BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity supports AstriVax with start-up capital
2 min
With EUR 30 million in raised start-up capital, the Leuven biotech company AstriVax can further develop its vaccines. This is the largest amount of start-up money ever raised by a KU Leuven spin-off. BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity is one of the investors in this innovative Belgian company, which can now shift up a gear.
Tackling challenges in vaccinology
AstriVax focuses on the development of innovative vaccines, both preventive and therapeutic. With the start-up capital raised, the company will clinically develop its first thermostable yellow fever vaccine and further develop its candidate vaccines against rabies and chronic hepatitis B.
The company is building a highly innovative plug-and-play vaccine platform for this, based on the ground-breaking work done by co-founders Professor Johan Neyts and Doctor Kai Dallmeier from the KU Leuven Rega Institute. In this way, AstriVax seeks to design and produce vaccines faster and more cost-efficiently. The aim is to combine long-term protection with thermostable production, which requires no cooling. This makes it easy for vaccines to reach patients, even those in tropical and subtropical areas.
Ground-breaking scientific work with social relevance
In addition to BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity, PMV, Thuja Capital, Ackermans & van Haaren, OMX and the KU Leuven Gemma Frisius Fund are all participating in this financing round, led by V-Bio Ventures and Fund+.
"The Rega team has done fantastic scientific work in recent years, which they can now turn into valuable medical products. Investing in innovative companies with a strong social vision and promising potential, is perfectly in line with our Private Equity strategy", says Raf Moons, Head of BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity.