Led · Equity · Dec 2023

Founded in 2020 in Gironde, France, Dionymer develops and manufactures PolyHydroxyAlcanoates (PHA) derived from biodéchets sourced from collective catering outlets. These biopolymers serve as sustainable, fully biodegradable alternatives to the 99 % petrochemical polymers currently used in cosmetics, plastics, and paints. By valorising organic waste, the startup targets a share of the 400-million-tonne global polymer market while reducing carbon emissions and microplastic pollution. To date the company has focused on scaling its proprietary production process; the new capital will finance its transition from pure production to active commercial sales. Management emphasises that the forthcoming phase will include market entry and broader industrial deployment. Dionymer’s technology positions it for both environmental impact and regulatory tailwinds as industries seek greener materials, though no revenue or customer figures have yet been disclosed. Earlier seed financings totalled €2.5 million, and the firm is now poised to accelerate go-to-market execution with expanded manufacturing capacity.

Participated · Seed · Dec 2021

Founded in 2017, OKO develops and distributes mobile-first climate and crop insurance products tailored to smallholder farmers who are vulnerable to erratic weather. Farmers register and manage policies entirely through their phones, allowing OKO to serve remote communities in Ivory Coast, Mali, Uganda, Mozambique, and Angola. To date, the platform has protected more than 33,000 farmers and has paid every validated claim, bolstering user trust and partner confidence. The company’s data-driven underwriting helps partners such as financial institutions, agritech firms and agro-industries embed automated insurance into existing value chains. With climate volatility increasing, OKO positions its insurance as an essential resilience tool rather than an optional add-on. The newly raised capital strengthens its balance sheet and will fund geographic expansion, deeper integrations with partners, and further product development aimed at large agricultural businesses as well as smallholders. Although specific revenue figures are not disclosed, the company’s successful track record of claim settlements and growing customer base underpin its growth prospects.

Participated · Seed · Nov 2021

Cellevolve Bio develops and commercializes cell therapies using an integrated Cellution clinical development and commercialization platform. The company’s stated goal is to build one of the largest cell therapy pipelines by partnering with innovators and advancing promising assets to market. Cellevolve has assembled a founding leadership team and a global scientific and clinical advisory group to support development and commercialization efforts. It has announced an exclusive manufacturing partnership with Resilience to address manufacturing bottlenecks and enable scalable production. The company is actively recruiting for key leadership roles in Development and Manufacturing to support its commercialization plans. Cellevolve emphasizes translating breakthrough science into therapies that can reach patients quickly and at scale.

Participated · Series B · Nov 2021

bit.bio, spun out of the University of Cambridge in 2016, has built a proprietary cell-programming platform that combines an AI-enabled discovery engine with its patented opti-ox™ technology to convert iPSCs into precise human cell types. Its commercial ioCells™ portfolio now exceeds 50 product SKUs, spanning wild-type, disease-model, CRISPR-ready and tracker cells that are supplied to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms and academic labs worldwide. The technology underpins New Approach Methodologies that aim to replace animal testing with more predictive, human-relevant models. Fresh capital will be used to accelerate product development, expand into the multi-billion-dollar toxicology market, scale global operations and generate industry-leading datasets for AI model training. Management also plans to bolster manufacturing capacity to meet growing demand. Since inception the company has raised more than US$200 million from investors such as Arch Venture, BlueYard Capital, Charles River Laboratories, Foresite Capital, M&G, Milky Way, National Resilience and Tencent.

Participated · Series A · Sep 2021

Garuda Therapeutics develops proprietary hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) therapies designed to enable durable, self‑renewing, HLA‑compatible and transgene‑free blood stem cells that can be made available immediately for patients. The company is led by CEO Avanish Vellanki and is based in Cambridge, MA. Its technology focuses on producing HSCs that are human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatible and transgene‑free. Garuda said its platform yields self‑renewing blood stem cells intended to be durable in patients. The company raised $50M in a Series A‑1 financing to advance its development. Garuda plans to use the proceeds to advance its pipeline into the clinic, assemble an experienced team, scale in‑house manufacturing, and support general operating activities. Garuda Therapeutics is developing an off-the-shelf platform to generate self-renewing blood stem cells intended to eliminate dependence on donor or patient cells for transplants. The company aims to provide consistent, durable, HLA-compatible and transgene-free blood stem cell therapies that could address more than 120 diseases. Garuda is advancing programs toward the clinic for hematological diseases and is developing an HSC-derived off-the-shelf durable immune cell program for oncology indications. It is also working on HLA-matched pluripotent stem cells to broaden patient eligibility and access to cellular therapies. The company is based in Cambridge, Mass., and highlights scalability, durability, and broader accessibility as core objectives. Garuda’s leadership includes Co-Founder and CEO Dhvanit Shah, Ph.D., and the company recently added Raymond J. Kelleher, M.D., Ph.D., to its board. Garuda Therapeutics is building an off-the-shelf platform to generate self-renewing, HLA-compatible, transgene-free blood stem cells intended to provide rapid and consistent access to durable stem cell therapies. The platform aims to remove reliance on donor or patient cells, potentially addressing limitations in scale, timeliness, durability, quality and safety of current blood stem cell material. Garuda positions its technology to broaden access to curative bone marrow–style therapies and to reduce match barriers faced by racial minority and mixed-race patients. Its pipeline targets hematologic malignancies, sickle cell disease, β-thalassemia, bone marrow failure diseases and other indications. Garuda launched with an oversubscribed $72 million Series A financing. The company was founded by Dhvanit Shah, Ph.D., and includes scientific founders and advisors such as David Scadden, M.D., and Sean Morrison, Ph.D.