Participated · Equity · Sep 2019

AbilityPharma is a Barcelona-based biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative oral autophagy-inducing anticancer compounds. Its lead candidate, ABTL0812, is in a Phase 2b trial in metastatic pancreatic cancer, with all 140 patients recruited. The trial is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, first-line study combining ABTL0812 with FOLFIRINOX and is ongoing at 23 hospitals across Spain, the USA, France and Israel. Efficacy results from the study are expected by year-end. The company is led by CEO Carles Domènech. AbilityPharma raised €7M to finance the Phase 2b clinical study of ABTL0812. AbilityPharma develops oral anticancer agents that induce selective autophagy-mediated cytotoxicity in cancer cells, with ABTL0812 as its lead asset. ABTL0812 has shown positive results in phase 2 trials as a first-line therapy in endometrial and squamous non-small-cell lung cancer in Europe. The company plans a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2b study in pancreatic cancer testing ABTL0812 in combination with FOLFIRINOX across sites in Spain, France, the United States and Israel. AbilityPharma aims to complete that trial in 2022 and pursue a licensing agreement with a multinational pharma to bring ABTL0812 to patients by 2024. Financially, the company raised €6.1M in the second half of 2020 to fund its pancreatic cancer program and has received support from public and private sources including EIC Accelerator and an FDA grant. Ability Pharma develops novel first-in-class cancer medicines that act on autophagy to induce cancer cell death; its lead candidate is ABTL0812 for pancreatic cancer. The company secured $1.9M from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to fund a Phase IIb clinical trial of ABTL0812. That FDA funding will be complemented by €5M in European Union grants, private investors and a crowdfunding round on Capital Cell to total €9.2M for the program. Since its founding in 2009 by Carles Domènech, Ability has previously raised €13.8M (excluding this round) with backers including Inveready, Fitalent (Everis) and Sodena. Ability also has a licensing agreement with SciClone for China. The company is based in the Parc Tecnològic del Vallès and the Parc de Recerca de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Catalonia. Ability Pharma develops novel first-in-class drug candidates that target autophagy to induce cancer‑cell death, with lead compound ABTL0812. The company is advancing ABTL0812 into a phase II clinical trial in pancreatic cancer in combination with another drug, and has ongoing trials in endometrial and lung cancer. It has secured public R&D funding through the European Commission/Horizon Europe (including a €2.5M Accelerator award) and additional investment arranged via the EIB process. The article states €5M from EC-related projects will be used to start the phase II study, which will include centers in Spain, France, Israel and other European sites. Current venture shareholders include Inveready, Everis and Sodena. Ability Pharma was founded in 2009 by president Carles Domènech and is located at Parc Tecnològic del Vallès and the Parc de Recerca de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Catalonia). AbilityPharma is a Catalan biopharmaceutical firm focused on developing ABTL0812, an oral first-in-class antitumor compound that induces cancer cell death by autophagy. ABTL0812 is in phase 2 clinical trials in Europe for endometrial cancer and squamous non-small-cell lung cancer, with interim endometrial data showing response increases of up to 50% among evaluable patients. The company intends to use new financing to complete the ongoing phase 2 studies in Spain and France and to secure a licensing agreement with a pharmaceutical partner for further development and commercialization. ABTL0812 completed a phase 1/1b study (29 patients) showing strong safety and signs of efficacy, and holds Orphan Drug Designations for pancreatic cancer, biliary cancer and pediatric neuroblastoma from FDA and EMA. AbilityPharma previously signed a territorial license for China with SciClone in April 2016 and is based in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona) at the Parc Tecnològic del Vallès and Parc de Recerca UAB. After the financing the company strengthened its executive team by appointing Maribel Berges as CEO and moving cofounder Carles Domènech to Executive Chairman and CSO; two new board members will join representing investors.

Participated · Equity · Nov 2016

SATLANTIS builds multispectral infrared satellite technology to capture and measure greenhouse gas emissions, notably high-precision methane detection. The company is developing a GEI-SAT satellite for Enagás and offers satellite-based monitoring services via microsatellite systems. SATLANTIS has completed six space missions and claims world-leading optical space observation technology. A US subsidiary exists to support growth in the North American market and the company plans to develop new products and services for that market. The latest financing round brought new international investment to accelerate emissions-monitoring services and support the energy transition. Sean O'Keefe was appointed President of SATLANTIS LLC as part of the company’s U.S. leadership and partnership effort. Satlantis develops extreme miniaturisation camera technology and environmental satellites for Earth observation, with projects endorsed by Copernicus and the European Space Agency. The company led the OPTISSE project for European Defence, heading a six‑company consortium and demonstrating feasibility of 50cm resolution with its miniaturised cameras. It is building a new environmental satellite covering the visible, shortwave and mid‑wave infrared spectrum to detect methane emissions. That methane‑detection satellite is scheduled for launch in June 2023 and aligns with upcoming European regulation on methane for the Oil & Gas sector. Satlantis plans to use recent financing to pursue internationalisation to the US, the UK, Central Asia and the United Arab Emirates and to shorten industry lead times by offering satellite solutions in months rather than years. The company also received a rating of excellence from the European Commission, which awarded a follow‑on project to focus OPTISSE results on maritime monitoring. Satlantis develops satellite sensors and solutions focused on environmental monitoring, including methane detection, marine plastic identification and fire detection. The company says its methane measurement capability reaches very high precision (5 meters), a resolution it describes as previously unattained. Leadership includes Jean‑Jacques Dordain, former director general of the European Space Agency. Satlantis employs about 45 engineers and positions itself to serve customers across the value chain, including Copernicus, ESA missions and the oil & gas sector. With the new funding the company plans to launch SATLANTIS International to develop activity in the USA, UK and the United Arab Emirates. Satlantis develops high-resolution imaging cameras that integrate into nanosatellites to capture real-time images of the Earth’s surface. The company was founded in 2014 and counts former minister Cristina Garmendia among its founders. Satlantis is focused on qualifying its cameras for space launch and standardizing devices to enable series manufacturing. It operates in the industrial automation/robotics sector with R&D and manufacturing plans centered in Bilbao, Basque Country. In March 2016 the company closed a €2.35M venture-capital round intended to support product development and a new factory in Bilbao. The round involved strategic and institutional investors collaborating to back the company’s next development phase.