1. Scrip
  2. >>Business
  3. >>Financing
  4. >>Finance Watch

Finance Watch: European And Japanese Biotechs See VC Investor Interest In March

Dementia Discovery Fund 2 Meets $250m Goal

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Private Company Edition: The latest group of drug developers to announce venture capital financings is remarkable for its geographic diversity, from Character Biosciences’ $93m series B round in the US to Augustine’s $85m series B in Belgium to a $29.2m series C for Aculys in Japan.

Finance Watch Private Company
• Source: Shutterstock

Finance Watch has kept a close eye on venture capital financings in 2025 because of the notable drop in mega-rounds of $100m or more, and there have been none since the last private company edition, which noted five mega-rounds so far in March – up from three in February, but below the 11 seen in January. However, perhaps because of the slightly smaller size of recent funding rounds, another factor stood out in VC financings announced during the second half of this month – the geographic diversity of funded companies.

VC Deals In Depth

For detailed coverage of recent venture capital financings, see these Scrip articles:

The largest VC round since the 19 March edition of Finance Watch was a $93m series B round for Character Biosciences in Jersey City, NJ – a US company, but...

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 Finance Watch

Finance Watch: Public Company Fundraising Sank Across The Board In Q1

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Public Company Edition: Biomedtracker’s first quarter 2025 financing report shows follow-on offerings, IPOs and PIPEs fell sharply from Q1 of 2024. In recent transactions, Teva sold $2.3bn worth of notes, Regenxbio executed a royalty deal for up to $250m and Aura’s FOPO grossed $75m.

Finance Watch: SV Closes Second Dementia Discovery Fund, Exceeding $250m Goal

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Private Company Edition: SV Health Investors revealed the final closing of its second Dementia Discovery Fund. Also, Eikon cut nearly 15% of its staff, Pathos AI raised $365m in series D venture capital and CellCentric completed a $120m series C round, among other financings.

Finance Watch: Prime, Kyverna, Allogene And More Announce Job Cuts

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Restructuring Edition: Prime Medicine ended its sole clinical-stage program to prioritize preclinical and partnered programs, cutting 25% of its workforce to extend its cash runway. Meanwhile, earnings season brought workforce reductions at Kyverna, Allogene, Leap and others.

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.

More from Scrip

Zydus To Continue Mirabegron Sales, Looks To World-First Dual Shigella-Typhoid Vaccine

 
• By Vibha Ravi

Zydus expects strong mirabegron sales in FY26 amid US litigation even as it builds a growth pillar in vaccines with a world-first, Gates Foundation-aided dual shigella-typhoid vaccine under development and others on the WHO prequalified list

Challenging Environment For Biopharma Is A Tailwind For Royalty Pharma

 
• By Jessica Merrill

The royalty revenue stream acquirer has around 40 products in its portfolio and expects to generate roughly $3bn this year. Head of R&D and investments Marshall Urist talked about the investment strategy at the RBC Healthcare Conference.

Finance Watch: SV Closes Second Dementia Discovery Fund, Exceeding $250m Goal

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Private Company Edition: SV Health Investors revealed the final closing of its second Dementia Discovery Fund. Also, Eikon cut nearly 15% of its staff, Pathos AI raised $365m in series D venture capital and CellCentric completed a $120m series C round, among other financings.