SOFINNOVA-PARTNERS
30.6.2021 10:02:11 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Sofinnova Partners , a leading European life sciences venture capital firm based in Paris, London and Milan, announced today three new investments from the Sofinnova Telethon Fund, its early-stage fund dedicated to investments in rare, genetic diseases. The startups, AAVantgarde Bio , Alia Therapeutics , and Borea Therapeutics , are developing promising new therapies for rare, genetic diseases.
Graziano Seghezzi, Managing Partner at Sofinnova Partners, commented: “These investments mark an important step in our mission to support the excellent scientific research coming out of Italian academic and research centers. They also highlight the exceptional flow of new investment opportunities in Italian biotech, and the important role that venture capital plays in enabling ground-breaking treatments to reach patients suffering from rare, genetic diseases who today have very few therapeutic options.”
The Sofinnova Telethon Fund is the largest fund entirely dedicated to biotechnology in Italy. The team is led by technology transfer specialists Lucia Faccio and Paola Pozzi, Partners at Sofinnova Partners, who are based in the firm’s Milan office.
The three new seed investments, totaling €6M, align with the fund’s investment strategy to seek out and support the best Italian science and the most promising entrepreneurs to develop world-class companies in the field of rare, genetic diseases.
AAVantgarde Bio, based in Milan, is developing gene therapies for inherited retinal disorders. The founder, Professor Alberto Auricchio, is a highly recognized scientist and a pioneer in the field of gene therapy. The company’s technology builds on existing AAV, or adeno-associated virus-based platforms, which are the main viral vector technology used in gene therapy applications. Existing AAV-based platforms have been limited by capacity, and AAVantgarde Bio responds to this challenge by enabling delivery of large genes to tissue and cells in vivo. The company is a spin-off of TIGEM, an international research institute based in Naples that is owned and managed by the Telethon Foundation.
Alia Therapeutics, based in Trento, is developing next generation CRISPR-based medicine for safer on-target in vivo gene editing approaches to the treatment of retinal degeneration. Alia is a spin-off of the University of Trento and was accelerated at BiovelocITA, Italy’s first biotechnology accelerator co-founded in 2015 by Sofinnova Partners and two serial entrepreneurs, Silvano Spinelli and Gabriella Camboni. It is the second company to emerge from the accelerator, following the success of Enthera Pharmaceuticals, another Italian startup that is part of Sofinnova Partners’ portfolio. This round of financing also included participation from BiovelocITA, Indaco Venture Partners, and a group of Italian investors brought together by Banor SIM and Banca Profilo.
Ms. Pozzi, Partner at Sofinnova Partners, board member of AAVantgarde Bio and an investment partner in Alia Therapeutics, commented: “We are delighted to support these innovative biotech startups as they advance promising programs towards preclinical and clinical development. Both companies have highly qualified scientific teams with globally recognized expertise in the field of gene therapy and gene editing. We are confident in the potential of these companies to tackle the limitations of existing therapies and develop treatments to diseases that do not have adequate solutions today.”
Borea Therapeutics, based in Milan, is advancing a new generation of gene therapies that would enable targeting of specific tissues and cells. The company’s innovative technology could enable viral vectors to reach areas like the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS), thus opening the door to new therapeutic options. Borea Therapeutics was co-founded by Professor Paul Heppenstall and the European Molecular Biology Lab (EMBL), an intergovernmental research organization with six research sites throughout Europe, including one in Rome. The company’s research activities are performed in collaboration with Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), a scientific center of excellence in Trieste.
Ms. Faccio, Partner at Sofinnova Partners and a board member of Borea Therapeutics, commented: “One of the major limitations of gene therapy is the difficulty of selectively targeting specific cells or tissues. Borea Therapeutics’ technology has the potential to pinpoint specific tissues and cells, which would enable the use of lower doses, making treatment safer and more effective for patients. This could be the next breakthrough in gene therapy.”
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 billion under management. For more information, please visit: www.sofinnovapartners.com
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210630005320/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 Premier Jumping League (PJL) Launches with a Record-Breaking $300 Million Guaranteed Prize Pot, Defining a New Era for Showjumping30.3.2026 11:00:00 CEST | Press release
The PJL empowers riders to compete as full-time professional athletes while working towards a sustainable economic model for the sport. Backed by McCourt Global and shaped by a leadership team with decades of experience in equestrian competition, sport, and entertainment, the PJL sets a new, sustainable, and globally relevant standard for elite jumping. Sixteen teams will compete across fourteen iconic international venues throughout Europe, North America, and the Middle East when the inaugural season opens in March 2027. The Premier Jumping League (PJL) launches with a record-breaking $300 million guaranteed prize pot, defining a new era for showjumping. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260330990938/en/ Photography credits: Daniel Benson for The Premier Jumping League/ Wieden+Kennedy London Backed by McCourt Global and its Executive Chairman, Frank McCourt, the PJL is a groundbreaking global competition that e
Dompé Announces First Patient Enrolled in New Study of Intranasal NGF in Cerebral Palsy30.3.2026 11:00:00 CEST | Press release
Cerebral Palsy (CP) refers to a group of permanent disorders in the development of movement and posture, which causes activity limitations, and is attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fetal or infant brain.1 Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a naturally-occurring protein that supports damaged nerve cells and improves nervous system signaling, Dompé is investigating whether intranasal NGF has the potential to improve movement and neurodevelopment and address underlying brain damage in people with CP. Dompé’s intranasal NGF platform builds on the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of neurobiologist Professor Rita Levi-Montalcini and biochemist Dr. Stanley Cohen. Dompé, a leading biopharmaceutical company with operations in Italy and in the U.S., announced that the first patient has been enrolled at the Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital in Rome, Italy, in a Phase 2 investigational study of an intranasal form of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) (Cenegermin-bkb
IQM Secures €50M Financing to Accelerate Global Growth30.3.2026 08:00:00 CEST | Press release
€50 million financing package from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock will support IQM to scale operations, accelerate product development, and strengthen its market position. The facility will support acceleration of IQM’s technology roadmap, fuel R&D, support entry into additional markets, and advance IQM’s leadership in quantum computing as IQM prepares for public listing. IQM Finland Oy, a global leader in full-stack superconducting quantum computers (“IQM”, “IQM Quantum Computers” or the “Company”), today announced it has secured a €50 millionfinancing package from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260329996942/en/ IQM Radiance quantum computer is located in IQM's showroom in Espoo, Finland. This facility will support acceleration of IQM’s technology roadmap, fuel R&D, support entry into additional markets, and advance IQM’s leadership in quantum computing. This
Bureau Veritas and Trade Technologies Join Forces to Streamline Global Trade Operations30.3.2026 07:45:00 CEST | Press release
Bureau Veritas, a global leader in Testing, Inspection, and Certification services (TIC), through its Swiss branch Government Services Division, is pleased to announce a strategic agreement with Trade Technologies, the leading provider of trade finance automation, connectivity and transaction management services. This collaboration is a significant step toward reducing the complexities of international trade operations, particularly in regions where regulatory and inspection controls remain stringent. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260329411683/en/ Addressing Critical Trade Finance Challenges The agreement comes at a pivotal time for global trade. Letters of Credit (LCs) continue to serve as essential instruments in international commerce, particularly across the Middle East and Africa, where counterparty risk, foreign exchange controls, sanctions exposure, and regulatory oversight face ongoing challenges. In
Consortium Led by Axelspace Selected for Japan’s Space Strategy Fund Project “Technology to Enhance Capability of Next Generation Earth Observation Satellites”30.3.2026 01:35:00 CEST | Press release
~ Creating Climate Solutions and New Market Opportunities through Source-Specific CO2 Emission and Uptake Monitoring via Satellite Constellation and Aircraft ~ Axelspace Corporation, Meisei Electric Co., Ltd., ANA HOLDINGS INC., and JIJ Inc. are pleased to announce that their jointly proposed technology development project has been selected for Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s Space Strategy Fund under the theme “Technology to Enhance Capability of Next Generation Earth Observation Satellites.” This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260323044518/en/ Conceptual Diagram of the project. Under this Space Strategy Fund initiative, spectrometers will be newly developed and demonstrated in orbit. In the future, the project envisions the establishment of a satellite constellation capable of observations at different times of the day. Project Summary (Planned) Technology Development Theme: Technology to Enhance Cap
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