Seventure Partners Release: Health For Life Capital Expands Portfolio Into Israel, Invests In Microbiome Therapeutics Company BiomX

Paris, France – 18 May 2017 - Seventure Partners, one of Europe’s leaders in financing innovation, and a world-leader in the venture investment in the microbiome sector, today announces that, as part of a syndicate, it invests €3 million in Israeli microbiome therapeutics company BiomX (formerly called MBCure) through its Health for Life Capital™ investment vehicle. It is the first time that Seventure Partners has invested in an Israeli life sciences company. BiomX focuses on developing novel therapeutics to alleviate human diseases stemming from dysbiosis of the microbiome. Its initial product candidates are based on bacteriophages (viruses which target and kill specific species or strains of bacteria). The Company also uses unique technologies to identify microbiome targets for key diseases.

The investment by Seventure Partners was as part of a global syndicate which includes corporate venture funds Takeda Ventures and Johnson and Johnson Development Corporation, Venture Investor Orbimed, Korean fund manager Mirae Asset Global Investments, and SBI, a subsidiary of Softbank of Japan, as well as European family office investors. The total €24 million invested will be used for further developing the company’s drug candidate and obtain clinical proof of concept for the lead compound enabling BiomX to develop its world-leading IP and position itself as a major player in developing prescription-drug (Rx) therapeutics using scientific insights from its microbiome research. Eric de La Fortelle, Venture Partner of Seventure Partners based in Basel, said: “Since the beginning of the 20th Century, bacteriophage therapy has fascinated scientists by its ability to kill bacteria specifically and efficiently. But it lost out to antibiotics as a weapon against infectious diseases. BiomX is innovating by reviving this technology in the context of rebalancing the human microbiome to fight against chronic diseases.”

Isabelle de Cremoux, CEO and Managing Partner of Seventure Partners and founder of Health for Life Capital™, said: “The microbiome field has is complex with multiple approaches having synergistic roles in healthcare. BiomX’s approach using bacteriophage seeks to harness natural mechanisms to restore a healthy microbiome balance to the gut. Israel is widely recognised for its expertise and innovation in life sciences, and our investment in a new region reflects how we are expanding our investment horizons internationally.”

“BiomX rounds out our microbiome portfolio that already includes Enterome (microbiome modulator drugs, diagnostics and companion diagnostics), LNC (drug-probiotic and nutrition microbiome-modulator products), Maat Pharma (autologous microbiome transplant), TargEDys (bacteria for regulation of appetite), Eligo Bioscience (phage-derived highly-specific antibiotics) and Vedanta (drug-probiotic). We anticipate making additional investments from the Health for Life Capital™ in the coming months.”

About Seventure Partners

With over €660m in assets under management as of the end of 2016, Seventure Partners is a leading venture capital firm in Europe. Since 1997, Seventure Partners has invested in innovative businesses with high growth potential in two fields: Digital technologies in France and Germany, and Life sciences across Europe, Israel and North America. In Life sciences, the four areas of focus include biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, connected health and medtech, industrial biotechnology, and last but not least: the MICROBIOME, nutrition, foodtech and personalized medicine. Investments can range between €500k and €10m per round, or up to €20m per company, from early to late stage. Recently, Seventure Partners successfully launched Health for Life Capital™ which has attracted strategic investments from prestigious organizations including Danone, Tereos, Tornier, Lesaffre, Bel and Novartis, as well as entrepreneurs and financial institutions.

Seventure is a subsidiary of Natixis Global Asset Management. Natixis is the corporate investment management and financial services arm of Groupe BPCE, the second-largest French bank.

For more details: www.seventure.com / Twitter @SeventureP

About Health For Life Capital™

Seventure Partners launched Health for Life Capital™, the first venture capital fund focused mainly on investments in the microbiome and nutrition space. Europe is the primary focus of the fund, but it also invests in North America and Asia. The €160m fund attracted strategic investments from prestigious organisations including Danone, Novartis, Tereos, Tornier, Lesaffre and Bel, as well as financial institutions and entrepreneurs. Health for Life Capital™ is managed by Seventure’s Life sciences team.

For more details: www.seventure.com

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