, voting or similar agreement pursuant to which the undersigned may agree to transfer, sell, tender or otherwise dispose of Securities or other such securities in connection with such transaction, or vote any Securities or other such securities in favor of any such transaction); provided that if such tender offer, merger, amalgamation, consolidation or other similar transaction is not completed, any Securities or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Securities subject to this Lock-Up Agreement shall remain subject to the restrictions contained in this Lock-Up Agreement.

In furtherance of the foregoing, the Company and its transfer agent and registrar are hereby authorized to decline to make any transfer of shares of Securities if such transfer would constitute a violation or breach of this Lock-Up Agreement.

If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, the undersigned further agrees that the foregoing restrictions in this Lock-Up Agreement shall be equally applicable to any issuer-directed Securities the undersigned may purchase in the above-referenced offering.

If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, (i) the Representatives agree that, at least three business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of Securities, the Representatives will notify the Company of the impending release or waiver, and (ii) the Company has agreed in the Underwriting Agreement to announce the impending release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by the Representatives hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (a) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration and (b) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this Lock-Up Agreement to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Lock-Up Agreement shall only be applicable to the Holders if all officers, directors and holders of more than one percent of the Company’s outstanding Securities enter into a similar letter agreement.

In the event that either of the Representatives withdraws from or declines to participate in the Offering, all references to the Representatives contained in this agreement shall be deemed to refer to the sole Representative that continues to participate in the Offering (the “Sole Representative”), and, in such event, any written consent, waiver or notice given or delivered in connection with this agreement by the Sole Representative shall be deemed to be sufficient and effective for all purposes under this Agreement.

This Lock-Up Agreement shall be binding on the undersigned and the successors, heirs, personal representatives and assigns of the undersigned. This Lock-Up Agreement shall lapse and become null and void if the Public Offering Date shall not have occurred on or before June 30, 2016. The undersigned understands that (i) on June 30, 2016 if the Public Offering Date shall not have occurred, (ii) if the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Securities to be sold thereunder, (iii) if the Representatives, on the one hand, or the Company, on the other hand, informs the other, prior to the execution of the Underwriting Agreement, that it has determined not to proceed with the Offering or (iv) the registration statement related to the Offering has been completely withdrawn prior to the closing of the Offering, the undersigned shall be released from all obligations under this Lock-Up Agreement. This Lock-Up Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Lock-Up Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflicts of laws principles thereof.

[Signature page follows]

Very truly yours,