Finance Watch

Private Company Edition: Biopharma firms revealed new VC funding to highlight progress ahead of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, including Aviceda’s $207.5m series C round, Tenvie’s $200m launch, a $115m series B for Aspect Biosystems and a €90m ($93.4m) series A for Orbis.

Public Company Edition: Drug developers usually lead up to the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference by announcing new financings and partnerships, but multiple companies revealed strategic shifts and layoffs ahead of the industry’s annual kickoff meeting.

Restructuring Edition: Vincerx strategic review ends with a merger, Viracta halts last clinical trial and assesses options, and Achilles completed a strategic review by selling assets to AstraZeneca. Also, Synaptogenix explores opportunities, while GenSight warns its cash is running out.

Private Company Edition: Ottimo raised $140m-plus in series A venture capital and Angitia garnered $120m in series C cash in the latest mega-rounds, while Noema and Borealis extended prior financings. Also, VC investors XGEN and Dimension raised $690m across two new funds.

Public Company Edition: Revolution Medicines grossed $862.5m and NewAmsterdam raised $479m in follow-on public offerings, continuing this year’s rise in FOPOs. Janux, CG Oncology, Rocket, ImmunityBio, Protara and Candel also recently raised significant follow-on cash.

Private Company Edition: Atlas Venture closed its $450m Fund XIV after some notable exits. Also, Nuvig’s $161m series B round more than triples its $47m series A from 2022, while Maze’s $115m series D fell below its prior $190m round and Antag raised an €80m ($84.7m) series A.

Public Company Edition: Biomedtracker data show the amount of money raised in both PIPEs and follow-on offerings surging in 2024. Olema and Cidara raised $250m and $105m, respectively, in recent private placements, while Spyre and Replimune grossed $200m and $140m in FOPOs.

Restructuring Edition: Kronos is laying off most of its employees as it considers strategic options, including a potential sale of its assets. Also, Agenus is restructuring and other companies revealed job cuts in Q3 earnings reports, including Sensei, AN2, NextCure and Aurinia.

Private Company Edition: The Danish ADC developer, after extending its series A twice, raised a series B to take multiple programs into the clinic. Also, Neurelis sold its Neffy royalties for $208m, Enveda closed a $130m series C round and C Ray’s series A+ financing raised $100m-plus.

Public Company Edition: President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services is seen as raising the potential for regulatory risk. Also, Geron revealed up to $375m in royalty and debt financings, while Zai Lab grossed $200m in a FOPO.

Private Company Edition: TRexBio’s series B venture capital round will fund initial clinical trials for TRB-061, a TNFR2 agonist. And in addition to mega-rounds from Trace, Alentis and Metsera, Evommune and Axonis raised $115m each, while Elektrofi completed a $112.5m series C.

Public Company Edition: Syndax received all $350m from its royalty financing up front, while KalVista got $100m initially out of up to $179m. Also, Vera, EyePoint and Eledon grossed $300m, $161m and $85m in follow-on offerings, while Neurogene raised $200m in a private placement.

Private Company Edition: Despite a third quarter dip, venture capital investment in biopharma in 2024 is on track to beat 2023, new data confirm. VC mega-rounds of $100m or more helped boost the total, including recent financings totaling $175m for Alpha-9 and $112m for AvenCell.

Public Company Edition: In addition to Septerna’s initial public offering, a new life science-focused SPAC went public. Also, Inventiva raised up to €348m ($376.2m), Akeso revealed a $250m private placement and Marinus is exploring strategic alternatives after a Phase III trial failure.

Private Company Edition: Seaport completed its series B round six months after launching with $100m. Also, Treeline disclosed $421.8m in new funding, among other recent $100m-plus VC mega-rounds, and three venture firms revealed more than $2.5bn in new funds.

Public Company Edition: Upstream grossed $255m and CAMP4 raised $75m in October’s first initial public offerings. In follow-on offerings, Crinetics and Scholar Rock brought in $500m and $300m, respectively. Also, Turnstone cut 60% of its workforce and Gritstone filed for bankruptcy.

Public Company Edition: Septerna, Apimeds, CAMP4 and Upstream filed paperwork with the SEC aiming to take advantage of renewed investor interest in IPOs. Also, Biohaven closed a $287.5m offering and Grifols subsidiary GigaGen obtained up to $135m from BARDA.

Private Company Edition: ARCH raised more than $3bn for its eighth fund, Frazier added $630m to its public fund that also can back crossover rounds, DCVC’s third biotech fund totaled $400m and Asabys raised €180m ($200m) for its second fund. Also, Aktis closed a $175m series B round. 

Public Company Edition: BioAge will fund a Phase II trial of its muscle atrophy prevention drug in combination with an obesity drug with its initial public offering proceeds. Also, Ascendis and Wave raised $281.3m and $200m, respectively, after positive clinical trial readouts.

Private Company Edition: Vicebio plans to take a combo vaccine into Phase I with its $100m series B venture capital round. Also, Nura Bio raised $68m to boost its series A total to $141m and George Church-founded GC Therapeutics launched with $75m, among other recent VC deals.