Participated · Seed · Jun 2026

Rainbow Crops develops Trait Foundry™, an AI-driven platform that combines artificial intelligence, multiplex genome editing, precision breeding, and automated phenotyping to identify and evaluate genetic variant combinations linked to complex agronomic traits. The company aims to accelerate development of higher-performing, more resilient crop varieties and has demonstrated proof of concept in corn. Rainbow Crops plans to deploy its platform across additional crops and expand its scientific and technical teams to scale its capabilities. It raised €9.7 million in an oversubscribed seed round to fund further development of its AI-assisted multiplex genome editing and broader deployment. The company frames its work against climate volatility, fluctuating input costs, and evolving regulatory support for gene editing technologies.

Participated · Equity · May 2025

Lever Bio is a Turin, Italy-based biotechnology company focused on developing novel immuno-oncology therapies. It leverages metabolic and immune system reprogramming to overcome resistance to existing cancer treatments, particularly in solid tumors. The company advances programs through strategic in-licensing agreements and collaborations with leading research institutions. Lever Bio announced €4M in funding and intends to use the funds to further progress its assets through preclinical development. It plans to validate the therapeutic potential and positioning of its biologics in solid tumors. The company is led by its CEO and is focused on advancing novel biologics to improve patient outcomes.

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 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.

Participated · Series A · May 2023

Dualyx, founded in 2020 and based in Zwijnaarde, Belgium, is focused on developing novel regulatory T cell (Treg)‑based therapies. Its lead program, DT‑001, is an antibody agonist targeting TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2) and is currently in IND‑enabling studies. The company has a pipeline of additional Treg‑targeting candidates and intends to advance these programs using newly raised capital. Dualyx was founded by Luc van Rompaey in a collaborative model with Wurzburg University, Argenx, VIB, Ghent University and KU Leuven, and is led by CEO Wouter Verhoeven. The company emphasizes TNFR2 as a master control switch for immunosuppression in Treg therapies. Proceeds from the financing will be used to progress DT‑001 and the broader pipeline.