SOFINNOVA-PARTNERS
13.12.2023 07:01:34 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Sofinnova Partners (“Sofinnova"), a leading European life sciences venture capital firm based in Paris, London, and Milan, announced today the launch of Biovelocita, an investment strategy dedicated entirely to the creation and acceleration of biotech startups in Europe.
Biovelocita’s newly formed team will provide a hands-on, robust framework for startups, combining direct management, financial backing, and access to Sofinnova’s extensive infrastructure and network. The strategy builds upon Sofinnova’s established track record of nurturing innovative ventures within the healthcare and sustainability sectors. It draws inspiration from the achievements of Italy’s first biotech accelerator, BiovelocITA, co-founded by Gabriella Camboni, Silvano Spinelli and Sofinnova Partners in 2015, which has significantly contributed to the growth of the Italian biotech ecosystem.
Graziano Seghezzi, Managing Partner of Sofinnova Partners, said: “With Sofinnova Biovelocita, we are doubling down on our commitment to innovation and company creation in the life sciences. To improve and expand our company-creation toolbox, we have brought together a group of experienced investors and entrepreneurs who have been collaborating with Sofinnova for over a decade, some nearly two decades. With this top-tier team, we look forward to strengthening one of Sofinnova’s strategic pillars: acceleration, which is already making rapid strides in the medical device space with Sofinnova MD Start, our in-house medtech accelerator.”
Key partners of this initiative include:
- Gabriella Camboni, Partner, pivotal in the conception of this strategy as a co-founder and CEO of BiovelocITA. She also co-founded two Sofinnova companies, EOS (Ethical Oncology Science), serving as its COO until its acquisition by Clovis Oncology in 2013, and Novuspharma, which was acquired by Cell Therapeutics, Inc. in 2003.
- Matthieu Coutet, Partner, brings nearly two decades of experience in venture capital and operations, including significant contributions to the launch of biotech startups such as TherAchon and Annapurna Therapeutics, and the founding of AdBio Partners.
- Alex Leech, Partner, an experienced biopharma company builder and a serial CEO, most recently serving as the founding CEO of Alchemab Therapeutics, which raised an $82m Series A investment round.
- Zhizhong (Joel) Yao, Partner, a former Principal in the Sofinnova Capital Strategy, and a Kauffman Fellow, instrumental in the launch of several biotech start-ups. Holds a Harvard PhD in Chemical Biology and Systems Biology and did post-doctoral research at the French National Institute of Agricultural Research.
Seghezzi concluded: “We know from our extensive experience that close cooperation between top management teams, world-class scientists, and dedicated financing, forges the path for biotech champions of tomorrow. With this new strategy, we are poised to catalyze transformative innovation in biotechnology.”
About Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm in life sciences, specializing in healthcare and sustainability. Based in Paris, London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of professionals from all over the world with strong scientific, medical and business expertise. Sofinnova Partners is a hands-on company builder across the entire value chain of life sciences investments, from seed to later-stage. The firm actively partners with ambitious entrepreneurs as a lead or cornerstone investor to develop transformative innovations that have the potential to positively impact our collective future.
Founded in 1972, Sofinnova Partners is a deeply established venture capital firm in Europe, with 50 years of experience backing over 500 companies and creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over €2.5 billion under management. For more information, please visit: sofinnovapartners.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231212907842/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
The Smarter E Europe Sends a Strong Message: the Energy Future Is Renewable17.6.2026 16:09:00 CEST | Press release
Europe is once again facing an energy crisis, another reminder of just how vulnerable our fossil fuel-based energy system is. Yet the current crisis is also accelerating the energy transition and the adoption of electromobility. The objective is to reduce dependence on imports of fossil-based raw materials and thereby increase resilience. This year, The smarter E Europe, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, is sending a strong and clear message with its new special exhibit Renewables 24/7: Renewable energies ensure a secure, reliable and affordable energy supply every day, around the clock. This message is scientifically supported by a new study from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, which will be presented on June 23. From June 23–25, around 2,800 exhibitors will present groundbreaking, market-ready and cross-system technologies for a 24/7 renewable energy supply at Messe München. More than 100,000 visitors are expected. This press rel
Xsolla Sponsors Game Camp France, Reinforcing Commitment to France’s Dynamic Games Ecosystem17.6.2026 15:47:00 CEST | Press release
Game Camp France supports regional developer communities across the French games ecosystem Xsolla, a global video game commerce company that helps developers launch, grow, and monetize their games, today announced its sponsorship of Game Camp France this 18-19 June 2026. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260617351463/en/ Graphic: Xsolla The French video game industry is widely recognized as one of the most vibrant in Europe, with revenue reaching approximately €5.8 billion in 2025. Rather than a centralized market, it is a patchwork of regional scenes, each with its own communities, creative identity, and business dynamics. Game Camp France plays a key role in bringing these diverse voices together, creating a centralized space for collaboration, exchange, and growth. By sponsoring Game Camp France, Xsolla is investing directly in the local ecosystem and the developers who power it. Xsolla will be on-site to eng
The Estée Lauder Companies and Jo Malone London Launch Experience That Turns Visual Taste into a Personalized Fragrance Wardrobe, exclusively on Pinterest17.6.2026 15:26:00 CEST | Press release
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL) and Jo Malone London today announced the launch of Scent Scanner, a first-of-its-kind experience available exclusively on Pinterest and rolling out in the US and France. The experience translates the visual preferences people have expressed across their Pinterest boards into personalized Jo Malone London fragrance recommendations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260617962807/en/ Building on the success of Jo Malone London's AI Scent Advisor, introduced in 2025, Scent Scanner offers a new way for consumers to find their personalized scent, shifting the starting point from words to images. While the AI Scent Advisor invited consumers to describe the scent they were seeking, Scent Scanner reads visual inspiration – imagery, color palettes, textures, destinations, rituals and aesthetics – to suggest fragrances suited to each individual. The custom Pinterest experience bri
Azul Addresses the Java Runtime Security Blind Spot Autonomous AI Can Now Exploit17.6.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
Launches free JVM vulnerability risk assessment to give enterprises estate visibility before AI threat actors find the gaps Azul, the trusted leader in enterprise Java for today’s AI and cloud-first world, today launched a free JVM vulnerability risk assessment to address the blind spot that autonomous AI exploitation tools are increasingly able to find. With mean time to exploit (MTTE) collapsing from months to days or hours, the unmanaged Java estate has become an urgent enterprise security vulnerability. Azul’s assessment gives DevOps and SecOps teams complete visibility into the hidden risks embedded in the runtime of their Java estate before threat actors get there first, and is designed to complement the broader security, licensing and compliance solutions and services delivered by Azul’s trusted partners. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260617352753/en/ Azul's JVM Vulnerability Risk Assessment dashboard
Fortegra Strengthens Actuarial Leadership with Appointment of Anthony Katz as SVP, Reserving17.6.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release
The Fortegra Group, Inc., a global specialty insurer, today announced the appointment of Anthony Katz as Senior Vice President, Reserving. Mr. Katz will lead Fortegra’s team of professional actuaries, with responsibility for reserving, credit insurance, statistical reporting, and key initiatives including IFRS 17. “Anthony brings more than 30 years of actuarial expertise and a genuine commitment to building the capabilities our distribution partners depend on,” said Rick Kahlbaugh, Chief Executive Officer at Fortegra. “His background across reserving, actuarial transformation, and international markets will be instrumental as we continue to support our distribution partners.” A credentialed actuary holding FCAS, FSA, and MAAA designations, Mr. Katz brings more than 30 years of experience across reserving, pricing, and actuarial transformation. He has held senior leadership roles at ToaRe, Everest Re, Arch Insurance, Ernst & Young, and ACE, and most recently served as an independent con
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom