Circio raises ~$21M to fund in vivo CAR-T therapy push
What's the deal? Oslo-based biotech Circio Holding ASA has raised approximately US$24.2M in a private placement directed at new international investors. The company issued 16,865,000 new shares at US$1.43 each — a 9% discount to the stock's volume-weighted average price on September 14, 2026. Pareto Securities ASDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → managed the deal.
What's the endgame? Circio develops circular RNA expression technology for gene and cell therapy. Most of the new capital will go towards its in vivo CAR-T cell therapy program, including screening and securing complementary vector and delivery technologies.
Why now? Chief executive officer Erik Digman Wiklund framed the raise as capitalising on momentum, calling in vivo CAR-T "an area of very high industry interest that has attracted substantial recent deal activity by big pharma."
The placement attracted strong pre-sounding interest and was conducted as a club deal. It brings Circio's total capital raised in 2026 to US$99.1M, and the company says its cash runway through 2030 remains in place. Existing shareholders will get to participate in a proposed subsequent offering of up to roughly US$24.2M.
Where the money goes: The funds let Circio complete screening and selection of DNA vector and T-cell targeted LNP-delivery systems, currently spread across more than 10 active R&D collaborations. It plans to secure access to chosen technologies through in-licensing, technology acquisition, or M&A.
The signal: The raise sits at the higher end of comparable rounds by amount, and reflects investor appetite for the convergence of two hot areas — in vivo CAR-T and circular RNA — as large drugmakers move deeper into cell therapy.
Read more: placera.se
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