VC at the heart of life sciences

European Life Sciences were high on the world’s radar as the COVID-19 epidemic swept across the globe. Companies went into high-gear to develop and produce vaccines, with venture capital-backed firms taking their place at the forefront. German-founded BioNTech, in partnership with Pfizer, was first to produce a fully approved vaccine within just 10 months of the World Health Organisation declaring the pandemic.

Meanwhile, governments ordered and purchased COVID-19 vaccines with health organisations distributing vaccines at scale – enabling the treatment and immunisation of citizens in Europe and beyond. It is appropriate to highlight the European Biotech & Healthcare industry has long having been a pioneer in the development of drugs and treatments that save lives and improve the health and wellbeing of people around the world.

Europe’s success stems from an enviable mix of leading universities and research institutes, a strong focus on R&D, and world-beating talent. They are supported by highly experienced Biotech & Healthcare-focused venture capital firms – both specialists and generalists – operating across the continent. Together they are combatting life-threatening conditions and improving lives with ground-breaking treatments and medical devices, and revolutionising the provision of healthcare with innovative digital health services.

Not only does venture capital investment in European life sciences impact lives for the better, it is also creating new employment and skills, and driving the development of more European Biotech & Healthcare businesses that are world-leading.

We’re delighted to present you with Invest Europe’s new digital Life Sciences report VC Success Stories Across Life Sciences in Europe, the contents of which can be found below.

You’ll find our data and insights grouped into three sections: Success Stories, Investment, and Employment. Under these headings, you can find exclusive Invest Europe data, as well as detailed information on 25 European Life Sciences leaders blazing trails in biotechnology therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health.

The success stories highlighted in this digital report were assembled by a task force comprised of life science specialists of the Venture Capital Platform Council using the following methodology:

• Geographic: Continental Europe, U.K., Ireland & Iceland

• Sector/Sub-Sector: Biotechnology/Therapeutics; Medical Devices; Diagnostics; Industrial Biotechnology; Life Science Tools & Digital Health

• Company founded during last 25 years and IPO/exit since 2000

• Company financed by VCs and/or business angels

• Exit value/market cap/valuation over €100 million and profitable exit for investors

• High degree of innovation; outstanding entrepreneurial achievements; creation of sustainable businesses with global impact

Our insights draw on a broad range of financial, company, and regulatory sources. Europe-wide industry data on Investment and Employment is derived from the European Data Cooperative (EDC), while information and data for the Life Sciences success stories comes from sources including public company data, venture capital funding disclosures, private industry data providers such as Preqin, Wikipedia, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the European Medicines Agency.