Tag: KfW

Company News: Curetis Raises EUR 12.5 Million in Series B Round Led by New Investor HBM Partners

– Co-investment of all current institutional investors as well as several private investors and management

– Company now has access to over EUR 20 million in cash for the next phase of commercial and operational growth

Curetis AG today announced the closing of a Series B financing round totaling EUR 12.5 million. The financing was led by HBM Partners, which has taken a EUR 6.0 million equity stake in Curetis. Dr. Alexander Asam of HBM will join Curetis’ supervisory board.

In addition, the company’s existing institutional investors aeris Capital, LSP Life Sciences Partners, Forbion Capital, BioMedInvest, Roche Venture Fund, CD Venture and KfW have contributed a total of EUR 5.6 million to the round on a pro rata basis. Curetis’ management as well as several of the company’s founders, private investors and board members also co-invested.

Including the latest Series B financing, Curetis has raised a total of EUR 49.1 million in equity capital to date.

Curetis will use the proceeds for the next phase of commercial and operational growth, including a prospective, multi-center FDA registrational trial with 2,000 patients and the further expansion of the company’s commercial activities and team in Europe.

Curetis anticipates a phase of rapid market adoption in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) where more than 50 top tier hospitals have agreed to install Unyvero™ for local testing. The inclusion of Unyvero™ in an upcoming global Phase IIb trial by Sanofi Pasteur is expected to add further momentum to the market penetration of Unyvero™.

Moreover, the company expects to continue the rapid international expansion of its commercial distribution network across Europe and the Middle East, but also towards Asia, Latin America and, following FDA clearance, to the USA.

Further upcoming milestones include the market launch of a second Unyvero™ cartridge application (ITI) together with Heraeus Medical and clinical data from a global Phase III trial in community-acquired bacterial pneumonia conducted by Cempra Pharmaceuticals.

Company News: Curetis AG Successfully Increases Series A Round to EUR 24.5 Million

Curetis AG, an innovative molecular diagnostics company focusing on the development and commercialization of in-vitro diagnostic products for infectious diseases, today announced an extension of its Series A financing, bringing the total size of the round to € 24.5 million. CD-Venture joined the funding as a new investor, while all of Curetis’ existing VC investors participated in the round. Several private investors also continued to co-invest.

Following the appointment of Oliver Schacht, PhD, as the new CEO of Curetis last month, this financing transaction is the first step towards funding next year’s commercial launch and roll-out of the Unyvero product platform together with the first CE marked IVD test cartridge for pneumonia and antibiotic resistances in Europe. The additional funds will allow Curetis to pursue a more aggressive strategy towards initiating a US clinical trial in H2-2011 with a goal of filing for FDA approval in 2012. This Series A financing positions Curetis as a solidly funded molecular diagnostics company with near-term commercial-stage products and its unique platform solution addressing a clear unmet medical need in the rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance.

Curetis’ CEO Oliver Schacht will present an update on the company at the upcoming BioEquity 2011 in Paris. The presentation is scheduled for May 23, 2011, at 5:00 pm CET, Room Pont de Sully.

Further details can be found here.

 

Company News: bubbles & beyond closes second financing round

bubbles & beyond, a technology company focusing on customized intelligent fluids, has announced the successful closing of a second financing round. All existing investors – LBBW Venture Capital, S-Beteiligungen, Hightech-Gruenderfonds and KfW – participated in the round, which totals EUR 1.2m.

The new funds will be used to strengthen the international market presence of bubbles & beyond and to broaden its internal development capacities in order to meet the increasing demand for customized intelligent fluids™ in various industry sectors. This includes diversified commercialization opportunities in the printing industry, microelectronics, and facility cleaning sectors in Europe and Japan. bubbles & beyond already markets products for graffiti removal as well as cleaning and preservation of building structures on the market. A product portfolio of professional cleaning agents for print rolls will be launched soon. In addition, there is considerable market demand for bubbles & beyond´s intelligent fluids™ in functional cosmetics.

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