The Scottish National Investment Bank, Scotland’s development bank, said it has committed £15 million towards the £109 million Epidarex Capital IV fund, managed by Edinburgh-based transatlantic life science venture firm Epidarex.
Other investors include British Business Bank and Strathclyde Pension Fund.
Epidarex Capital has announced the first close of Epidarex Capital IV, LP, securing more than £109 million in commitments to build therapeutics and medical device companies.
“The fund will invest in high-quality early-stage healthcare innovation based on breakthrough science in the UK and the US, offering new company-building opportunities for top researchers and entrepreneurs,” said the Scottish National Investment Bank.
“Epidarex’s transatlantic team builds healthcare companies that address major unmet disease needs, including in oncology, cardiometabolic, autoimmune, and neurological conditions, sourcing research from established and emerging research hubs across the UK and US.
“Epidarex’s strategy is to lead early-stage financings, bridging the equity funding gap to build globally leading companies at scale.
“The firm partners with top scientists and entrepreneurs and takes an active role in building high-performance leadership teams, shaping strategy and helping companies progress through key value inflection points. Epidarex Capital IV, LP is expected to invest in up to 15 companies.”
Anthony Kelly, Investment Director at the Scottish National Investment Bank, said: “Scotland’s life sciences sector has high-growth potential and is strategically important to our economy, capitalising on the wealth of innovation stemming from our businesses, entrepreneurs and world-class universities. However, a lack of local capital has been a barrier to unlocking this full potential.
“Our investment, alongside a host of other Scottish, UK and global investors, addresses this need. Epidarex’s high-calibre team, headquartered in Edinburgh, already supports several Scottish businesses and is well-placed to deliver impact through the Fund.”
Elizabeth Roper, Managing Partner at Epidarex, added: “This first close reflects strong conviction in Epidarex’s ability to build high-quality life science companies from the earliest stages. We work closely with founders to support them through critical development milestones. Fund IV allows us to continue executing on this strategy. As a longstanding partner to a diverse range of investors, we are excited about the opportunity to continue to build the Epidarex platform.”
Sinclair Dunlop, Managing Partner at Epidarex, said: “We believe that the next three years represent a highly attractive window for investing in a new wave of biotech innovation. Epidarex Fund IV offers standout innovators an opportunity to secure funding from an experienced early-stage fund. Fund IV will also accelerate breakthrough science and unlock new therapeutic possibilities with meaningful impact for patients and public health.”
Christine Hockley, Managing Director and Co-Head of Funds, British Business Bank, said: “We are investing more into UK life sciences, which is one of the eight growth sectors of the UK Industrial Strategy.
“The Bank is highly active in the sector, having already committed over half a billion into specialist life science funds. However, we will continue to back fund strategies like Epidarex. The UK has a very strong science and research base, so what is needed is investors who specialise in nurturing and scaling those ideas, creating new, IP-rich companies.”
Epidarex’s transatlantic portfolio includes Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Enterprise Therapeutics, Harpoon Medical, Kynos Therapeutics and Nodthera.