Investors
Sofinnova Partners is an independent venture capital firm based in Paris, France. For over 35 years, the firm has backed nearly 500 companies at different stages of development – pure creations, spin-offs, as well as turnaround situations – and worked alongside Europe’s key entrepreneurs in the technology, life sciences and cleantech sectors. With more than €1 billion of funds under management, Sofinnova Partners’ experienced team and hands-on approach in nurturing and supporting portfolio companies through to exit have created market leaders and multiplied revenues, from landmark historical investments including Genentech and Biogen to more recent successes such as Actelion, Vistaprint and CoreValve. With a global mindset, the firm has offices in Shanghai, China and a sister organization in San Francisco, California. Please visit www.sofinnova.fr for more information on Sofinnova’s team and portfolio.
Avlar is a specialist biotechnology venture capital company and is the manager of Avlar BioVentures Fund I, Avlar BioVentures Fund II and The Cambridge Gateway Fund. All three funds are focused on seed and early stage investments and are used to invest in emerging bioscience technologies. Avlar's approach to investment is very much 'hands on', working intensively with companies in the critical stages of development from pre-formation to second round of financing, applying its strategic, entrepreneurial and biotech industry skills. Please visit www.avlar.com for more information.
Aitua Limited manages an investment portfolio of companies engaged in biomedical research having made investments in early stage companies. The Company has invested in a number of spin-out opportunities in particular those from the University and public research establishments, and in particular has an especially close working relationship with the Babraham Institute (a BBSRC funded research site), which has already generated exciting and unique opportunities. The company has also diversified its sources of deal flow, making investments in spin-outs from other BBSRC establishments, the University of Warwick, and its Cambridge networks. Aitua may continue to make future investments.
The £10m Rainbow Seed Fund www.rainbowseedfund.com was established in 2002 with funding from the Office of Science and Innovation to commercialise scientific research in a leading group of the UK publicly funded institutions, our partners. The Fund, which is independently managed by Midven Ltd, made its first investment in 2002, and currently has a portfolio of over 20 companies which have raised over £77,000,000 of third party capital.
The Fund invests at the earliest stages of a technology’s development, and helps to turn an idea into a business by actively identifying and supporting experienced management and facilitating additional co-investment. Rainbow's partners spend over £1 billion on research and development every year giving the Fund privileged access to high quality investment propositions at the earliest stage.