1. Scrip
  2. >>Business
  3. >>Financing

Finance Watch: Genesis, Rapport, Cellares Raise Venture Capital Mega-Rounds

Founder Launched With A $29.6m VC Fund

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Private Company Edition: Genesis raised $200m, Rapport brought in $150m and Cellares closed a $255m round. Also, Ferring got $300m up front in a royalty deal, Fore Biotherapeutics raised a $75m series D and Vaxxas won a $3.67m Wellcome grant to advance a next-generation typhoid vaccine.

Finance Watch Private Company
• Source: Shutterstock

Venture capital funding for biopharmaceutical companies overall may be down in 2023, but that does not mean that investors have stopped placing big bets on the industry. Three companies announced recent VC mega-rounds of greater than $100m – Genesis Therapeutics with a $200m series B financing, Rapport Therapeutics with a $150m series B and Cellares with a $255m series C round.

VC investment in biopharma firms rose slightly from the first quarter to second quarter, from $4.9bn to $5bn, but the $9.9bn total for the first half of this year still is well below the $19.1bn in biopharma venture capital fundraising total for the first half of 2022. However, Q2 data from Pitchbook and the National Venture Capital Association showed, while biopharma funding is down in 2023 the average size of VC rounds is on the rise, with mega-rounds from companies like Genesis and Rapport contributing to the shift

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Scrip for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Financing

Hengrui Set For Biggest Biopharma IPO So Far This Year

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals is gearing up for what will be 2025's biggest biopharma IPO so far, hoping to raise up to $1.27bn on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. China's top drug maker by pipeline size plans to use part of the proceeds to reboot its overseas clinical trials ambitions.

Finance Watch: Funding Alternatives Become The Norm In Tough Public Markets

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Public Company Edition: With fewer follow-on offerings, drug developers are pursuing other options. Axsome accessed up to $570m in debt, Evolus obtained $250m in a new credit facility and Abeona raised $155m from a PRV sale, but Apimeds was able to execute a small $13.5m IPO.

‘Market Developments’ Persuade Galapagos To Rethink Spin-Off

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

CEO Paul Stoffels exits early to be succeeded by Henry Gosebruch, who will now consider ‘all options’ for the Belgian firm as it tries to claw back investor confidence.

Azafaros Banks Over €130m To Advance Nizubaglustat Into Phase III

 
• By Kevin Grogan

The therapy has been developed for GM1 and GM2 gangliosidoses and Niemann-Pick disease type C.

More from Business

In Brief: US FDA Delay Sends Biohaven Shares Down

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

The US regulator’s decision has taken Biohaven and investors by surprise, with the reason for a ‘major amendment’ status not clear.

In Brief: Sanofi Commits $20bn To US R&D And Manufacturing By 2030

 
• By Sushmita Panda

Move by French major aligns with broader industry efforts to localize production amid political pressure, as Trump pushes to onshore manufacturing and hints at easing tariff threats.

Eisai Forecasts 73% Leqembi Sales Rise In FY25 As Demand Expands

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Eisai spent most of its FY24 earnings call discussing plans for growing sales of Biogen-partnered Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi from JPY44.3bn ($304.1m) to JPY76.5bn ($525.1m) in FY25.