Top R&D Investors
There are many global corporations who are dedicating significant amounts of money (investment) to research and development year on year. Samsung, Alphabet, Volkswagen and Microsoft to name but a few all understand the value of R&D in its capacity for the creation of innovative products and services, which is ultimately why its given so much financial backing. However, there are also a number of British based start-ups who are paving the way for innovation in their relevant sectors. Their ground-breaking R&D has been consistently backed by investment companies who are dedicated to supporting companies of the like who show great promise in making exciting advancements in their field. So keep reading to find out who the top R&D investors are!
Syncona Investment Management are a funding company dedicated to supporting new science for the healthcare industry. They strive to support companies who aim to ‘turn exceptional science into transformational treatments for patients in areas of high unmet need.’ Syncona have been known to fund research and development in Cell therapy, Gene therapy, biologics and small molecule.
One of the most notable companies that Syncona have funded is Gyroscope Therapeutics, a UK-based start-up that was founded at The University of Cambridge in 2016. With a goal for ‘Vision for life’, Gyroscope specialise in gene therapies with the aim to tackle age related macular degeneration.
In Gyroscope’s Series B funding round they secured a total of £50.4 million to support the ongoing ‘clinical development of the company’s investigational gene therapy’ for the purpose of treating age-related macular degeneration, which is the number one cause of permanent vision impairment for people aged 65 and over.
Syncona generously contributed £48 million of Gyroscope’s total funding for the series. Chief Executive Officer for Gyroscope Khurem Farooq welcomed this contribution with the assertion that the funding will allow Gyroscope to ‘collect and analyze safety data’ needed to move the project into larger trials.’ Syncona intend to culminate a portfolio of 15-20 companies of whom they will support in their endeavour to ‘extend and enhance human life’.
As ‘Investors in the future’, Hiro Capital believe that ‘Games and Games technology will be at the heart of next generation human societies’, investing in videogames, Esport, streaming and digital sports across the UK, Europe and North America. They are inspired by disruptive technology platforms and digital services, and adopt the ethical mantra that they can be a ‘general force for good’, and veer away from content that is toxic or addictive.
Hiro Capital have been a primary funding source for NURVV, a digital fitness company founded in 2019 and endorsed by the UK’s top sports and science universities. With Olympic
Gold Medallist Dame Kelly Holmes as the company’s global ambassador, NURVV are disrupting the fitness industry by integrating the digital into your workout. A notable example of their work so far is the smart running insole. Through its machine learning technology, NURVV Run ‘analyses your technique, then trains you into a better, healthier runner as you hit your goals and manage injury risk.’
Hiro Capital have invested £6.93 million into NURVV since the start of the pandemic, allowing them to further their research and development into how digital technology can aid our fitness
QVentures is a Venture Capital funding organisation who have participated in funding rounds with an ‘aggregate combined size of over £220m in 115 companies’. They have an extensive portfolio of 108 clients across 32 different sectors, ranging from cybersecurity, to healthcare, to travel. Investing in top-tier start-ups, the QVentures team is ‘experienced with deep knowledge of the UK venture ecosystem and our focus lies on high-growth, revenue-generating companies’.
One of QVentures’ noteworthy clients is Congenica. Established in 2014 and deriving from initial genomic research carried out by the NHS and Welcome Sanger Institute, Congenica is a world leading AI-powered Clinical Decision Platform which enables you to ‘rapidly interpret next-generation sequencing data, maximize case throughput and improve health outcomes’. The platform was designed to generate faster, more efficient and accurate diagnoses for patients using genomic data analysis. Genomic interpretation time was otherwise time-consuming and costly, but Congenica significantly reduces interpretations ‘from over twenty hours to under thirty minutes.’ This pioneering software has allowed for new discoveries, has freed up costly lab time, and aided more personalised health assessments.
QVentures played a significant part in the success of Congenica, the fastest growing genomics start-up in the UK, raising £39 million for the company in 2020. The funding series also involved other investors such as Parkwalk, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Downing, Xeraya, Puhua Capital, and IDO Investments. QVentures ‘strive to support cutting-edge technology companies that really change how an industry operates, and we believe [Congenica] are doing just that’, claims Robert Walsh, QVentures’ Managing Partner.
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*Disclaimer
All of the information provided is correct to our best knowledge at the time of publishing. If you have more up to date figures and/or information, please get in touch with our team so we can make the correct amendments. Or if you would like adding to the list, please provide a short description of your investment for our team to evaluate. marketing@countingking.co.uk