Investment
Investment in the BioRegion hasn’t stopped growing, and quickly, over the past 5 years, from €112 million in 2018 to €445 million in 2022. Investment has grown in line with the increase in international capital and specialized VC firms in the sector based in Catalonia, which grew x4 between 2012 and 2022.
Ysios Capital
The most important VC firm in Spain and the most international. It invests globally in biotechnology companies developing innovative therapies. Manages assets valued at over €450 million through 3 funds.
More specialized VC firms and more foreign capital
Between 2021 and January 2023, three new VC firms were created in Barcelona (Additio Ventures, Grow Venture Partners and Nara Capital) and three specialized investment companies have opened offices in the city: AdBio, with headquarters in Paris, Columbus Ventures Partners and CRB Inverbio, both based in Madrid.
The high level of science, technology and business in the BioRegion are the focus of international capital, which in 2022 joined operations representing 95% of the funds invested, with a joint value of €326.8 million. While in 2018, 37 separate international firms participated in operations in the BioRegion, in 2022 the figure rose to 117 international investment companies.
Unstoppable surge in foreign investment
Of the 35 VC operations identified in 2022, 56% (20) included international participants, deals that account for nearly all the venture capital raised (95% or €326.8million). 11 operations valued at €65 million had 100% international investors.
Investors
Ysios Capital
The most important VC firm in Spain and the most international. It invests globally in biotechnology companies developing innovative therapies. Manages assets valued at over €450 million through 3 funds.
Caixa Capital Risc
CriteriaCaixa venture capital manager that invests in innovative startups. It has three teams that specialize in the life sciences, ICT and industrial technology. Manages assets valued at €200 million through 9 investment vehicles.
Alta Life Sciences
Invests in biotech, biopharma, medtech and digital health companies at all stages of development. In 2023, it launched a new SFDR qualified fund, Aliath Bioventures, with a significant focus on sustainable impact investment.
Asabsys Partners
Focuses on investment in innovative early stage companies in health (biotechnology, medical technology, disruptive services and digital therapeutics). Its portfolio includes companies in Belgium, the Netherlands and Israel. The target size of its second fund (SAHII 2) is €200 million.
Invivo Ventures
VC specializing in early stage projects in the health sector, including biotechnology projects for diagnostics and drug development, medical devices and e-Health. Manages assets valued at €60 million.
Inveready
Their life sciences branch focuses on early stage and series A projects in drug development, with in vivo proof of concept and toxicology, as well as digital health and consumer health projects. Manages assets valued at €60 million, 19 companies.
CGHealth Ventures
Provides investment and support for early stage projects by innovative startups, especially in digital health, information technology for health and genomics.
Nina Capital
Fund specializing in healthtech and digital health that prioritizes investment in highly innovative projects based on unmet clinical needs in Europe, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United States and Canada.