The Institut Català de Finances (ICF) revalidates its collaboration with Invivo Partners, and has invested 8 million euros in its Invivo Ventures III fund, aimed at advanced health therapies. The investment, expandable up to 10 million, responds to the will of the ICF and the management company to contribute to the expansion of the life sciences sector, in a context of growth in this area in Catalonia.
The new fund of the venture capital firm, which is born with the objective of mobilizing 100 million, aims to transform healthcare through cutting-edge technologies and therapies. To do this, it covers areas ranging from cell therapy to synthetic biology, including artificial intelligence, in order to contribute to unveiling transformative scientific discoveries.
In this line, Invivo Partners has invested in the development of multiple spin-offs in Catalonia since it was founded in Barcelona in 2019 by Albert Ferrer and Luis Pareras, who continue to lead the company alongside Laura Rodríguez. Based in Barcelona, Invivo has invested through two previous funds in early stages of spin-offs such as Peptonyc from the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Minoryx from the University of Barcelona (UB), Integra Therapeutics from Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and Telomere Therapeutics, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), among many others.
This investment by the ICF "marks a key moment in the mission to lead the transformation in the field of advanced therapies," according to Invivo Partners managing partner, Luis Pareras. The co-founder also stated that this new fund will allow to accelerate the development of revolutionary therapies, which will contribute to improving health and, at the same time, to positioning Catalonia as a global reference point in life sciences.
In this way, the investment is aligned with the shared objective of the ICF to propel Catalonia towards leadership in the life sciences sector and to consolidate it as a biotechnological center of excellence in the field of research. In addition, the operation reinforces public banking as an investment tool in innovative Catalan companies.
Thus, the ICF has among its priorities to promote strategic areas such as this, which has "a very high transformative power on people's quality of life," according to the CEO of the ICF, Vanessa Servera. "Investing in life sciences is investing in life, in the survival of sick people and in strengthening the business fabric with jobs, companies and cutting-edge research," she added.
Startup companies in the healthtech sector are the most numerous among Catalan startupsThe ICF, which in 2023 increased its activity by 17%, collaborates with Invivo Partners since the company launched its first fund in 2019, named Healthequity. The public bank maintained its collaboration with the second one promoted by the company, Invivo Ventures. Both funds have relied on private investments and also on institutional actors, such as the European Investment Fund (EIF), Fond-ICO Global, the Institut Valencià de Finances and the Barcelona City Council, in addition to the ICF.
Furthermore, the operation has been executed in a context where Barcelona stands out as a hub for health research and innovation in the life sciences sector. The Catalan capital, where on average more than one startup or spin-off is created weekly, boasts a dynamic ecosystem of emerging companies.
Within this, the field of health and life sciences particularly stands out. In fact, emerging companies in the healthtech sector are the most numerous within the set of Catalan startups, in a context where funds like Invivo play a relevant role in the launch of innovative proposals.