Investor Insights: JP Morgan Conference, latest raises from Genomics and Barinthus Bio
23rd January 2024
It’s a tough climate for raising capital - our Oxford spinout companies are working hard to deliver impressive results. The OUI team recently travelled to the JPM Healthcare conference in San Francisco to connect our spinout leaders with US and global life science investors.
Over 15 OUI companies joined us on the West Coast together with some fantastic speakers including Srini Akaraju from Samsara Capital, sharing his experience of building Mirobio. We also heard from Genomics Plc CEO Peter Donnelly about his latest $35 million raise, bringing Genomics’ total to over $100 million.
Younger spinout Spybiotech shared its early phase ambition, developing a novel vaccine platform to target infectious diseases, cancer and chronic diseases. Sumi Biswas, President, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder, presented a compelling case for investment. We’re hoping to reach more US investors over the coming months.
On this side of the Atlantic, Barinthus Bio (formerly Vaccitech) recently announced a $34.8 million partnership with CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) and the University of Oxford to work towards a potential emergency vaccine to prevent Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). This collaboration aims to fast-track development of their VTP-500 programme, which would allow for potential rapid deployment of a vaccine in response to a future outbreak of this often fatal disease.
In case you missed the news from Sityr, the company raised an additional $39 million to progress development of disease-modifying therapeutics for chronic autoimmune and inflammatory disease. Our investment partners Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE) joined existing investors SV Health Investors, Lilly, Sofinnova Partners, Longwood Fund and GSK. This latest raise follows an original $30 million Series A raise, and brings total raised by the Company to date in excess of $75 million. Funds will be used to advance proprietary pipeline of immunometabolism-targeting therapies into clinical development
In OUI’s social venture news, we heard from Greater Change who have been awarded funding from the Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund.
Homelessness affects a staggering 300,000 homeless households in the UK today. The £73,854 funding will enable the Greater Change team to expand its programme of personalised cash grants supporting individuals out of homelessness in a dignified and cost-effective manner. A recent impact analysis suggests £1,319 spent by Greater Change unlocks £35,177 in cost savings to the government – a return of over 20x, which we’re hoping will continue to develop into further savings with this latest boost in funding.
We’re planning more investor events in the UK this year, with a focus on our AI, Deep Tech, Clean Tech and Life Sciences portfolios. If you’re keen to engage as an investor, please email andrea.stewart@innovation.ox.ac.uk to find out more.
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