Inveready buys Enantia, the first 'spin-off' to emerge from the UB 20 years ago

One of the challenges of the university environment is to ensure that the knowledge it generates is transferred to society, something that is often pursued with the creation of spin-offs that emerge from research at university centers. In this context, the Universitat de Barcelona (UB) saw its first spin-off born 20 years ago with Enantia. Two decades later, the venture capital manager Inveready has bought the company, with the aim of promoting a group of R&D services in the pharmaceutical field.

With the operation, whose amount has not been disclosed, the venture capital fund has acquired all the shares of the chemical company, including those held by the UB. This has been the first time that the UB has divested in one of its spin-offs, as explained by Jose Conde, head of the Business Creation area of the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation, which acts as the UB's knowledge and technology transfer office.

Founded in 2003 as a result of research developed by the Department of Organic Chemistry of the UB, Enantia has consolidated itself as a benchmark in the design and production of advanced chemical products for the pharmaceutical industry.

The chemical company, which now has around 40 employees and a turnover of three million euros, provides comprehensive chemical services to pharmaceutical and biotechnological players, ranging from initial research to the development of the chemical process, going through all phases of research. The entry of Inveready will allow accelerating research projects and the development of new products, as well as expanding Enantia's international presence.

Double milestone for the UB

The operation has represented a double milestone for the UB: it has divested for the first time in one of its spin-off companies, and it has done so precisely with the oldest of them. "The objective is to accompany companies until they are mature and independent," Conde defended: "We hope it will be the first of others."

And the sale of its shares implies "that the university receives an economic return for the commitment it made 20 years ago." At the same time, it demonstrates that this commitment was successful: in these years Enantia has become one of the UB's spin-offs with the highest turnover. Now, the UB will allocate the resources to new innovation and technology transfer projects, with the intention of acting as a bridge between university research and the business sector.

The UB, which was a minority partner in Enantia, maintains 24 spin-offs after this acquisition. "The goal is for these 24 to grow and mature and achieve these two goals: to ensure that research reaches society, and that the university has an economic return."