Every day, Global University Venturing rounds up the smaller investments from across the university innovation ecosystem in its deal net.

Ori Biotech, a UK-based cell and gene therapy manufacturing spinout of University College London, closed a £7m ($9.4m) seed round yesterday backed by Amadeus Capital Partners, Delin Ventures and Kindred Capital together with an unnamed family office and undisclosed existing angel investors. The spinout was founded in 2015 by Chris Mason and Farlan Veraitch, professor and senior lecturer in UCL’s biochemical engineering department respectively, to commercialise a platform for building new personalised drugs based on cellular and genetic insights. Ori will put the funding towards its go-to-market strategy. Progentec, a US-based lupus treatment developer exploiting research from Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, yesterday raised $5m of series A capital from investors including the research foundation, Stanford University and medical centre Mayo Clinic. The round was co-led by the state-backed Oklahoma Seed Capital Fund, Plain Venture Partners and Oklahoma Angel Capital Fund II, and also featured NMC Health, OCA Ventures and Burns & Stowers Investment. The funding will drive progress on biomarker-driven diagnostics and digital therapies for lupus, a form of autoimmune disease. OCA Ventures and i2E Management, manager of Oklahoma Angel Capital Fund II, co-led a round of undisclosed size for Progentec in late 2018 backed by NMC Lifesciences, after a $1.3m transaction in 2017 led by i2E with participation from Mayo Clinic Ventures and OCA Ventures. Axio Biosolutions, an India-based biopolymer wound care business, has obtained Rs360m ($5m) in an extended series B round featuring UC-RNT Fund, the vehicle run jointly by University of California and Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of holding company Tata Sons, owner of conglomerate Tata Group, VCCircle reported yesterday. The round was led by Omidyar Network India, with contributions from Accel and Chiratae Ventures, and will support Axio’s overseas expansion, centred on the US and western Europe. Ratan Tata’s RNT Capital Advisors led Axio’s $7.4m series B round in early 2018 with support from Accel and IDG Ventures, both of which had backed the company’s $2.1m series A in 2016, according to media reports. Lettus Grow, a UK-based vertical farm irrigation business, has raised £2.4m ($3.1m) in a round featuring academic co-investment vehicle University of Bristol Enterprise Fund (UBEF), Silicon Canals reported yesterday. The round, which also included venture firm Bethnal Green Ventures and impact investment bank ClearlySo, will go toward building Lettus Grow’s second aeroponic research hub as well as technology development, sales and new product lines. The Parkwalk Advisors-managed UBEF II joined Bethnal Green Ventures and unnamed investors, including ClearlySo clients, for Lettus Grow’s $585,000…

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