Brenus Pharma adds €11M and first Asia-Pacific backer to Series A
What's the deal? Brenus PharmaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised an €11 million ($12.6 million) extension to its Series A round, lifting total capital raised since inception to €38 million ($43.5 million). The French biotech develops an off-the-shelf immuno-oncology platform aimed at hard-to-treat solid tumours.
Who's backing it? The round drew follow-on support from existing investors AngelorDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, UI InvestissementDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Crédit AgricoleDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, NoshaqDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Orsa, BIO JAG, and Bpifrance. Two new investors joined: SambrinvestDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Korea Omega InvestmentDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Corp — the latter marking Brenus's first institutional backing from the Asia-Pacific region.
Why it matters: Korea Omega's investment is its first in France. "The company combines truly differentiated technology with early clinical validation and team executing at pace," said Dae Kyeong Bae, senior vice president at the firm.
What's the endgame? Brenus's lead candidate, STC-1010, is a clinical-stage in vivo immunotherapy for microsatellite-stable metastatic colorectal cancer. Its platform mimics tumour protein expression to make cancer visible to the immune system, adapting as tumours evolve.
What's the money for? The company will use the funds to complete its Phase I program and advance its next drug candidate. "This funding will enable us to complete the Phase I program and continue accelerating our in vivo immunotherapy platform," said chief executive officer Paul Bravetti.
The signal: Cross-border interest — pulling in both a new European backer and a first Asia-Pacific institutional investor — signals that European immuno-oncology startups can attract capital well beyond their home markets, even at the clinical-stage.
Read more: finanznachrichten.de
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
