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Finance and Investment, Industrial application, Technology and digital innovation

Spectricity Raises €14 Million Series B Funding as it Accelerates Plans to Deliver Industry Leading Hyperspectral Sensing to Mobile and Consumer Devices

Funding Expands Growth for Tiny Chip-size Sensors for Unimaginable New Applications.

Ardena’s success leads to major €35 million investment for expansion in Belgium, Sweden and The Netherlands

Azalea Vision closes € 8 million Series A to develop a smart contact lens for light sensitivity and ocular disorders

Azalea Vision develops autonomous smart solutions embedded inside a contact lens to improve the quality of life of people with light sensitivity or ocular disorders. The company has announced the closing of its Series A funding round, comprised of € 6.2 million in equity and € 1.8 million as a non-dilutive grant.

Newton Biocapital invests in EditForce to support development of a unique DNA/RNA editing platform based on PPR protein technology

Newton Biocapital invests in NeuVasQ: EUR 20 million Series A to develop unique blood-brain barrier therapy

Montis Biosciences Awarded VLAIO Grant to Expand its Pipeline of Novel Immune-Oncology Therapeutics

Droia Ventures raises a new fund of EUR 220 million to target genetic diseases and expands leadership team with George Golumbeski

Pulsify Medical closes second round Series A funding of EUR 6.35 million for wearable ultrasound heart monitor patch

Leuven, Belgium, 4 May 2021 - Pulsify Medical is a digital medical technology company developing wearable ultrasound patches which will monitor vital organs in real-time. The new and disruptive technology will address a serious unmet need for continuous cardiac monitoring in ICUs, hospitals, and homes across the world

Belgian pharma industry among the EU’s strongest despite pandemic setbacks

How did the Belgian chemical and pharmaceutical sector fare during the first year of the pandemic? A report from essenscia gives insight into the financial downturn caused by the global crisis in 2020, but also showed strong positive trends in job creation and innovation. There were record investments in research and development, particularly in the healthcare sector, which continues to score among the best in Europe.

To fund or not to fund: the psychology of investment decisions

Much has been written about the psychology of decision making and how venture capitalists choose which companies they want to fund. Although due diligence is an important part of the process, first impressions and emotions play a huge role in reaching that stage. Diverse teams are vital to making sure that gut reactions aren’t driving poor investment choices in VC funds.

V-Bio Ventures invests in new start-up Protealis to uplift sustainable plant protein production

Ghent, Belgium, 8 April 2021 - Today V-Bio Ventures announces its investment in Ghent-based company Protealis, a new spin-off from VIB and ILVO. Inspired by the mission to grow more sustainable plant-based proteins locally, Protealis aims to harvest the full potential of legume crops. With innovative breeding technologies and proprietary seed coatings, Protealis will create new opportunities for European farmers to help overcome Europe’s protein deficit. The initial focus is to develop high-yielding, high-protein soybean varieties. V-Bio Ventures led the EUR 6 million seed financing round joined by Agri Investment Fund (AIF), Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV), Estari Group, Globachem Group, Gemma Frisius Fund and VIB. The capital will support the company’s plans to further develop its proprietary technology, expand its crop portfolio and bring the first soy varieties adapted to local needs to the market by 2022.

AgomAb’s journey of growth in regenerative medicine

Ghent-based AgomAb Therapeutics recently raised a Series B of $74 million, the largest round ever for a Belgian biotech in pre-clinical phase. Based on argenx’ technology, the company is developing HGF-mimetic antibodies for regenerative medicine. AgomAb has come a long way since it’s foundation in 2017 and has been pegged by many as one of the future stars of Belgian biotech.

Augustine Therapeutics developing new medicines for neuromuscular diseases

Augustine Therapeutics had a lot of announcements this month: the VIB spin-off just appointed Dr. Sylvain Celanire as CEO, strengthened its Board of Directors, set up a Scientific Advisory Board and received a €1.2 million VLAIO grant. All of the above is going to help the company to develop therapies for rare peripheral neuropathies and neurodegenerative disorders, starting with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Backed by some major players in the Belgian life sciences ecosystem, this start-up is accelerating fast!

Wallonia to invest in plant-based proteins as meat substitutes

The Walloon region is taking major steps towards becoming an important player in the business of plant-based proteins. In the next few months, two of the region’s public investment funds, Sogepa and SRIW, plan to establish a start-up company in this booming field. In the long term, the goal is to create an entire ecosystem around the use of plant proteins as meat replacements, benefiting the economy, health and sustainability of the whole area.

Augustine Therapeutics awarded EUR 1.2 million VLAIO research grant to develop new medicines for neuromuscular diseases

Leuven, Belgium, 23 March 2021 - Augustine Therapeutics, a biotech spin-out company from VIB that focuses on the development of novel innovative therapies for rare peripheral neuropathies and neurodegenerative disorders, has received EUR 1.2 million in funding from the Flanders Agency for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO). The grant will be used to support the development of new medicines for peripheral neuropathies through innovative research by elucidating the mode of action of second-generation selective HDAC6 inhibitors developed by Augustine Therapeutics.