UNIVERCELLS
18.2.2020 13:02:08 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Univercells, an innovative bioprocessing provider focused on increasing the availability of affordable biologics to address global health challenges, has announced up to EUR 50M financing from Gamma Biosciences, a new investment platform supported by leading global investment firm KKR, that is focused on next-generation bioprocessing technologies for the production of advanced biologic therapies including gene- and cell-based therapies. The investment will be deployed in a newly created subsidiary of Univercells focused on accelerating the industrialization and commercialization of Univercells’ manufacturing technologies, including the NevoLine™ biomanufacturing platform and the scale-X™ bioreactor portfolio.
With the new financing, Univercells will focus on scaling the NevoLine platform and the scale-X portfolio with a comprehensive approach to streamline production, fund innovation, enable new product and application development and drive commercial acceleration. Specifically, the investment is intended to support continued expansion into the fast-growing gene therapy segment, including new developments that will enable a range of best-in-class solutions for viral manufacturing.
“KKR and Gamma will open access to an unparalleled global network, enabling accelerated production and delivery of the NevoLine and scale-X technologies and driving commercialization,” said Hugues Bultot, CEO of Univercells. “Aligning with high-end sponsors such as KKR that back our mission to have a positive impact on global health is a true honor for our team. This investment builds on existing grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , Global Health Investment Fund and European Investment Bank and secures our ability to create value for the market with speed, efficacy and reliability.”
Both the scale-X bioreactor portfolio and the NevoLine biomanufacturing platform have been designed and commercially validated to reduce dramatically the footprint, capital and operational expenditures required to produce a variety of biologic and viral products. The investment is driven by a shared desire to make these breakthrough technologies more readily accessible and positively impact global health via effective, cost-controlled production solutions.
“KKR, through Gamma Biosciences, seeks to back innovative and impactful next-generation bioprocessing technologies, which is why we are excited to be investing in Univercells and its mission to deliver affordable biologics and gene therapies globally. Furthermore, we are excited to be working with Hugues and his team, who have a fantastic track record of building innovative biomanufacturing companies.” said Kugan Sathiyanandarajah, Director at KKR and Head of Europe for KKR’s Health Care Strategic Growth investing efforts, and Anuv Ratan, Principal at KKR.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2020. Once the transaction is complete, Univercells’ remaining business will concentrate on developing a portfolio of vaccines and biosimilars to be delivered at an affordable price and establishing its services offering.
About Univercells
Univercells
is a business-to-business provider focused on increasing the availability of affordable biologics to address global health challenges. The company is developing turnkey solutions for a series of vaccines and biotherapeutics to be delivered at an affordable price. By relying on proprietary core technologies and a continuous process intensification approach, production is achieved with a smaller footprint and significantly lower overall capital and operational costs.
A global company headquartered in Gosselies (Belgium), Univercells benefits from the support of prominent stakeholders such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Health Investment Fund and the European Investment Bank.
About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.
About Gamma Biosciences
Gamma Biosciences is a life sciences tools platform created by KKR. Gamma’s mission is to build a leading player in next-generation bioprocessing for advanced therapies by acquiring or investing in high-potential businesses with outstanding technology and accelerating their growth.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200218005465/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
HTEC and Motion Applied: Collaboration Built on Performance, Precision, and Innovation20.5.2026 14:18:00 CEST | Press release
HTEC, a global AI-first engineering and digital product development company, and Motion Applied are expanding their collaboration following a successful track record in developing advanced solutions across multiple industries. Motion Applied delivers engineering and technology solutions in motorsport, electrification and transportation, bringing 35 years of top-tier motorsport heritage and race-honed engineering excellence to the development of high-performance systems and their application beyond the track. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260520285726/en/ HTEC, a global AI-first engineering and digital product development company, and Motion Applied are expanding their collaboration following a successful track record in developing advanced solutions for the motorsport and transportation industry. The two companies have worked closely on complex engineering initiatives, contributing to the advancement of high
Ennov Announces Strategic Growth Investment from Bregal Sagemount and Ardian20.5.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
Ennov (the “Company”), a global provider of end-to-end regulatory, quality, and clinical software solutions for life sciences and healthcare companies, today announced a strategic growth investment led by Bregal Sagemount (“Sagemount”), a leading growth-focused private equity firm, with participation from Ardian, a global private investment firm. The investment will support the Company’s continued expansion, with a focus on AI innovation, global go-to-market acceleration, and scaling its product offering. Founded and headquartered in Paris, Ennov provides a unified compliance platform that serves as a centralized system of record for global life sciences organizations. The platform supports the management of content and data across key domains, including Regulatory, Quality, Commercial, Clinical, and Pharmacovigilance. Its integrated architecture and unified data model enable faster deployment, improved user adoption, consistent compliance, and AI-driven efficiency across global operat
TreviPay Research Tracks the Evolution of B2B Buyer Expectations as AI Reshapes the Purchasing Process20.5.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
New global study finds 73% of B2B buyers use AI in purchasing workflows while demand for invoice terms and consistent payment experiences reaches a three-year high New research from TreviPay, a global B2B payments infrastructure partner, found 88% of B2B buyers report high loyalty to their suppliers, consistent with TreviPay’s 2023 research. In 2026, buyers now place greater decision power on how efficiently and consistently suppliers deliver across the purchasing, payment and invoicing experience, meaning their loyalty is dependent on how well a supplier can execute. TreviPay’s latest report, The Evolution of the B2B Buyer, builds on the company’s 2023 B2B buyer research and examines how expectations have evolved across payments, onboarding, invoice terms, automation and supplier relationships. Key findings include:AI integration and digital maturity are reshaping purchasing. Seventy-three percent of buyers now use AI in purchasing workflows, showing automation has moved from explorat
Thales Announces Strategic Partnership with Google Cloud to Launch a New Sovereign Cloud in Germany20.5.2026 13:54:00 CEST | Press release
Thales and Google Cloud have signed a landmark partnership to launch a new European sovereign cloud offering in Germany, delivering advanced cloud capabilities to customers while keeping their data confidential, secure and fully sovereign. This solution will live on dedicated infrastructure that will be managed and operated by a new German entity, which Thales will fully own and control. This offering is designed to meet the stringent digital sovereignty and regulatory requirements of German public sector organizations and highly regulated industries, and meet Germany's new C3A framework criteria. It is available in Preview now and aims for General Availability by the end of 2026. By establishing this new sovereign region alongside PREMI3NS by S3NS, a Thales subsidiary, this new partnership marks an industry-first: a pan-European, geo-redundant, sovereign cloud offering that delivers a unique cross-border disaster recovery solution in Europe for Europe. Thales, a global leader in high
Klarna launches AI-powered Shopping Search app in ChatGPT20.5.2026 13:30:00 CEST | Press release
Klarna, the global digital bank and flexible payments provider, today launched the Klarna Shopping Search app in ChatGPT, bringing real-time product discovery directly into the conversation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260520024278/en/ The Klarna Shopping Search app is live in ChatGPT The launch comes as AI-powered product search reshapes online retail: during the 2025 holiday season, traffic from AI platforms to retail sites grew nearly 700%, with those shoppers converting at 31% higher rates. Until now, consumers asking AI models for shopping help have had to open new browser tabs, navigate competing sites, and reconcile outdated prices. With the Klarna Shopping Search app in ChatGPT, they simply describe what they're looking for and instantly see visual results with up-to-date prices, availability, and offers from multiple merchants, all within the same conversation. The Klarna Shopping Search app then
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