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The 2nd edition of Asebio Investor Day attracted around 300 participants and 60 international investors

By 27 de September de 2019No Comments
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Anna Serra, Director of Marketing and Communication at PCB, with representatives of the companies from the park which participated in the Asebio Investor Day (Photo: PCB).
 27.09.2019

The 2nd edition of Asebio Investor Day attracted around 300 participants and 60 international investors

26 September saw the 2nd edition of the Asebio Investor Day, which was organised by Asebio with the collaboration of Barcelona Science Park (PCB), the Biotechnology Markets Platform) ICEX Spain Trade and Investment and the Alternative Spanish Equity Market. Droplite, Molomics, Ona Therapeutics and SOM Biotech, all based at PCB, were among 50 companies selected to present their projects at the financing forum, in which 57 investors from 10 countries around the world participated.

 

In terms of participation, the second edition of Asebio Investor Day was a huge success: 280 attendees and 57 investors from 10 countries around the world, and more than 500 partnering meetings. The event featured various panels where the current state of early-stage biotechnology project funding was discussed, and reflections were made as to how, in recent years, new typologies and investment instruments have been onboarded, such as venture capital companies, corporate investors, crowdfunding, investors and impact, and public initiatives.

The start-ups in attendance represented a broad spectrum of the industry, working in areas as innovative as medical devices, advanced therapies, oncology, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiology and much more. They all had the opportunity to hold one-to-one meetings with national and international investors and pharmaceutical companies and participate in various networking activities. Four companies based in Barcelona Science Park—Droplite, Molomics, Ona Therapeutics and SOM Biotech— were selected to present their projects at the investor forum. 

Droplite, a  spin-off  of ICFO, is developing a lab-on-a-chip diagnostic device that helps detect and monitor different pathological agents in humans and animals at the patient point-of-care (POC). The company has already developed the functional prototype and is currently working on the technical and clinical verification of the technology so it can move on to industrial design and manufacturing in 2020.

Molomics presented its patented artificial intelligence technology for designing safer and more effective medicinal products, as well as its two drug discovery programmes focused on Parkinson’s disease. Its objective is to finalize the preclinical regulatory stage for both compounds and to sign a licensing or codevelopment agreement with the pharmaceutical industry.

Ona Therapeutics, a spin-off of IRB Barcelona and ICREA, presented its project focused on the development of a new medicinal product for the treatment of metastatic cancer. The Sabadell Asaby fund financed the company with €1.5m, which is capital that will be added to other resources currently being negotiated with local and international funds to, predictably, close a Series A round of approx. €20m.

SOM Biotech, which specialises in the repositioning of drugs to treat minor nervous system disorders, was a silver sponsor of Asebio Investor Day. In addition to presenting the company, it met with global investors and potential partners to share its strategic vision for future growth. This year, SOM closed a €7m round and now faces the challenge of getting its products on the market. 
 

► For further information: ASEBIO website [+]