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

Ansa Biotechnologies, a DNA synthesis technology spinout of University of California, Berkeley, has obtained $7.9m in a seed round led by Horizons Ventures that featured Mubadala Capital , the investment arm of Abu Dhabi state-owned Mubadala Investment, as well as Humboldt Fund and undisclosed additional investors. The company is working on a DNA synthesis method capable of building one DNA sequence base at a time, based on conjugating a template-independent polymerase enzyme to a single nucleoside triphosphate molecule. The funding will go to recruitment, partnerships and building R&D capacity. Ansa has now raised $9.2m altogether following an earlier pre-seed round led by Fifty Years in late 2018. CellAxia, a Japan-based drug discovery biotechnology company, has raised ¥700m ($6.7m) from Kyoto University’s Miyako Capital as well as Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, FFG Venture Business Partners, Mizuho Capital and Okasan Capital Partners, respective subsidiaries of financial services firms Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Fukuoka Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group and securities firm Okasan Securities. Medical information provider M3 also backed the round. Per Angusta, a France-based digital procurement spinout set up by Satt Pulsalys, has closed a $3.8m series A round backed by Hi Inov Dentressangle, Kreaxi, Pleiade Venture and assorted angel investors. Founded in 2014, Per Angusta has built a platform for finance teams to track procurement and performance. The series A funding will accelerate international expansion efforts, strengthen the spinout’s market position and allow it to double down on R&D activities. Epigeneron, a Japan-based developer of genetics-based therapies for intractable diseases, has raised ¥320m ($3.1m) from University of Tokyo Edge Capital and office machinery producer Toshiba. In addition, Epigeneron and Toshiba have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the possibility of collaboration. LIGC, an Israel-based graphene filter production spinout of Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev, raised $3m of series A funding on Tuesday from fertiliser additive supplier Hubei Forbon Technology. The funding will go to scaling and manufacturing LIGC’s laser-induced graphene filter, designed to limit energy consumption while preventing contaminants like bacteria and viruses. BGU spun out LIGC following a research collaboration with Rice University. Sironix Renewables, a US-based producer of plant-derived ingredients for hygiene products spun out of University of Minnesota, has closed a $645,000 seed round involving the institution’s Discovery Capital Investment unit. The round also included assorted angel investors and was complemented by a $1.2m US government grant. Sironix will utilise the capital to scale manufacturing for its product, Eosix, designed to replace petroleum-based hygiene and…

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