About the Sponsors
Sofinnova Ventures
Founded in 1974, Sofinnova Ventures is a San Francisco Bay-Area based, internationally investing venture capital firm with over $1 billion under management. With a specialization in corporate spin-outs, we finance seed and early-stage companies developing pharmaceuticals and specialty pharmaceuticals. Our mission is to create value by providing entrepreneurs with the resources, experience and networks necessary to turn their ideas into profitable businesses. Sofinnova Ventures has offices in Menlo Park, San Francisco, and San Diego, California, as well as Tokyo, Japan.
Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners is an independent venture capital firm based in Paris, France. For over 35 years, the firm has backed nearly 500 companies at different stages of development – pure creations, spin-offs, as well as turnaround situations – and worked alongside Europe’s key entrepreneurs in the technology, life sciences and cleantech sectors. With €1.1 billion of funds under management, Sofinnova Partners’ experienced team and hands-on approach in building portfolio companies through to exit have created market leaders, from landmark historical investments including Genentech, Actelion and Vistaprint to more recent successes such as CoreValve, Novexel, Fovea and Sensitive Object. With a global mindset, the firm has a sister organization in San Francisco, California.
Citigroup Global Markets Japan
Citigroup Global Markets Japan is a leading wholesale investment bank, offering a broad range of financial services, including investment banking, sales and trading and research. Drawing on the global expertise of Citi and its deep relationships in Japan, Citigroup Global Markets Japan offers its clients unparalleled global access and local expertise. Citi traces its origins in Japan to when the International Banking Corporation opened its first branch in Yokohama in 1902. Citigroup Global Markets Japan's own history includes a ten year partnership with Nikko Cordial Securities, through the joint venture Nikko Citigroup. Citigroup Global Markets Japan strives to leverage its leading position, on-going partnerships, the global network and unique strengths to be one of Japan's leading wholesale investment banks. Citigroup's global healthcare team covers 20 countries with 139 professional healthcare dedicated bankers, and has leading track record in M&As, equity and debt issuance, as well as loan syndications.
CMEA Capital
CMEA Capital is a venture capital firm with a clear focus on life sciences, high technology, and energy and materials investments. We believe that the most successful venture backed companies are those that are science based, with experienced teams that have a vision. As a result, CMEA typically invests in companies that have cutting edge and highly differentiated technology at their core and founding teams of the highest caliber still in place. These are companies that have the potential to transform their industries. CMEA Capital was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. We invest in both early and late stage science-focused ventures, and leverage a strong network of corporate, investment, and entrepreneurial relationships on behalf of portfolio companies. Our partners and associates have extensive science, engineering, and operational backgrounds, providing us the confidence to look beyond today's technology. We apply our focus on science and teams to our collaborations with entrepreneurs and venture investment partners who are changing the world, one great company at a time.
Domain Associates
Founded in 1985, Domain Associates, L.L.C. is a venture capital firm with an exclusive focus on life sciences. With $2.5 billion of capital under management, Domain is headquartered in Princeton, NJ with a second office in San Diego, CA. Domain's three major investment segments are pharmaceuticals, specialty pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, while additional areas of interest include biomaterials, bioinstrumentation, and diagnostics. The Partners of Domain have a total of close to 200 person-years of experience among them in the healthcare/venture capital industries and have been involved in the formation and growth of more than 230 life-sciences companies. The highly focused network, experience, and reputation of this team have made it one of the top private-equity groups participating in the healthcare field.
FinTech Global Capital
FinTech Global Capital (FGC) is a Tokyo based venture capital firm founded in 2006 by a team of accomplished investment professionals with extensive industry background. FGC is dedicated to investing in technology companies both in life sciences and information technology with strong Asian angle. The FGC team has established deep relationships with Asian pharmaceutical and technology companies allowing them to identify unique technology spin-out opportunities. FGC augments its core expertise of investing in spin-outs with the diverse expertise of its team in finance, marketing, business development and entrepreneurial management.
Global Investment
Mitsui Global Investment is a leading international venture capital firm with over $350 million under management, and offices in Palo Alto, New York, Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai. The life science team has been investing in seed and early stage companies in the US and Japan with a special focus on spin-out or carve-out opportunities from the established institutions in Japan, with further developments taking place in the US or Europe. The current portfolio includes 15 life science companies, and many of them are based on the intellectual properties assigned or licensed by Japanese institutions.
BIO
BIO represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.