Paris-based VC agency Sofinnova Companions has closed its newest flagship fund, Sofinnova Capital XI, at a formidable €650 million – a haul that surpasses its unique goal and reinforces its place as a serious participant in life sciences funding.
Backing for the brand new fund got here from a world pool of top-tier institutional buyers, together with sovereign wealth funds, pharmaceutical giants, insurance coverage companies, foundations, and household workplaces. Among the many contributors is the British Enterprise Financial institution, which confirmed a €30 million dedication to the fund. This funding is aligned with the UK authorities’s Life Sciences Sector Plan.
Antoine Papiernik, Managing Accomplice and Chairman of Sofinnova Companions, mentioned: “This fundraising marks a pivotal second for Sofinnova. It provides us the firepower to double down on early-stage alternatives and reinforces our uniquely collaborative, science-driven funding method. We’re excited to proceed backing visionary entrepreneurs and advancing the following wave of breakthroughs in science and drugs to convey them to sufferers worldwide.”
In 2025, EU-Startups reported a number of notable life-sciences and health-focused funding rounds throughout Europe, offering helpful context for Sofinnova Companions’ €650 million fund shut.
France’s Adcytherix secured €105 million to advance its antibody-drug-conjugate most cancers remedy into scientific improvement, whereas Sweden’s Cellcolabs raised €10.3 million to scale manufacturing of mesenchymal stem cells. In Switzerland, arcoris bio closed a €6.7 million Seed spherical to develop and commercialise its biomarker detection know-how.
Altogether, these disclosed rounds quantity to roughly €121 million – substantial exercise on the startup stage, but nonetheless far beneath the size of Sofinnova’s newly closed car.
With one other French firm (Adcytherix) featured among the many current rounds, the information additionally factors to a very lively interval for French life-sciences innovation in 2025.
Papiernik added: “Reaching this milestone in at the moment’s risky fundraising surroundings speaks to the energy of our mannequin and the arrogance our buyers proceed to position in us.”
Based in 1972, Sofinnova Companions has carved out a powerful legacy over 5 many years, with workplaces in Paris, London, and Milan, and a portfolio that spans greater than 500 corporations. With over €4 billion in AUM, the agency is recognised for its science-driven funding method and hands-on firm constructing all through the life sciences worth chain.
The fund goals to energy early-stage biopharmaceutical and MedTech startups tackling unmet scientific wants throughout Europe and North America, signalling a continued urge for food for scientific innovation in difficult instances.
Sofinnova Capital XI is already deploying capital into choose corporations, persevering with the agency’s lively participation in each preliminary and follow-on funding rounds. The fund’s focus aligns with its long-standing mission to translate groundbreaking analysis into impactful therapies and applied sciences.
Mark Andrews, Funding Director, Funds, Life Sciences, British Enterprise Financial institution, mentioned, “Sofinnova is a key participant in life sciences enterprise. Our dedication to them will create additional funding into UK life sciences and assist solidify the supervisor’s connection to the UK. We’re happy to formally welcome Sofinnova to the Financial institution’s portfolio and look ahead to seeing the breakthroughs that come from this fund.”
The launch of Sofinnova Capital XI additional solidifies Sofinnova’s position as a cornerstone investor in early-stage BioTech and MedTech ventures – simply this previous yr, the entire capital raised throughout Sofinnova’s platform has reached €1.5 billion.
With a fund measurement nicely above expectations and continued worldwide investor assist, the agency is poised to speed up scientific advances and industrial success for the following technology of healthcare innovators.
Christine Hockley, Managing Director and Co-Head of Funds, added: “We’re extremely lively within the UK life sciences sector, investing in progressive corporations each by way of funds and immediately. We would like all excessive potential corporations to have the ability to entry the capital they want from preliminary innovation to full enlargement and maturity. For that, we want extra funds with deeper swimming pools of capital to be investing within the UK and offering funding on the all-important development stage. Sofinnova Capital XI will do precisely that.”