V-Bio Ventures Raises EUR 110M for its Second Fund and Expands Team

V-Bio Ventures has announced the final closing of its second fund, V-Bio Fund 2, having raised EUR 110 million euro and exceeding its target of EUR 100 million.

Together with their first fund, V-Bio Fund 1, V-Bio Ventures will have over EUR 185 million under management, putting it in a very good position to fund promising innovative companies. Almost all limited partners of their first fund are participating in this second fund, as are multiple new investors. V-Bio Ventures is a venture capital company that focuses specifically on the segment of young pioneering biotech companies and its strategy to invest in transformational companies in the medical and agricultural sector will remain unchanged in this second fund. V-Bio Fund 2 will also maintain its fruitful relationship with VIB, Europe’s leading life sciences institute, to access deals from the renowned research center that has spun out multiple successful biotech companies such as Ablynx, the company said.

V-Bio Ventures  also announced that it is expanding their team from seven to nine experienced investment professionals with a scientific background and a wealth of experience from biotech companies and investment funds. Shelley Margetson joined the fund as Managing Partner, bringing her expertise as senior executive in multiple European biotechnology companies, including Nasdaq-listed Merus (MRUS). In addition to expanding the team, Ward Capoen, who has been with V-Bio Ventures since the start of the first fund, is being promoted to Partner.

Recent portfolio successes of V-Bio Ventures include Syndesi Therapeutics, which was acquired earlier this year by AbbVie for up to $1BN, as well as Agomab and Precirix having raised EUR 63M and 80M respectively from international investment syndicates. Since its inception in 2015 V-Bio Ventures has invested in nineteen companies, has co-created seven of them, and has helped to advance eight therapies into clinical development and closer to patients, the company said.

Christina Takke and Willem Broekaert, Founding Managing Partners of V-Bio Ventures: “We are extremely pleased to have received the confidence of both existing and new investors and look forward to continuing our proven strategy to invest early in new or young ventures based on outstanding science and to support their management teams through the initial value creating milestones.”