The bifunctional antibody approach continues to pay off for Zenas Biopharma Inc., which banked an upsized $200 million series C preferred stock financing led by SR One along with NEA, Norwest Venture Partners and Delos Capital. Enavate Sciences and Longitude Capital participated significantly as well.
Sionna Therapeutics Inc.’s approach with small molecules in cystic fibrosis (CF) yielded the Boston-based firm an upsized and oversubscribed $182 million series C financing. The company is working on drugs that could fully restore the function of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator protein by stabilizing the first nucleotide-binding domain (NBD1). Four compounds are expected to enter the clinic this year – three NBD1 stabilizers and one ICL4 modulator.
Halia Therapeutics Inc. has, its CEO confidently asserts, taken an atypical road to building its infrastructure and financing. The Lehi, Utah-based company just completed a $30 million series C financing to further develop its lead asset, a selective and orally bioavailable first-in-class NLRP3/NEK7 inflammasome inhibitor.
Accent Therapeutics Inc. has completed a $75 million series C financing to support progression of its lead programs through early clinical development.
Carthera SA received an additional €4.5 million (US$4.9 million) from investors to take its series B funding round to €42 million despite a tough fundraising environment for med-tech companies. Frédéric Sottilini, CEO of Carthera, told BioWorld that the strong investor interest was testament to their confidence in the company’s Sonocloud technology for brain disorder treatment.
With one program in the clinic and another not far behind, Generate Biomedicines Inc. raised $273 million in a series C financing to advance its generative biology platform. It is one of the largest venture capital (VC) rounds for a U.S. company in 2023. Funds will go toward advancing the Somerville, Mass.-based company’s 17 pipeline programs, including the filing of multiple IND applications in 2024.
Star Therapeutics Inc. brought on board six new investors in its oversubscribed $90 million series C round, raising the company’s total funding to more than $190 million since its founding in 2018 to advance in-house drug discovery efforts via formation of portfolio companies. Since emerging from stealth in early 2022, Star has launched two aptly named companies, Electra Therapeutics Inc. and Vega Therapeutics Inc., with plans to unveil additional ventures arising from its antibody discovery efforts.
Seoul, South Korea-headquartered Boryung Co. Ltd. grabbed headlines in 2022 with its strategic redesign to move beyond drug development, announcing that it would invest $10 million in Axiom Space Inc. for a 0.4% stake in the U.S. commercial space station developer. The investment ramped up over the course of a year, with Boryung pouring a total of $60 million into Axiom Space over two financing rounds for a 2.7% stake. Axiom is set to build the world’s first commercial space station.
Seoul, South Korea-headquartered Boryung Co. Ltd. grabbed headlines in 2022 with its strategic redesign to move beyond drug development, announcing that it would invest $10 million in Axiom Space Inc. for a 0.4% stake in the U.S. commercial space station developer. The investment ramped up over the course of a year, with Boryung pouring a total of $60 million into Axiom Space over two financing rounds for a 2.7% stake. Axiom is set to build the world’s first commercial space station.
Curvafix Inc. sealed a $39 million series C financing round to support availability of its device, which treats fragility fractures of the pelvis (FFP). MVM Partners led the round with support from Sectoral Asset Management and other returning investors. Sectoral Asset Management led the $10.7 million series B for the company in 2020. The company has raised more than $60 million to date.
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