Gameto, Kate Farms, Acelyrin
Aignostics Raises €14M in Series A Funding
Aignostics, a spin-off from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, developing novel digital pathology solutions with “Explainable AI” for pharmaceutical research and diagnostics, closed a €14m Series A financing round.
Wellington Partners led the round, joined by existing investors Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF), VC Fonds Technologie managed by IBB Ventures and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF). CARMA Fund, initiated by Ascenion, also participated as a new investor.
The company intends to use the funds to continue building its presence and team, putting a focus on the US market.
Led by Viktor Matyas, CEO, and Dr. Maximilian Alber, CTO, Aignostics specializes in AI-powered pathology, combining proprietary technology, its pathologist network, and comprehensive access to key data modalities to build bespoke AI models for its global pharma and biotech client base.
The AI models cover key tissue staining technologies including hematoxylin-eosin (H&E), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF). They enable the acceleration of pre-clinical and translational research to improve understanding of disease biology, mode of action, or novel biomarkers and drug response characteristics, which are difficult to assess with traditional approaches under a microscope.
Aignostics Raises €14M in Series A Funding
Aignostics, a spin-off from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, developing novel digital pathology solutions with “Explainable AI” for pharmaceutical research and diagnostics, closed a €14m Series A financing round
SparingVision’s $75M Raise Represents Optimism For Gene Therapy
After years of developing therapeutics for ocular diseases, Paris-based genomics-focused biotech startup SparingVision is gearing up to start dosing humans.
The 6-year-old company announced a $75 million raise on Wednesday, led by Jeito Capital and UPMC Enterprises, bringing total funding to $127.6 million according to Crunchbase data.
The company will use the fresh funding, at a time when biotech funding is hard to come by, to extend its runway into 2025. It also will fund its ability to dose human patients in clinical trials, a monumental first step for any therapeutics company.
SparingVision has two gene therapy assets. One is aimed at slowing disease progression of inherited retinal diseases and age-related macular degeneration, both of which degrade a person’s vision considerably. The other is directed at restoring visual clarity and the ability to distinguish colors in patients with late-stage retinitis pigmentosa, which causes loss of vision at night.
https://news.crunchbase.com/health-wellness-biotech/gene-therapy-ocular-disease-sparingvisions/Gameto Raises Additional $17M in Funding
Gameto, a NYC- and Madrid, Spain-based biotechnology company using cell engineering to develop therapeutics for diseases of the female reproductive system, raised an additional $17m in funding.
Backers included Insight Partners, Future Ventures, Arcadia Investment Partners, Bold Capital Partners, Plum Alley, Myelin VC, TA Ventures, Gaingels, Korify Capital, and other existing investors.
The company, which brought the total capital raised since inception to $40m, intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach.
Led by Dr. Dina Radenkovic, CEO, Gameto is a biotechnology company using cell engineering to develop therapeutics for diseases of the female reproductive system. Its underlying cell engineering platform was developed in stealth under a scientific research agreement with George Church’s lab at Harvard Medical School. In January, the company announced plans for three sequenced programs. The first program, Fertilo, is a biologic for IVF and egg freezing, aiming to make the process shorter, safer, and more effective. The following programs include Deovo, an organoid of the female reproductive system, and Ameno, a cell-based therapeutic to ameliorate the health consequences of primary ovarian insufficiency and menopause.
Gameto Raises Additional $17M in Funding
Gameto, a NYC- and Madrid, Spain-based biotechnology company using cell engineering to develop therapeutics for diseases of the female reproductive system, raised an additional $17m in funding
Tridek-One Closes €16M Funding
Tridek-One, a Paris, France-based biotech startup specialized in the research and development of CD31 agonists to restore the immune balance, raised €16M in funding.
The round was led by Pureos Bioventures with participation from Bpifrance, InnoBio2 fund, Bioqube Ventures, AdBio partners and Advent Life Sciences.
The company intends to use the funds to identify development candidates against auto-immune diseases, to conduct IND-enabling studies and to further build the organization.
Laurence de Schoulepnikoff is a seasoned pharma and biotech professional with broad experience in transactions and R&D operations. She has worked in VC-funded biotech start-ups and mid-size private companies as well as large corporate organizations. De Schoulepnikoff joined Tridek-One from AMAL Therapeutics, a Swiss biotechnology company focused on therapeutic cancer vaccines, where she spent the last three years as chief business officer and chief operating officer. AMAL was acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim in 2019. She will now be leading Tridek-One’s strategy and development, and strengthening its general organization.
Founded in 2018 by Dr. Giuseppina Caligiuri and Pr. Antonino Nicoletti, researchers at INSERM Unit 1148 (Paris, France), and led by newly appointed CEO Laurence de Schoulepnikoff, Tridek-One is a private biotechnology company that develops first-in-class immune checkpoint agonists to restore the immune balance in patients living with auto-immune diseases. It was formed out of INSERM (Paris, France), and backed by a group of international investors that includes Pureos Bioventures, AdBio partners, Bpifrance, Advent Life Sciences and Bioqube Ventures.
https://www.finsmes.com/2022/09/tridek-one-closes-e16m-funding.html
Acelyrin, a Los Angeles, CA-based late-stage clinical biopharma company, raised $300M in Series C funding.
The round was led by Access Biotechnology with participation from existing investors AyurMaya – an affiliated fund of Matrix Capital Management, Westlake Village BioPartners, Cowen Healthcare Investments, Decheng Capital, Marshall Wace, OrbiMed, Samsara BioCapital, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), Tybourne Capital Management, and venBio Partners.
The company intends to use the funds to continue development of izokibep in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and uveitis, explore several potential new indications, and continue to pursue portfolio expansion through high-value business development opportunities.
Led by Shao-Lee Lin, MD, PhD, co-founder and CEO, Acelyrin is a biopharma company focused on providing patients new treatment options by identifying, acquiring, and accelerating development and commercialization of promising drug candidates and leveraging its expertise to rapidly advance these medicines to patients. Under an exclusive licensing arrangement with Affibody AB, Acelyrin holds global development and commercialization rights to izokibep, including in the United States, European Union, and Japan (excluding select Asian countries).
Acelyrin Raises $300M Series C Financing
Acelyrin, a Los Angeles, CA-based late-stage clinical biopharma company, raised $300M in Series C funding
Kate Farms Closes $75M in Series C Funding
Kate Farms, a Santa Barbara, CA-based company that brings plant-based nutrition into healthcare, raised $75M in Series C funding.
The round was led by Novo Holdings, with participation from Kaiser Permanente Ventures, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and Main Street Advisors.
The company intends to use the funds to accelerate innovation in its current product portfolio, develop new products and enter new channels.
Led by CEO Brett Matthews and co-founder Richard Laver, Kate Farms produces plant-based organic and clinically demonstrated formulas for tube and oral feeding to help nourish those with chronic illnesses and acute conditions. The company offers medical formulas made for tolerance with easily digested organic pea protein, fiber and phytonutrients, and without common allergens, artificial sweeteners or flavors. The products can be accessed in more than 800 U.S. hospitals, including the top children’s hospitals.
Kate Farms Closes $75M in Series C Funding
Kate Farms, a Santa Barbara, CA-based company that brings plant-based nutrition into healthcare, raised $75M in Series C funding
Concord Health Partners Closes Concord Innovation Fund II, At $150M
Concord Health Partners, a Summit, NJ-based healthcare focused investment firm, closed Concord Innovation Fund II, at $150M.
Concord expanded its investor base with more than 50 Limited Partners, receiving support from pre-existing relationships and meaningful participation from both strategic and traditional investors, including RIAs, endowments, family offices and other institutions. The firm’s diverse LP base continues to strategically include a number of major provider organizations and payors as well as the American Hospital Association (the “AHA”), enabling Concord to work closely with its LPs to drive growth of its portfolio companies through accelerated adoption of innovative products and services.
Innovation Fund II builds on the firm’s strategy of investing in healthcare companies with innovative technologies and solutions that enhance the value of care through lower costs, improved quality and expanded access. Innovation Fund II focuses on growth stage investments.
To-date, more than 50% of the committed capital has been deployed across six portfolio companies, including Clarify Health, Loyal, Iris, Accelus and Mindmaze.
