Led · Series C · Oct 2025

Founded in 2014, Step Pharma is pioneering inhibition of cytidine triphosphate synthetase-1 (CTPS1) to create highly selective cancer therapies that spare healthy tissue. Its lead compound, dencatistat, is in a phase 1a dose-escalation study for solid tumours and is also being tested in a phase 1/2 trial for relapsed or refractory T- and B-cell lymphoma, an indication for which it holds FDA orphan-drug designation. A third clinical programme is underway in essential thrombocythaemia, and phase 1b expansion cohorts for CTPS2-null ovarian and endometrial cancers are slated to begin enrolling in 2026, with a lung-cancer cohort planned. CTPS2 loss occurs in roughly 15-20 % of these gynaecological tumours, creating a synthetic-lethal dependency on CTPS1 that dencatistat is designed to exploit. Proceeds from recent financing will also fund drug manufacture and pivotal toxicology ahead of phase 2 studies. Headquartered in Saint-Genis-Pouilly, France, the company is backed by investors such as Kurma Partners, V-Bio Ventures, Bpifrance, Pontifax, Hadean Ventures, Sunstone Life Science Ventures and others, and it closed a €38 million Series C round in October 2025.

Participated · Seed · Apr 2025

Avidicure is pioneering an entirely new multifunctional antibody modality, branded AVC-Boosters, with broad applicability in oncology. The AVC-Boosters are dual agonistic, multifunctional and avidity-engineered antibodies designed to elicit orchestrated innate and adaptive immune responses as targeted cancer monotherapies. The company leverages a fully owned proprietary platform combining decades of antibody engineering, in silico protein design capabilities, and immunology expertise. Through AVC-Booster plug-and-play functionality, multiple products can be developed from the platform. Avidicure's lead product, AVC-S-101, is a TROP2-targeting booster being developed for non-small cell lung cancer and multiple other indications. The founding management team is led by CEO Arthur Lahr, with Dirk De Naeyer (COO), Robert Friesen (CSO) and Govert Schouten (CBO). Avidicure raised $50m in seed financing to advance its programs; no operating metrics were reported in the article.

Participated · Series A · Mar 2025

Augustine Therapeutics develops selective inhibitors of the cytosolic histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) enzyme for chronic indications. Its lead program, AGT-100216, is described as the first selective HDAC6 inhibitor designed for long-term treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. The company highlights a non-hydroxamate, non-hydrazide chemotype intended to provide selectivity and avoid limitations of other chemotypes, and says the approach is built for chronic diseases. Augustine plans to use newly raised capital to advance AGT-100216 through a Phase I/II proof-of-concept clinical trial in CMT. The company targets neuromuscular, neurodegenerative and cardio-metabolic diseases with this selective HDAC6 approach. Augustine is led by CEO Gerhard Koenig and was founded on research by Prof. Ludo Van Den Bosch at VIB-KU Leuven in Belgium. The recent financing strengthens its balance sheet to support clinical development. Augustine Therapeutics is developing novel, potent, subtype-selective small-molecule inhibitors of the cytosolic HDAC6 enzyme targeting neurodegenerative and cardiometabolic diseases. Its lead candidate, AGT100216, is a peripherally restricted selective HDAC6 inhibitor that has shown impressive preclinical efficacy in Charcot‑Marie‑Tooth (CMT) studies and peripheral neuropathies induced by chemotherapy (CIPN). The company’s chemistry is distinct from first-generation hydroxamate-based HDAC6 inhibitors and is designed to safely and selectively reverse pathophysiological changes associated with neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases. Augustine plans to advance AGT100216 into a Phase 1/2 first-in-human clinical trial in 2025 and to develop next-generation candidates with peripheral-restricted or brain-penetrant properties. Proceeds from the financing will also support expansion of the executive and R&D teams. Augustine was founded in 2019 as a VIB-KU Leuven spin-off and is based in Leuven, Belgium. Augustine Therapeutics is focused on the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics for Charcot‑Marie‑Tooth disease (CMT) and other neuromuscular disorders. The company is rooted in research from the VIB–KU Leuven labs of Ludo Van Den Bosch and collaborations between the labs of Joris de Wit and Bart De Strooper, which uncovered biological pathways and therapeutic targets in peripheral neuropathies. VIB Discovery Sciences is leading the preclinical development of Augustine’s new therapeutics and will apply industry-trained drug discovery expertise to the early pipeline. Augustine completed a €4.2 million seed financing to support target validation and early-stage development. Day-to-day interim management is being handled by Ward Capoen (V-Bio Ventures) and Jérôme Van Biervliet (VIB) while the company seeks a dedicated management team. The company aims to advance validated targets toward novel treatments that address the limited therapeutic options for CMT patients.

Participated · Series A · Nov 2024

ATB Therapeutics develops first‑in‑class biologics that integrate novel enzymatic and cytotoxic functionalities into targeted antibodies. Its proprietary ATBioFarm platform enables scalable, single‑step production of antibodies that combine multiple targeting and killing domains. The company is advancing a pipeline of ‘‘weaponized’’ antibodies intended to improve efficacy and safety compared with traditional conjugates. Proceeds from the recent financing are intended to accelerate clinical development of oncology and immunology candidates and to expand the ATBioFarm technology. ATB will extend research and development operations to Ghent and continue work in Marche‑en‑Famenne, where it is setting up a pilot manufacturing facility. Leadership was strengthened as industry veteran Mark Throsby joined as Executive Chair and investor partners joined the board.

Participated · Series B · Jul 2024

Confo Therapeutics employs a proprietary discovery platform using conformation-specific ConfoBodies® to stabilize GPCRs in functionally relevant states and discover small molecules and agonistic antibodies. The company is building a pipeline focused on metabolic and endocrine diseases, including programs directed at obesity and severe rare endocrine disorders. Confo plans to advance two wholly owned programs through Phase 1 and bring two additional programs to IND approval, with explicit efforts on molecules targeting GPR75 for obesity. The company emphasizes both small-molecule GPCR modulators and therapeutic antibodies, notably agonistic antibodies. Confo is headquartered in Ghent, Belgium. Its current financial position includes the recently closed EUR 60M Series B financing to accelerate its development pipeline. Confo Therapeutics develops ConfoBodyTM single-domain camelid antibodies that selectively stabilize G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) to enable drug discovery. The company is building a portfolio of first-in-class programs based on its Confo® technology. It operates both internal discovery programs and revenue-generating partnerships with pharma on non-competing GPCR targets. Confo Therapeutics has active collaborations with Lundbeck and Roche to apply its platform. The firm plans to use new capital to advance its pipeline of GPCR-modulating compounds toward clinical candidates. The company was co-founded in 2015 as a VUB–VIB spin-off and is based in Ghent, Belgium. Confo Therapeutics is an emerging drug-discovery company based in Ghent, Belgium, that uses its proprietary Confo® technology to discover new GPCR agonist compounds for the treatment of fibrosis. The company operates a Drug Discovery Center in Gent and a Target Discovery Center in Brussels. It is expanding the applicability of its Confo® platform, supported by recent grant awards. Financially, Confo Therapeutics has been awarded non-dilutive funding totaling roughly €2.6 million to support its discovery programs. Part of the funding will be allocated over a two-year VLAIO grant primarily to the Gent Drug Discovery Center, while the Innoviris award will support work at the Brussels Target Discovery Center. The company’s near-term plans, as described in the awards, focus on fibrosis compound discovery and broadening the Confo® technology’s use.