The spinout’s technology was fundamental to Oxford’s covid vaccine, prompting OSI and Future Planet Capital to back a $168m round.
Vaccitech, a UK-based developer of vaccines for infectious diseases and cancer spun out of University of Oxford, closed a $168m series B round today backed by the institution’s venture fund Oxford Sciences Innovation.
Future Planet Capital, a venture capital firm focused on university startups and spinouts, also took part in the round, which was led by M&G Investment Management, a division of impact investment manager M&G.
Internet company Tencent, biopharmaceutical firm Gilead Sciences and the state-owned Monaco Constitutional Reserve Fund also participated in the round together with unnamed new and existing investors.
Founded in 2016, Vaccitech launched with the aim of developing a universal flu vaccine and its clinical pipeline now includes assets aimed at chronic hepatitis B infection, persistent, high-risk human papillomavirus infection and prostate cancer.
It will use the series B capital, which included the conversion of $43m in convertible notes, to advance each…
Thierry Heles
Thierry Heles is the editor of Global University Venturing, host of the Beyond the Breakthrough interview podcast and responsible for the monthly GUV Gazette (sign up here for free).