- i&i Biotech Fund I SCSp, Brandenburg Kapital GmbH
and HIL-INVENT Ges.m.b.H. participated in the seed
round
- Funds will be used to accelerate a new
generation of T cell therapies against solid tumors towards the
clinic
Schoenefeld/Berlin, Germany, May 22, 2024 ---
Captain T Cell GmbH, a biotechnology company developing
next-generation T cells against solid tumors, today announced the
successful closing of a seed financing round totaling € 8.5
million. A syndicate of experienced life science investors
including i&i Biotech Fund I SCSp, Brandenburg Kapital GmbH,
and HIL-INVENT Ges.m.b.H participated in the round. In addition,
the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is
supporting the Company through its prestigious GO-Bio program. The
financing also marks the appointment of biotech veteran Jörn Aldag
as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
The funds will be used to further progress
Captain T Cell’s first-in-class lead program towards the clinic
along with a novel allogeneic platform for off-the-shelf treatments
of solid tumors.
Captain T Cell develops first-in-class
efficacy-enhanced TCR-T cells for solid tumors that are not
addressed by existing therapies. Using a toolbox of next-generation
technologies, Captain T Cell generates TCR-T cells with enhanced
persistence and the capacity to cope with the hostile tumor
microenvironment of difficult-to-treat solid tumors. In preclinical
in vivo models, the Company has been able to completely eradicate
aggressive tumors using these efficacy-enhanced T cells. A key
technology established by the Captain T Cell team is its
proprietary TCR-ALLO platform for off-the-shelf treatment of solid
tumors. The TCR-ALLO platform is a versatile tool that can be
expanded to a variety of cancer indications.
The Company is a spin-off from the renowned Max
Delbrück Center, Berlin, Germany, a leading European biomedical
research institution. The institute provided valuable financial and
infrastructural support throughout the pre-seed phase and together
with its technology transfer partner Ascenion remains a close
partner for future endeavors.
Dr. Felix Lorenz, CEO of Captain T Cell, said:
“This successful financing round allows us to accelerate our
high-potential therapies and brings us closer to providing
life-saving options for patients underserved by current treatments.
We are steadfast in our mission to progress our lead candidate
towards the clinic and to establish our TCR-ALLO platform as a
leader in off-the-shelf solid tumor therapeutics.”
“We have been following the Captain T Cell team
for some time and have been impressed by their scientific depth and
management capabilities. The team has generated highly convincing
preclinical data. Also, we see tremendous potential in their
off-the-shelf approach. It holds the promise of bringing
life-saving therapies to patients at much lower cost. If
successful, it could be applied to any TCR-T cell therapy currently
in development, enabling widespread use of these therapies. Captain
T Cell has the potential to become a global leader in the
development of novel oncology drugs,” said Dr. Jaromir Zahrádka,
Managing Partner of i&i Bio.
“T cell-based immunotherapies represent a
powerful tool in the challenging fight against solid tumors. We
believe Captain T Cell is positioned at the forefront of cancer
therapy with its unique toolbox technology approach,” said Hao Nam
Nguyen, Investment Manager at Brandenburg Kapital. “Brandenburg
Kapital looks forward to supporting the highly ambitious team at
Captain T Cell and to bringing this very promising project to
fruition together with our co-investors and the BMBF funding from
the GO-Bio program.”
“Captain T Cell combines a powerful proprietary
drug development platform with an advanced preclinical product
pipeline,” commented Dr. Friedrich Hillebrand, Managing Director of
HIL-INVENT. “The Company's programs address a high unmet medical
need in the treatment of aggressive solid tumors. We are therefore
pleased to participate in the Company's seed financing round and
support its future growth.”
###
About Captain T Cell
Captain T Cell develops first-in-class,
efficacy-enhanced T cell therapies against solid tumors that are
not addressed by existing treatments. Captain T Cell generates
next-generation TCR-T cells with enhanced persistence and the
capacity to cope with the hostile tumor microenvironment of
difficult-to-treat solid tumors. In addition, the Company has
established a novel allogeneic platform to enable off-the-shelf
treatments of solid tumors. Captain T Cell is based in
Schoenefeld/Berlin, Germany, and backed by leading European
investors i&i Biotech Fund I SCSp, Brandenburg Kapital GmbH,
and HIL-INVENT Ges.m.b.H. Captain T Cell was founded by a dedicated
team of immuno-oncology experts using technology developed at the
Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz
Association, Berlin, Germany. For more information, please visit
https://www.captaintcell.com/
About i&i Biotech Fund I (i&i
Bio)
i&i Bio is a Luxembourg-based venture
capital firm that invests in innovative European life sciences
companies focused on drug discovery, medical devices, diagnostics,
and digital health. The Fund was created thanks to the cooperation
of the biotech incubator i&i Prague and the European Investment
Fund. With over € 53 million under management, i&i Bio plans to
invest in about 20 early-stage companies. i&i Bio is led by an
experienced team of professionals with backgrounds in private
equity, healthcare and venture capital supporting entrepreneurs on
their journey to global success. Thanks to close cooperation with
the fund’s main sponsor, the biotech academic incubator i&i
Prague, i&i Bio is supporting and advancing transformative
Central European technology companies.
For more information visit www.inibio.eu.
About European Investment Fund
i&i Bio is supported by an investment from
the EIF, with the support of:
- lnnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European
Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European
Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) set up under the Investment
Plan for Europe. The purpose of EFSI is to help support financing
and implementing productive investments in the European Union and
to ensure increased access to financing; and
- the Pan-European Guarantee Fund (EGF), implemented by the EIF
with the financial support of the Participating Member States. The
objective of EGF is to respond to the economic impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that companies in the Participating
Member States have sufficient short-term liquidity available to
weather the crisis and are able to continue their growth and
development in the medium to long-term.
More information can be found here.
About Brandenburg Kapital
Brandenburg Kapital GmbH is a subsidiary of the
Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB). As the venture
capital arm of ILB, it has been supporting companies in Brandenburg
since 1993 by acquiring equity and quasi-equity investments. As a
public venture capital company, experienced lead investor and
active partner, Brandenburg Kapital ensures a strong equity base
for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises in the state
of Brandenburg on the basis of a stable group environment. The
equity fund, which currently amounts to around € 100 million, is
available for this purpose. The funds for the Brandenburg Kapital
fund, which was set up on behalf of the Brandenburg Ministry of
Economic Affairs, are currently provided from the European Regional
Development Fund and ILB's own resources. With a total of eleven
funds, financed by the state, the EU, KfW, and ILB's own resources
amounting to around € 325 million, around 300 Brandenburg companies
have been supported with venture capital and/or mezzanine financing
over the last 30 years. Further information can be found
at: www.brandenburg-kapital.de
About HIL-INVENT Ges.m.b.H
HIL-INVENT Ges.m.b.H. is a company that
focuses on investments in future-oriented industries. The emphasis
is on life science, medical technology, pharmaceuticals, and
related industries. HIL-INVENT Ges.m.b.H. is known for
its collaborative approach and deep industry knowledge, providing a
foundation for informed decisions and sustainable investments.
Contact:
Captain T Cell GmbH Dr. Janna Hachmann Chief Operating Officer
info@captaintcell.com
Willy-Brandt-Platz 2 12529 Schoenefeld/Berlin Germany
Media Inquiries:
akampionDr. Ludger Wess / Ines-Regina Buth
Managing Partners info@akampion.comTel. +49
40 88 16 59 64 /Tel. +49 30 23 63 27 68