Oricell Therapeutics Co. Ltd. raised $45 million in a series B1 round to expand in the U.S. market. RTW Investments LP and the Qatar Investment Authority led the financing, which followed the completion of a $125 million series B round in July 2022. Shanghai-based Oricell plans to use the new funds to support the clinical development of its lead candidates, including Oricar-017, in the U.S.
Immorna Biotechnology Co. Ltd. raised nearly $100 million in series A+ and A++ financing rounds to speed up the clinical development and commercialization of its RNA-based therapeutics. Founded in 2019, Immorna develops therapeutics and vaccines based on its RNA platforms, including conventional, self-replicating and circular RNA.
The France Biotech business association released its latest annual survey covering the health-tech sector in France. According to the 2022 edition of the Panorama, 1,440 med-tech, 880 bio-tech and 4,000 health and artificial intelligence software companies have been surveyed, responsible between them for $1.4 billion in sales revenues and 14,000 direct jobs, not counting the 2,200 new jobs planned for 2023 mainly in R&D, production and support services.
The fundraising environment for startups in med tech is expected to continue to be challenging for at least another year as public markets remain closed and private investors favor companies that have already de-risked their products. One of the major issues in the U.K. and Europe is that the IPO markets are “pretty much shut” and “our public markets aren’t working”, therefore companies are having to rely on private funding, with venture capital being one of those sources, said Robert Tansley, partner, at venture capital fund Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC).
According to venture capitalists on three different panels at Biocom California’s Global Life Science Partnering & Investor Conference, there’s still money available for newcos looking to get started. But the pitch they’re going to have to make to VCs is a little different than what would have worked a few years ago.
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