Science and Enterprise

Tag: equity

  • Cancer Institute Invests in Three Spin-Off Companies

    The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) in Toronto says it invested in three new Ontario companies aimed at bringing anti-cancer technologies to market. OICR previously provided seed funding for the three companies. The three companies include: – TORCell Therapeutics Inc. is a spin-off of OICR and University Health Network in Toronto. The company is…

  • Venture Capital Investment Performance Improves Through 2010

    Returns on venture capital (VC) investments continued to improve for the fourth quarter and all of 2010, for most time horizons stretching back to 1981, and in some cases exceeding the benchmark stock indexes. These data are contained in the latest Cambridge Associates U.S. Venture Capital Index, prepared for the National Venture Capital Association. For…

  • Global Venture Capital Volume Up in Q1, Deal Number Down

    The volume of venture deals for companies in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Israel, China, and India jumped 20 percent to $9.8 billion in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the same quarter in 2010. However, the number of deals worldwide declined 7 percent in the first quarter, to 967. The data compiled by Dow…

  • Monsanto, Venture Company to Fund Life Science Start Ups

    Monsanto Company in St. Louis, Missouri and Atlas Venture, a venture capital firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, agreed to jointly explore investments in early-stage life sciences companies. Monsanto is a manufacturer of agricultural chemicals; Atlas Venture invests in early-stage technology and life sciences businesses. Under the agreement, Monsanto and Atlas will identify investments in several agricultural…

  • Q1 2011 Venture Fund Raising Up in U.S., Down in Europe

    Venture capital (VC) funds in the U.S. raised $7.7 billion in the first quarter of 2011, nearly double the $3.9 billion raised in the first quarter of 2010, according to Dow Jones LP Source. Early-stage funds — those that invest in start up companies, such enterprises begun by university researchers — were among the VCs…

  • Venture-Backed Exit Value Up, Numbers Down in Q1 2011

    The number of exit deals for new companies in the U.S. backed by venture capital (VC) in the first quarter of 2011 dropped, while the total value of the deals increased compared to the same period in 2010. Science-based companies figured prominently in the first-quarter deals involving VC-backed enterprises. Data on exits, where enterprises backed…

  • Merck to Offer Biotech Funding, Incubator in Israel

    The global pharmaceutical company Merck in Darmstadt, Germany has opened the Merck Serono Israel Bioincubator Fund, to support Israeli biotech and materials science start up companies. Merck’s chairman Karl-Ludwig Kley announced the initiative yesterday during meetings with officials in Israel. Merck’s incubator program covers pharmaceuticals, life sciences, and high-performance materials. The program will offer start…

  • Finance Friday: 18 March 2011

    Here are recent angel and venture finance transactions for science- and engineering-based companies, as reported by Xconomy and Venture Capital Reporter. Biomedical/Life Sciences Advanced Animal Diagnostics in Durham, North Carolina raised $11 million in equity funding with Intersouth Partners and Novartis Venture Funds, the venture capital arm of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and others. Chronix Biomedical in San Jose,…

  • Finance Friday: 11 March 2011

    Here are recent angel and venture finance transactions for science- and engineering-based companies, as reported by Xconomy, Fierce Biotech, and Venture Capital Reporter. Biomedical/Life Sciences Kite Pharma, a start up biotech in Los Angeles, California developing new cancer vaccine therapies, took in $15 million in Series A venture funding, from TPG Capital and other investors.…

  • Monsanto, Biofuels Company to Research Algae Agriculture

    Agricultural chemicals maker Monsanto Company in St. Louis, Missouri and Sapphire Energy Inc. in San Diego, California signed a multi-year agreement to use Sapphire’s algae-based research platform for the discovery of genes applicable to agriculture. Sapphire Energy’s current work involves synthetic biology to produce replacement fuels for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from algae. Under…