Sofinnova Partners Announces Third Investment From Its Italian Fund
20.4.2020 10:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Sofinnova Partners, a leading European life sciences venture capital firm based in Paris, London and Milan, announced today an investment in Genespire, a Milan-based gene-therapy company developing best-in-class therapies for patients affected by genetic diseases. This is the third investment for the Sofinnova Telethon Fund, bringing the total financing of Italian startups by Sofinnova Partners to €25 million over the past six months. The Sofinnova Telethon Fund is the largest fund in Italy dedicated to biotechnologies, making early-stage investments in Italian companies targeting cures for rare and genetic diseases.
Genespire was spearheaded by the renowned gene therapy pioneer Professor Luigi Naldini. This investment by the Sofinnova Telethon Fund follows on the heels of its leading-edge investments in Epsilen Bio, which is developing a technology to turn off genes linked to specific pathologies without irreversibly modifying the DNA (a major potential safety advantage), and PinCell, a pre-clinical stage biotech company focused on the development of new therapies for rare dermatological diseases.
“These investments are the result of the excellent collaboration between Sofinnova Partners and The Telethon Foundation,” said Graziano Seghezzi, Managing Partner of Sofinnova Partners. “These exceptional start-up companies validate our conviction in the strength of the Italian market for supporting biotechnological advances.”
The Sofinnova Telethon Fund, managed by Sofinnova Partners, received commitments totaling €108 million, exceeding its target and establishing it as the largest fund to emerge from ITATech, a joint venture between the European Investment Fund (EIF) and Italy’s Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CdP). “We have gained unprecedented levels of support from Italian investors for our Italian biotech fund,” added Mr. Seghezzi. “We are proud and humbled by the trust we received from some of the country’s leading institutional, corporate and private investors who more than doubled the initial support provided by ITATech.”
Francesca Pasinelli, CEO of The Telethon Foundation, said the biggest winners of this partnership would be the patients who suffer from rare and genetic diseases. “This Fund has always been about them and additionally, is dedicated to elevating Italian science, supported by Italian investors and focused on Italy’s best entrepreneurs and companies,” she said. “We are seeing deep synergies between what we are doing with Sofinnova Partners and our ongoing, fruitful collaboration with the San Raffaele Hospital.”
The Sofinnova Telethon Fund team is led by technology transfer specialists Lucia Faccio and Paola Pozzi, Partners at Sofinnova Partners, who are based in the Milan office. The office also houses BiovelocITA, Italy’s first biotechnology accelerator co-founded in 2015 by Sofinnova Partners in collaboration with Silvano Spinelli and Gabriella Camboni, two serial entrepreneurs with close ties to Sofinnova Partners. Ms. Faccio has over 20 years of experience in the domain as the Director of Research and Business Development of The Telethon Foundation and as the Director of the Technology Transfer Office at the San Raffaele Hospital. Ms. Pozzi, who succeeded Ms. Faccio at the San Raffaele Hospital, has 16 years of experience in patent portfolio market-oriented management and development leading to incorporation of new companies with strong IP assets.
The Sofinnova Telethon Fund will continue to invest exclusively in Italy, seeking to identify, create and develop some of the best companies in the field of rare and genetic diseases.
About Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm specialized in Life Sciences. Based in Paris, France, with offices in London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of 40 professionals from all over Europe, the U.S. and Asia. The firm focuses on paradigm-shifting technologies alongside visionary entrepreneurs. Sofinnova Partners invests across the Life Sciences value chain as a lead or cornerstone investor, from very early-stage opportunities to late-stage/public companies. It has backed nearly 500 companies over more than 48 years, creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over €2 billion under management. For more information, please visit: www.sofinnovapartners.com
About Genespire
Genespire is a biotechnology company focused on the development of transformative gene therapies for patients affected by genetic diseases, particularly primary immunodeficiencies and inherited metabolic diseases. Based in Milan, Italy, Genespire was founded in March 2020 by the gene therapy pioneer Prof. Luigi Naldini, Prof. Alessio Cantore, The Telethon Foundation and San Raffaele Hospital. It is a spin-off of SR-Tiget, a world leading cell and gene therapy research institute and backed by Sofinnova Partners.
About Epsilen Bio
Epsilen Bio is a biotechnology company developing transformative therapies for patients affected by underserved medical conditions, through stable and long-lasting epigenetic silencing of genes involved in pathological processes. Based in Milan, Italy, Epsilen Bio was founded in December 2019 by the renowned gene therapy experts Prof. Angelo Lombardo and Prof. Luigi Naldini, The Telethon Foundation and San Raffaele Hospital. Epsilen Bio is a spin-off of SR-Tiget, a world leading cell and gene therapy research institute, and received seed funding from Sofinnova Partners. For more information, please visit: www.epsilenbio.com
About PinCell
PinCell is a biotechnology company targeting a novel pathological pathway to develop first-in-class anti-inflammatory therapy for the treatment of rare, severe skin diseases with high unmet medical need. Based in Milan, Italy, PinCell was founded in October 2008 as an academic spin-off of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia by the world-class dermatology experts Prof. Carlo Pincelli and Dr. Alessandra Marconi. PinCell received seed funding from Sofinnova Partners. For more information, please visit: www.pincell.it
About The Telethon Foundation (Fondazione Telethon)
The Fondazione Telethon is a non-profit organisation created in 1990 as a response to the appeals of a group of stakeholders, who saw scientific research as the only real opportunity to fight genetic diseases and win. Thanks to the funds raised through the television marathon, along with other initiatives and a network of partners and volunteers, Telethon finances the best scientific research on rare genetic diseases, with the ultimate objective of making the treatments developed available to everyone who needs them. Throughout its 28 years of activity, Fondazione Telethon has invested more than € 528 million in funding more than 2.630 projects to study more than 570 diseases, involving over 1.600 scientists. Fondazione Telethon has made a significant contribution to the worldwide advancement of knowledge regarding rare genetic diseases and of research with a view to developing treatments. For more information, please visit: www.telethon.it
About San Raffaele Hospital (Ospedale San Raffaele)
Ospedale San Raffaele (OSR) is a clinical-research-university hospital established in 1971 to provide international-level specialised care for the most complex and difficult health conditions. OSR is part of Gruppo San Donato, the leading hospital group in Italy. The hospital is a multi-specialty center with over 60 clinical specialties; it is accredited by the Italian National Health System to provide care to both public and private, national and international patients. Research at OSR focuses on integrating basic, translational and clinical activities to provide the most advanced care to our patients. The institute is recognized as a global authority in molecular medicine and gene therapy, and is at the forefront of research in many other fields. Ospedale San Raffaele is a first-class institute which treats many diseases and stands out for the deep interaction between clinical and scientific area. This makes the transfer of scientific results from the laboratories to the patient’s bed easier. Its mission is to improve knowledge of diseases, identify new therapies and encourage young scientists and doctors to grow professionally. For more information, please visit: www.hsr.it
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200420005174/en/
Contact information
Bommy Lee
Head of Communications, Sofinnova Partners
blee@sofinnovapartners.com
+33 (0) 6 47 71 38 11
Italy
Havas PR Milan
Marco Fusco
Marco.fusco@havaspr.com
+39 (0) 3456538145
Antonio Buozzi
antonio.buozzi@havaspr.com
+39 (0) 3200624418
North America
RooneyPartners LLC
Kate Barrette
kbarrette@rooneyco.com
+1 212 223 0561
France
StrategiesImage
Anne Rein
anne.rein@strategiesimage.com
+33 (0) 6 03 35 92 05
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
SES’s O3b mPOWER Satellite Network to Connect Seven New Petrobras FPSOs5.5.2026 09:50:00 EEST | Press release
SES, a leading space solutions company, will provide service on its high-capacity medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellite network, O3b mPOWER, to Petrobras, the Brazilian state-owned oil company, to connect multiple new Floating Production, Storage and Offloading systems (FPSOs). The projects will go into operation in the coming years, expanding Petrobras’ oil and gas production capacity to meet national energy needs and contribute to global oil markets. FPSOs are modern and efficient oil production platforms, responsible for processing, collecting, storing, and transferring oil to shuttle tankers, directly from subsea wells in deepwater fields. FPSOs offer the flexibility, capacity, and operational resilience needed to sustain large-scale offshore production in remote and challenging environments. Brazil is home to the majority of the offshore projects under development worldwide, and Petrobras is one of the largest FPSO operators on the planet, responsible for most of the country’s oil an
Regnology Completes Acquisition of Moody’s Regulatory Reporting & Asset and Liability Management (ALM) Solutions5.5.2026 09:00:00 EEST | Press release
Regnology, a global provider at the intersection of regulatory, risk, finance and supervisory technology, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Moody’s Regulatory Reporting & ALM Solutions business. The transaction expands Regnology’s solution portfolio with Moody’s comprehensive capabilities covering Basel III compliance, IFRS 9 impairment, large‑bank asset and liability management (ALM), Solvency II insurance reporting, and prudential and statistical regulatory reporting. The transaction closes at a pivotal inflection point. Financial institutions face intensifying regulatory scrutiny, growing data complexity, and rising expectations for governance and auditability, while advances in artificial intelligence are creating new opportunities to modernize control frameworks and operating models. Regnology is responding by accelerating its Straight-Through Reporting (STR) vision and leveraging the combined capabilities of the transaction to deliver more resilient, transparen
AB InBev Reports First Quarter 2026 Results5.5.2026 08:02:00 EEST | Press release
Anheuser-Busch InBev (Brussel:ABI) (BMV:ANB) (JSE:ANH) (NYSE:BUD): This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260504526109/en/ Regulated information1 “Cheers to beer - the strength of the category and the consistent execution of our consumer-centric strategy drove continued momentum across our footprint. We are investing behind our megabrands and innovations to lead and grow the category. With strong execution by our teams and major moments of celebration ahead, we are well positioned for 2026.” – Michel Doukeris, CEO, AB InBev Revenue +5.8% Revenue increased by 5.8% with revenue per hl growth of 4.5%. Reported revenue increased by 12.0% to 15 267 million USD, positively impacted by currency translation. 8.2% increase in combined revenues of megabrands, led by Corona, which grew by 16% outside of its home market. 27% increase in revenue of no-alcohol beer. 37% increase in revenue of Beyond Beer. 55% increase in Gross Mer
Kerecis Drives the Fish-Skin Conversation at Leading European Wound Conference - EWMA-DEWU 20264.5.2026 21:25:00 EEST | Press release
Kerecis, the company pioneering the use of sustainably sourced intact fish skin in cellular therapy and tissue regeneration, will play a prominent scientific and educational role at the EWMA‑DEWU 2026 Conference, taking place May 6–8 at the Messe & Congress Centrum Bremen in Bremen, Germany. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260504487743/en/ MariCell® Solid This year, The European Wound Management Association's (EWMA) meeting is held in conjunction with the Deutscher Wundkongress (DEWU); combining two major wound-care congresses into a single forum for scientific exchange, education, and clinical discussion. At this year’s conference, Kerecis will highlight growing clinical experience with intact fish‑skin grafts across a broad range of wound indications, supported by two Kerecis‑led scientific symposia, multiple oral and poster presentations, and direct engagement with clinicians at Booth D30, located adjacent
Printing the Future of Medicine: CTIBIOTECH™ Announces $27 Million Investment to Launch U.S. Operations at the SelectUSA Investment Summit4.5.2026 21:00:00 EEST | Press release
CTIBIOTECH™, a pioneering Contract Research, Development, and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO) and global leader in 3D bioprinting of human tissues, today officially announces the launch of its North American subsidiary, CTIBIOTECH USA™. The official launch took place today at the prestigious SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, D.C. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260504107996/en/ From Biopsy to Breakthrough, CTIBIOTECH USA™'s Vision for Precision Medicine Operating from its new United States base in the thriving life sciences “Cellicon Valley” hub of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in association with BioLabs for Advanced Therapeutics, CTIBIOTECH USA™ will provide the company's proprietary human cell and tissue bioassays and New Approach Methods (NAMs) directly to North American pharmaceutical, biomedical, and dermatocosmetics markets. By producing and supplying these cutting-edge human bioassays domesti
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom