Led · Equity · Dec 2021

Sotio Biotech is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company based in Prague focused on advancing IL-15–based therapies and other oncology programs. Its lead asset is SOT101, an IL-15 superagonist that the company plans to move through two multi-indication phase 2 trials. Sotio also has three novel programs it intends to advance through phase 1: BOXR1030 (a CAR-T targeting GPC3), SOT102 (an ADC targeting Claudin 18.2), and an IL-15–based immunocytokine program to be tested with a PD-1 inhibitor. The company plans to use the new funding to progress these programs and SOT101’s trials through the end of 2023. Clinical development milestones and regulatory achievements are tied to the funding.

Led · Series C · Jan 2020

NBE-Therapeutics develops next-generation immune-stimulatory antibody drug conjugates (iADC™) to improve treatment options for cancer patients. The company leverages proprietary platforms including Transpo-mAb Display™ for antibody discovery, SMAC-Technology™ for site-specific payload conjugation, and an immune-stimulatory anthracycline-based toxin platform. Led by CEO and founder Dr. Ulf Grawunder, NBE advances its products toward clinical proof of concept. The company recently completed a USD 22M Series C financing to fund near-term development. Proceeds will be used to advance the lead asset NBE-002 through early clinical trials and to strengthen the development team, management and board. The business is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. NBE Therapeutics develops antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) based on its proprietary site-specific SMAC-conjugation™ technology and a novel anthracycline-based toxin platform. The company is advancing a lead program, NBE-002, which targets ROR-1 primarily for the treatment of solid tumors. NBE plans to use recent financing to move NBE-002 into clinical development and to advance additional ADC pipeline programs through early development. The company is led by CEO Dr. Ulf Grawunder and Chairman Theo Walthie. NBE Therapeutics is based in Basel, Switzerland. The firm aims to develop ADC product candidates against tumor targets in indications of high unmet medical need. NBE-Therapeutics develops antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and proprietary platform technologies for ADC discovery and payload conjugation. The company leverages Transpo-mAb DisplayTM for antibody discovery, patent-pending SMAC-TechnologyTM for site-specific payload conjugation, and an ultra-potent anthracycline-based toxin platform. Founded in 2012 and led by CEO Dr. Ulf Grawunder, NBE is advancing a lead ADC product through clinical development. It plans to use the new funding to push the lead product to the end of phase I/II clinical trials and to further develop its platforms. The company is based in Basel, Switzerland and focuses on therapies to improve outcomes for cancer patients. NBE-Therapeutics is a biotech company developing next‑generation antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) product candidates using proprietary antibody discovery and enzymatic conjugation technologies. It has fully validated its SMAC-Technology enzymatic antibody-payload conjugation platform and its Transpo-mAb antibody discovery and engineering platform, the latter recently granted European patent EP2692865B1. The company completed a number of technology validation milestones during its first 2.5 years of operations since incorporation in mid‑2012 and now plans to leverage those platforms to develop a portfolio of clinical ADC development candidates. NBE-Therapeutics has collaborations with academic partners including ETH Zürich, University Hospital Basel and the Technical University for Life Sciences North‑Western Switzerland. Financially, it raised CHF 2.5 million in seed funding during its first 2.5 years and has now added CHF 3.0 million in new working capital from a Series A capital increase, bringing investor funding to CHF 5.5 million. These investor funds are complemented by CHF 4.0 million in research grants from academic collaborations and an FP7 "Research for SMEs" EU grant. The company intends to use the new funds to advance its ADC development programs toward clinical validation in cancer patients. NBE-Therapeutics AG, founded in 2012 and based in Basel, focuses on the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for cancer treatment. The company has built the Transpo-mAb fully human antibody discovery platform and the SMAC-Technology enzymatic payload conjugation platform, which has been validated in proof-of-concept studies. Its core product approach is generating homogeneous next-generation ADCs that conjugate highly potent cellular toxins to cancer-specific antibodies for targeted destruction of cancer cells. NBE-Therapeutics is pursuing translational collaborations to evaluate combinations of its ADCs with other immune-therapeutic interventions. Recently the company secured a CHF 600K transfer-project grant to support a collaborative program studying synergies between its ADCs and immunotherapies with academic partners.

Led · Series B · Dec 2019

Cellestia Biotech AG is a clinical-stage biopharma developing CB-103, a first-in-class oral small-molecule pan-NOTCH inhibitor that selectively targets an oncogenic transcription factor for precision oncology. The company holds worldwide exclusive IP rights for CB-103 and related analogues and combines drug development with personalized medicine for patient selection. Cellestia plans to use the new proceeds to finance operations and to advance the ongoing Phase I trial of CB-103 into Phase II. The raise will also support follow-up compounds and broader R&D pipeline activity. The company has raised CHF 49 million to date (including the new CHF 20M), equivalent to approximately USD 50M. Guido Guidi and Robert Karsunky were elected to Cellestia’s Board of Directors, strengthening clinical and financial governance as the company advances development milestones. Cellestia Biotech AG is a Basel, Switzerland–based private biopharmaceutical company focused on anti-cancer drugs that modulate the NOTCH signaling pathway. Its lead product is CB-103, a novel oral pan-NOTCH inhibitor being developed for NOTCH-dependent leukemia, lymphoma and solid tumor indications. The company has achieved preclinical proof of concept with in vitro and in vivo efficacy in animal models and ex vivo activity on leukemic blasts from pediatric patients; preclinical studies demonstrated efficacy and an understood safety profile. Cellestia holds a worldwide exclusive license on the intellectual property rights for CB-103 and related analogues. Founded in 2014 as a spin-off from EPFL and led by CEO Michael Bauer, the company intends to use the financing to advance CB-103 and to conduct and complete a first-in-man Phase I clinical study, with preparations to launch the clinical program underway in 2017. It closed a CHF8m seed financing to support these plans.

Led · Series A · Oct 2019

MaveriX Oncology is a private biotech developing targeted small-molecule chemo‑immunotherapeutics using a Small‑Molecule Drug Conjugate (SMDC) platform. Its lead candidate, MVX-5005, is designed to selectively kill cancer cells and deplete immunosuppressive cell subsets that drive resistance to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Preclinical studies show broad single‑agent anti‑tumor activity and a favorable safety profile; MVX-5005 is in formal IND‑enabling studies with a Phase I start anticipated by the end of Q4 2020. Proceeds from the Series A will fund IND‑enabling studies and first‑in‑human Phase Ia/Ib trials for solid tumors and advance additional platform programs to drug candidate selection. PPF has committed $6.5 million to the ongoing Series A contingent on key development milestones, and the company is targeting $20 million total for the round, which remains open to new investors. SOTIO has secured an option to license and co-develop MVX-5005 and related next‑generation compounds in Europe contingent on completion of the first Phase I trial, and MaveriX could be eligible to receive up to $138 million in development, regulatory and commercial milestones if MVX-5005 is successfully developed in multiple cancer indications in Europe. As part of the agreement, SOTIO’s Head of Business Development, Dr. Norbert Prenzel, will join MaveriX’s board.

Led · Series B · Apr 2018

Culture Trip operates a travel and culture publishing platform built on contributions from a global network of paid writers, photographers and videographers. The site emphasizes editorial travel writing and multimedia rather than directly selling travel services, and it runs an AI-based recommendation engine to surface related stories. Recent traction includes 15 million unique visitors, 850,000 app downloads, a 400% increase in story traffic over four months, and video views up 4,000%. The company works with roughly 300 paid contributors, has published about 75,000 articles since 2011, and is producing around 3,000 articles per month. Culture Trip intentionally runs ad-free posts today and plans to monetize via branded content, partnerships and links to bookable travel services and local experiences. Management has begun hiring sales and product executives to build out these monetization plans and partnerships with providers like Airbnb and Hotels.com. Culture Trip is a London-based media startup that has published more than 30,000 articles and videos offering cultural, travel and food recommendations. The company operates offices in London, New York and Tel Aviv and accepts content from over 40 additional country hubs. Culture Trip was founded by Dr. Kris Naudts and combines editorial content with a technology stack it describes as a bespoke knowledge graph using AI to deepen personalisation. The company raised $20M in a Series A led by PPF Group and had previously raised $2M in seed funding from various investors including Gordy Crawford, for total capital of $22M to date. Management says the Series A will be used to invest heavily in its technology and to expand the company’s presence in new hubs around the world. Culture Trip plans to further develop its personalization technology and continue expanding its content offering.