Our Investment Focus & Portfolio

Abalos Therapeutics has harnessed the unique immune stimulation of the arenavirus to develop a novel anti-cancer approach that provides the full breadth of the immune system’s power specifically against cancer cells. Through viral replication within cancer cells, Abalos’ arenavirus-based drug candidates are designed to awake precise immune responses and activate all relevant immune cell types against primary tumors and metastases. Led by experienced biotech entrepreneurs and immunology pioneers, Abalos’ goal is to achieve a quantum leap in immuno-oncology.

Abexxa Biologics, Inc. is a research-stage bio-pharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing breakthrough antibody-based drugs to its proprietary class of targets designed to revolutionize cancer treatments by providing highly effective targeted therapies. The foundation of the company’s technology is based on more than 25 years’ experience in novel immunotherapy research. AbeXXa is based in Arlington, TX.

Acousia Therapeutics GmbH is a privately held biotech company based in Tübingen, Germany, dedicated to identify small molecules for an innovative treatment of hearing loss. The new therapeutic approach will replace lost sensory hair cells, the key cells for hearing in the inner ear, by cellular regeneration originating from supporting cells. Acousia will develop drugs for local application, which will restore hearing in patients who have lost their hearing ability due to various reasons, e.g. noise trauma, treatment with ototoxic drugs or sudden deafness. In addition, this therapy will have the potential to treat the age-related decrease in hearing capacity.

Actym Therapeutics is an immunotherapy company that aims to discover and develop attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium strains as a systemic delivery agent to allow for local expression of multiple therapeutic proteins selectively in the tumor microenvironment for the treatment of solid tumor indication(s). Actym's technology platform is designed to harness the body's natural immune system to modify the tumor microenvironment and allows for targeting immune pathways that are intractable using conventional small molecule or antibody-based therapeutics.

Advent France Biotechnology is a French Life Sciences Venture Capital firm. Advent France Biotechnology focuses on ground-breaking innovations in Life Sciences to address unmet medical needs, building the next generation of pioneering healthcare companies.

The company pioneers a novel modality in drug development to develop a complete new class of antibiotics and first in class therapeutics against high value typical undruggable human targets. The technology, branded Pept-insTM, harnesses the power of protein aggregation to specifically induce a functional knockdown of a target protein. Aelin Therapeutics was founded by VIB and its partner universities KU Leuven, VUB, UGent, based on the ground-breaking work of renowned structural biologists Prof Joost Schymkowitz and Prof Frederic Rousseau. Aelin Therapeutics raised €27 million in a Series A financing round in December 2017 with a strong investor syndicate including LSP (the Netherlands), PMV (Belgium), Novartis Venture Fund (Switzerland), Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (Germany) and Fund+ (Belgium).

AgomAb is a Ghent based Biotech Company, incepted in 2017 by the founder Paolo Michieli, University of Torino. The company has developed a proprietary antibody, which mimics the effect of HGF (Hepatocyte Growth Factor) activating the MET receptor to foster regeneration in fibrosis. HGF is an endogenous, pleiotropic factor that plays a crucial role in tissue regeneration, wound healing, and tissue homeostasis. Its exceptional therapeutic potential has been shown in multiple animal models of regenerative medicine. Within the seed phase, in-vivo proof of concept has been demonstrated in various fibrosis animal models. AgomAb is pursuing an approach that not only resolves fibrosis but also promotes tissue regeneration. Leveraging the Argenx technology, AgomAB has identified and profiled a human IgG-chimeric lama antibody binding to MET with high efficiency.

Anagenesis Biotechnologies is a Strasbourg based Biotech company, operational since 2014. Anagenesis is a preclinical‐stage company focused on developing novel treatments for genetic and age-related muscle degenerative diseases. They own a proprietary platform technology, to guide the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) into Paraxial Mesoderm Multipotent Cells (P2MCs), which are the shared precursors of various tissues, such as skeletal muscle, ribs, vertebrae, dermis, endothelium & brown fat. The method originated in the lab of Olivier Pourquié, a world expert in the field of stem cells and muscle development. Based on P2MC progenitor cells, the company has developed proprietary know how, to mimic the natural process of muscle formation (myogenesis) and has set up a high throughput screening assay to identify compounds activating the P2MC cells to generate skeletal muscle tissue. A second indication focus of Anagenesis is the differentiation of P2MC`s to generate Brown Adipocyte Tissue (BAT), as a potential treatment for metabolic diseases, such as diabetes or obesity.

BioInnovation Capital is an early-stage life sciences venture firm that provides capital to member companies located in one of their innovation spaces. Through a national network of co-working laboratories, and an abundant array of resources, BioInnovation Capital’s portfolio companies benefit from the collaborative ecosystem, enabling innovation to go further and faster on less capital. BioInnovation Capital is based in Cambridge, MA/US.

Bodyport’s mission is to prevent and ultimately eliminate heart disease by empowering every person with high quality, actionable health information in their home.

Brainomix, Ltd. focuses on imaging software for neurological and cerebrovascular diseases and developed a software tool (e-ASPECTS) for the automated analysis of CT scans to detect early ischemic changes in the brain of patients with clinical signs of stroke. Brainomix is a spin-out from the University of Oxford, UK.

Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH is a Hannover, Germany, based privately held biotech company, founded in 2016.
Cardior is pioneering its proprietary RNA technology to revolutionize predicting and treating heart failure. The molecular targets are non-coding RNAs linked to heart failure development that simultaneously control cardiac growth and calcium handling / contractility of cardiomyocytes.
The targeting of certain specific non-coding RNAs reverses maladaptive cardiac remodeling and restores normal cardiac function

Dopavision GmbH is developing a digital therapeutic for myopia which can be seamlessly and invisibly integrated while using a smartphone. The technology projects a light stimulus from a screen (e.g., a smartphone) into the eye to activate a neurotransmitter cascade which influences the correct development of the eyeball and thereby correct vision. Dopavision is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.

eTheRNA immunotherapies NV is a spin-off from the Brussels university 'Vrije Universiteit Brussel' (VUB), Belgium. The company continues the development of its proprietary TriMix mRNA-based immunotherapies for melanoma, breast cancer and infectious diseases. This mRNA-based technology focuses on enhancing and modulating dendritic cells which fulfill a fundamental role in eliciting the human immune response to cancer and infectious diseases.

Eyevensys S.A.S. is a developer of a new non-viral gene therapy process to treat ocular illnesses. The new process enables prolonged production of therapeutic proteins through injection and electrotransfer of expression plasmids into the ciliar muscle and is aimed at treating uveitis and AMD. In stage two, Eyevensys will focus on treating more common conditions such as diabetic retinopathy.The company was founded in Paris (France) in 2009 by Francine Behar-Cohen, professor of medicine at Paris Descartes University, head of ophthalmology at l'Hotel Dieu.

HepaRegenix GmbH, founded in 2016, is a spin-off out of the University of Tübingen (Germany). The pioneering discovery of Prof. Lars Zender, that the inhibition of the MAP kinase kinase MKK4 leads to an overall increased capacity of liver cell regeneration, attracted a very inter-disciplinary team of experienced drug discovery seniors into HepaRegenix. The company develops a small chemical compound for the treatment of acute, chronic and/or acute-on-chronic liver failure. An upside will be the development for NASH as 2nd step, dependent on thorough pre-clinical characterization of the underlying molecular mechanism of action.

The High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is in Germany the largest public-backed seed fund. The two anchor investors will be the German Ministry of Economy (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft, BMWi) and the German State Bank (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, KFW). The investment focus will be in German High-Tech companies including Health Care, Biotech and Digital Heath companies in seed or series A phase. HTGF started its activities already 12 years ago and has now closed its third fund, HTGF III, at which BIVF is invested as a limited partner.

Imcheck Therapeutics SAS, founded in 2015, is a spin-off from the Institute Paoli Calmettes in Marseilles (France). Developing innovative antibody therapeutics in the field of immuno-oncology, Imcheck Therapeutics translates the pioneering work of Prof. Daniel Olive focussing on novel checkpoint principles directly in the interplay of the innate and adaptive immune response. The team of highly motivated entrepreneurs builds on the break-through developments around PD-1, as well as CTLA-4 specific antibodies to release evasion of tumor cells from immune surveillance. Imcheck Therapeutics will focus on a proprietory group of targets to integrate the power of γδ-T cells (innate) with the of αβ-T cells (adaptive) to significantly improve the response and clinical outcome of modern immunotherapy approaches for hematological and as well as for solid tumor indications.

Innobio 2, launched in 2019, is Innobio successor fund. It just made its first closing at €135M with a goal to achieve €200+M. It is focused on the development of the most promising Biotechnology startups investing up to €14m alongside VCs in Series A and B rounds with the ability to participate in follow-on rounds of financing. It focuses on France with the capacity to invest up to 25% in other European countries.

Inserm Transfert Initiative (ITI) is a life-sciences seed and pre-seed VC fund backed by the French government as well as by private investors including several major international pharmaceutical groups. Inserm Transfert Initiative aims to support the creation of innovative biotech companies exploiting academic research excellence. With an investment volume of € 33.5 m, Inserm Transfert Initiative is aiming to support the creation and development of 15-20 academic spin offs over a 5-year period. ITI is based in Paris, France.

Metabomed Ltd. is an Israeli based newly created biotech company focused on the identifications of novel targets in the field of cancer metabolism. Based on its proprietary interdisciplinary target identification platform, Metabomed’s approach has great potential to identify new targets that form a synthetic lethal gene pair with metabolic genes inactivated in cancer cells. Inhibition of these targets results in toxic effects specific to cancer cells, with potential sparing of normal cells. The company will subsequently focus on the discovery of novel small molecule drugs directed against such targets.

NBE Therapeutics GmbH is a Basel, Switzerland, based privately held biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative antibody based drugs, with an initial focus on the development of "next-generation" antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). NBE Therapeutics has developed potent antibody discovery and specific drug conjugation technologies which will allow NBE Therapeutics to efficiently develop First- and Best-In-Class product candidates to fight cancer.

OncoMyx Therapeutics is developing oncolytic immunotherapies based on the myxoma virus (MYXV) platform to orchestrate an immune response and treat cancer. Successful immuno-oncology (IO) cancer treatment generally requires combination therapy, and oncolytic viruses (OVs) have emerged as a safe and effective IO complement.
Their MYXV platform, spun-out from Arizona State University (ASU), is poised to be a best-in-class OV approach. They have assembled the top OV team around MYXV to advance a pipeline of oncology therapeutics for the benefit of cancer patients.

Promethera Biosciences S.A./N.V.' mission is to develop an allogenic cell therapy approach to treat inborn metabolic liver diseases. The defect of one enzyme can lead to a life-threatening disease with short life expectation and low quality of life. Liver transplantation is often the only treatment option and very much limited due to the scarcity of matching organs and the transplantation risk. Promethera Biosciences addresses this high unmet medical need with their proprietary new progenitor cell type called HepaStem^®, consisting of Heterologous human Adult Liver Progenitor Cell (hHALPC), which in pre-clinical experiments has shown the potential to overcome limitations of mature hepatocyte therapy. Promethera is a Belgian company and has started phase I/II clinical studies in March 2012.

Rewind Therapeutics is developing first-in-class therapies for myelin-related diseases and aims to bring them into fast-track clinical development.
The Company was founded by KU Leuven’s Centre for Drug Design and Discovery (CD3) and Axxam S.p.A. (Milano, Italy). Rewind Therapeutics works in close collaboration with both organisations and a world-class academic network to advance its discovery and development activities. Rewind Therapeutics completed a €15.2 million Series A financing in January 2018, which was led by Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, M Ventures BV and the Flemish investment company PMV, together with CD3 and KU Leuven Gemma Frisius Fonds.

Rgenta is developing a pipeline of oral, small-molecule RNA-targeting medicines with an initial focus on oncology and neurological disorders. The company’s proprietary platform mines the massive genomics data to identify targetable RNA processing events and design small-molecule glues to modulate the interactions among the spliceosome, regulatory proteins, and RNAs. Rgenta’s lead programs and unique approach are unlocking the therapeutic potential of historically undruggable targets in human diseases.

RinRi Therapeutics Ltd. was incorporated in November 2018 by Prof. Dr. Marcelo Rivolta and the University of Sheffield. RinRi develops a cellular Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) using pre-determined human embryonic stem cells towards first-in-men trials for implantation into the cochlear of patients suffering from sensorineural hearing loss. RinRi is based in Sheffield, UK.

Sentien Biotechnologies, Inc. is a preclinical stage company developing novel approaches to cell therapy. The lead product utilizes dialysis as a drug delivery system to administer the therapeutic factors secreted from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which dynamically secrete factors to modulate inflammation, prevent epithelial cell death, and promote regeneration. As applied to their first indication of severe Acute Kidney Injury, (AKI), this lead product integrates seamlessly with existing standard of care, transforming dialysis from a passive, last resort option into an active therapy that can reverse the course of disease. This approach can rapidly extend into other disease where extracorporeal support is indicated, such as Acute Liver Failure, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, and Chronic Kidney Disease. Sentien is based in Medford, MA.

The vision of T3 Pharmaceuticals is to improve the lives of cancer patients with highly innovative treatments. Despite significant advances of classical therapies, there remains a high need for novel and innovative medicines to treat cancer. T3 Pharmaceuticals is dedicated to filling this gap by developing highly specific and efficient treatments using live bacteria.
T3 Pharmaceuticals was founded in May 2015 by Simon Ittig, Christoph Kasper, Marlise Amstutz and Helmut Kessmann as a spin-off of the University of Basel. The team has developed an efficient protein delivery technology that is based on the use of live bacteria. While the technology has diverse applications in research, T3 Pharma has further developed the system to serve as a novel therapeutic to treat solid tumors.

Founded in 2019, Tacalyx GmbH is a spin-off out of the Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany. The Department of Biomolecular Systems led by Prof. Dr. Peter H. Seeberger pioneered the chemical synthesis of ultrapure cancer-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACA) for the generation of high-affinity and selective antibody scaffolds. Tacalyx will profile the antibody panels for functional modulation of tumor cells and/or immune cells in the tumor micro-environment. Antibodies with functional modulating, as well as drug like properties will be developed for towards clinical testing in various solid tumor indications.

T-knife GmbH is a spin-off of the Max-Delbrück-Center (MDC) founded in 2015 by Prof. Thomas Blankenstein. Derived from T-knife’s proprietary Humanized TCR Mice, the Berlin-based Biotech company develops T cell receptors (TCR) for adoptive T cell therapy. The Humanized TCR mice carry the entire human TCRαβ gene loci and recombine a broad repertoire of fully human TCRs. In addition, the transgenic expression of human HLA molecules allows ‘human-like’ presentation of antigens via the transgenic HLA to the fully human TCRs. This technology allows highly efficient generation and selection of TCRs for virtually any human tumor antigen. Since the mouse immune system is not tolerant to most human cancer antigens the obtained TCRs are expected to show optimal affinity for cancer therapy. The company has a broad expertise in tumor target selection, TCR sequence isolation and optimization, transgenic TCR expression and characterization. A clinical phase I trial with T-knife´s TCR lead candidate targeting MAGE-A1 for patients with multiple myeloma will start recruiting in 2019 in cooperation with Charité. T-knife is based in Berlin, Germany.

Topas Therapeutics is a private Hamburg-based biotechnology company focused on developing peptide-loaded nanoparticles to address immuno-tolerization of major unmet clinical need, including autoimmune diseases, allergies and anti-drug antibodies. Topas’ technology platform induces antigen-specific immune tolerance by harnessing the liver’s natural immuno-tolerizing capabilities.

Wellth, Inc. applies behavioral economics through a mobile first, financial incentive focused behavior change platform to achieve better adherence, engagement, and health. The solution serves the most common chronic conditions. Wellth is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY.