Hot Investor Profile: Corporate Venture Arm of Global Japan Corporation Seeking Early-Stage Therapeutic Technologies, Especially Platform Technologies

The corporate venture arm of a leading global company well known for its food products and amino science businesses with over $10B revenue seeks to create social and economic value for the global community. The group is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with over 34,000 employees throughout the globe. The group is currently focused on 4 growth areas, which are healthcare, food & wellness, ICT, and green.

The CVC was launched in 2020 with the goal of furthering the development in the 4 aforementioned growth areas, and has a US office based in Palo Alto, CA. The firm seeks to make equity investments up to $4M in promising early-stage companies, in mostly Seed and Series A rounds, and will reserve funds for follow-on investments as well. The firm invests globally, with the CVC’s US operations seeking opportunities based in North America and Europe.

The firm is most interested in early-stage biotech companies developing therapeutics of novel modalities. In particular, the firm likes to see platform technologies. The firm is open to a wide range of modalities including small molecules, biologics (i.e. ADCs), oligonucleotides, cell and gene therapy. The firm is open to pre-clinical and early clinical stage companies.The firm is indication agnostic.

The firm is currently not seeking conventional medical device and diagnostics companies, but is open to exploring digital health technologies with a very opportunistic mandate.

The firm has no specific company or management team requirements. The firm is most interested in seeing novel science. The firm prefers to act as a co-investor and does not actively seek board representation.

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email salescore@lifesciencenation.com.   

Hot Investor Profile: Spanish Pharmaceutical Company Opens to Different Partnership Structures Seeking Preclinical to Phase I Drug Discovery Innovations Globally

A leading Spanish pharmaceutical company with a global presence is focused on the research, development, and manufacturing of prescription drugs, healthcare products, and animal nutrition. The company seeks to partner with early-stage companies to enrich its current internal drug discovery pipeline and is open to various partnership structures, including co-development, in-licensing, and acquisition. The firm also makes equity investments, and is open to both leading and co-investing. A board or observer seat may be considered on a case-by-case basis. The company is geographically agnostic and open to considering opportunities globally.

The company seeks early-stage assets for its drug discovery pipeline. While small molecules are a primary area of focus, the firm is open to different types of assets, including peptides, antibodies, and platform technologies. However, software and materials are out of scope. The firm is open to all indications and modalities. In terms of development phases, the company is interested in assets ranging from pre-clinical to Phase I.

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email salescore@lifesciencenation.com.   

Hot Investor Profile: Norway-Based VC Launching Life Science and Medicine Dedicated Fund, Interested in Seed to Series A Therapeutics Opportunities

A Norway based venture capital firm that focuses on green technology and life sciences is launching their fourth fund, which will be dedicated to life science and human medicine, the firm is actively seeking opportunities in the early-stage therapeutics space. The firm’s primary investment focus spans from seed to series A. While the firm prefers co-investment, it remains open to leading rounds and can facilitate their formation. The firm is an active investor and a board seat is typically required. Geographically, the firm is agnostic but maintains a focus on the Nordic region.

With life science and healthcare, the firm is focused on therapeutics, including traditional drugs and therapies as well as technologies that improves healthcare outcomes, such as therapy enabling technologies, health-economics related technologies, and relevant diagnostics and monitoring tech/devices. The firm is not interested in traditional medtech.

Within the therapeutics realm, the firm is interested in degenerative and regenerative medicines, immunology, autoimmune diseases, and therapies targeting neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and Parkinson’s. The firm is also interested in orphan drugs. The firm seeks first-in-class assets that are genuinely innovative and cater to a unique niche or less crowded space, and prefer this over best-in-class assets that operates in a space with fierce competition and has been well-established by large pharma players. The firm considers companies from preclinical to early clinical phases. The firm is open to engaging with entrepreneurs during the research or conceptual phases before firm incorporation, but investments are typically made post-incorporation.

The firm is an active investor that closely collaborates with its portfolio companies on both scientific and business/commercialization fronts. The firm is open to working with scientists or technical founders who may lack extensive experience in business and commercialization, especially in earlier phases such as research or pre-clinical stages. However, they does seek founders who envision the target product profile from the company’s inception and acknowledge the risks and challenges involved in reaching commercialization. Therefore, the firm seeks founders who are receptive to communication and open to considering advice and guidance from investors.

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email salescore@lifesciencenation.com.   

Hot Investor Profile: US-based VC Focused on Neuroscience-related Technologies Seeking Seed to Series B Opportunities Globally

Established in 2023 and headquartered in California, A venture capital firm invests in Seed-Series B companies in pre-clinical and clinical stages. The firm’s current portfolio contains USA based companies, and they are looking to expand their investments into European companies. The firm is investing from its first fund valued at $100M. Depending on investment stage, the firm will invest between $1M-$10M. The firm is open to global investments.

The firm is focused on investing in neuroscience-based technology companies and will invest in medical devices and diagnostics. The firm does not invest in therapeutic (drug) companies. Indications of interest are focused on brain disorders, with a particular interest in neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and neuropsychiatric conditions including Parkinson’s disease, autism spectrum disorder, and bipolar disorder. The firm applies a broad definition to the technology solution space for these clinical conditions to include therapeutic medical devices (non-invasive and invasive), data platforms, imaging platforms, drug-device combinations, therapy enabling tools, and research tools.

The firm is open to leading or co-investing. The firm prefers, however, to lead and will generally prefer a board seat.

If you are interested in more information about this investor and other investors tracked by LSN, please email salescore@lifesciencenation.com.   

RESI Europe Program Guide Released  

By Dennis Ford, Founder and CEO of Life Science Nation, Creator of the RESI Conference Series

Life Science Nation (LSN) presents the Program Guide for the inaugural RESI Europe conference in Barcelona, taking place in person on June 17 at the Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona, followed by two virtual partnering days on June 18-19. This hybrid event connects early-stage life sciences innovators with global investors.

Highlights include the Innovator’s Pitch Challenge showcasing over 40 cutting-edge companies, expert panel discussions on industry trends, interactive workshops, and an exhibitor showcase.

Check out the guide below and join the forefront of European life sciences investment and partnership. Don’t miss this game-changing opportunity – there is still time to register.

Brazilian Biotech Innovators Prepare for the Global Stage

By Karen Deyo, VP of Product, Israel BD, LSN

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ApexBrasil and Abiquifi, government and pharma organizations in Brazil, worked together to hand-pick 10 startups to represent the amazing Brazilian innovation ecosystem in the life sciences at BIO this week. Brazil is making an effort to bring their technologies abroad, and each of the companies attending have either established or are establishing a US presence in an effort to expand.

Life Science Nation (LSN) partnered with this group to help the companies get ready for BIO, with 5 virtual sessions outlining how to position themselves with their story and their marketing collateral and how to maximize their partnering experience. This was followed by two in person days, with a day of pitch practice followed by a ‘Shark Tank’ session of the companies pitching to a live audience. Check out the participating companies below!

Aptah Biosciences: We are developing the first and only compound that corrects multiple faulty RNAs (coding and noncoding) and resulting toxic proteins at the same time.

Bioptamers: Development of ADC (antibody drug conjugates)-like target cancer therapies using aptamers instead of antibodies.

Gen-t: Genomics data platform that leverages genetic diversity of the Brazilian population to accelerate biomedical research and development of life-science companies.

miRscience Therapeutics: RNA therapies focused on age-related diseases. The first indication is sarcopenia.

Naiad: AI/ML based small molecule therapeutics design and development focused on GPCRs (oncology and psychiatry).

Peptidus Biotech: AI/ML based development of bioactive peptides for animal and human applications.

Science Biotech: Biotech specialized in the development of cardiovascular disease focused assets

Vyro Biotherapeutics: The first oncolytic therapy based on genetically modified zika vírus. Glioblastoma is the first indication.

Wecare: Develops and commercializes innovative functional skin products to oncologic patients.

XenoBR: Development of genetically engineered pigs that their organs are suitable for human transplantation.

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Fundraising is a numbers game. So why are many startups not playing?

By Cameron Hurlburt, Director of Business Development, LSN

Life Science Nation (LSN) staff hear daily from the early-stage companies that cash is king and that they do not have the funds to travel across the globe to attend partnering events… a very bleak picture. On the other hand, LSN sees that many countries and regions with life science innovation ecosystems are funding and subsidizing costs for select cohorts of startups.

Cash for startups surfaces when government, academia and industry collaborate to create funded programs. Thus, we have The Tales of Two Cities. The money goes to the lucky few considered the best of the best, and the majority are left fending for themselves. Welcome to the golden age of life science; thousands of amazing startups with game-changing technologies are forced to figure it out or perish, accounting for a 90%+ failure rate.

The world of the startup CEO, devoid of the elite status moniker, is a constant battle for funds. They resort to every possible means: seeking help from friends and family, applying for more credit cards and even getting a second mortgage. They rely on spouses or partners to pay the bills, work two jobs, write grants, hustle consulting gigs, and spend each day in a 24/7 scramble to survive. The harsh reality is that a small percentage of early-stage companies are being selected for funding, a small percentage are dancing as fast as they can to make ends meet, and the rest are half in and half out of the game because of the cash commitment dynamic.

Investors typically consider 800 startups over a year but only invest in a few. Conversely, startups need to target 800 partners to get a lead investor and a few LPs…thus the 800:3 rule.

LSN has the lowest-cost partnering platform that assists startups in reaching the crucial 800 targets; LSN RESI partnering conferences like RESI Europe. June 17-19, allow more early-stage companies into the game. RESI Boston, September25-27 and RESI JPM, in January round out the RESI conference series. These events offer opportunities for startups to connect with potential investors and partners globally, increasing their chances of securing funding.

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