COPENHAGEN, Denmark and BOSTON – Hemab ApS (“Hemab”), a biotech company developing next generation therapeutics for serious underserved bleeding and thrombosis disorders, today announces the successful closing of a US$ 55M Series A financing. The investment was led by Novo Holdings, HealthCap and RA Capital Management.
Benny Sorensen, MD, PhD, who served on Hemab’s Board of Directors, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and will be based in the US. Dr Sorensen brings a wealth of patient-centred R&D experience in many therapeutic areas including thrombosis and hemostasis. Until recently, Dr Sorensen served as Head of Clinical Development at Codiak BioSciences and has moved to be on its Scientific Advisory Board. Hemab’s co-founders Johan Henrik Faber, who held leadership positions within hemophilia drug research and development at Novo Nordisk, has been appointed Chief Technology Officer; Søren Bjørn, has been appointed Scientific Advisor; and Thomas Batchelor joins the Board of Directors.
Proceeds from the financing will be used to progress the Company’s promising pipeline of monoclonal and bispecific antibody-based therapeutics into later stages of development. The pipeline will initially focus on underserved people living with rare bleeding disorders such as Glanzmann’s Thrombasthenia (GT), with plans to expand into more common disorders of hemostasis and thrombosis. The financing will also enable Hemab to further build the team and expand its operational footprint in Denmark and the US.
Benny Sorensen, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Hemab, said: “We are very pleased to welcome high profile international life sciences investors Novo Holdings, HealthCap and RA Capital Management. This financing will enable us to accelerate the development of innovative therapeutics for long underserved patients with serious bleeding and thrombosis disorders. Despite the innovations seen in treatments for hemophilia A and B in the last five decades, treatments for other rare bleeding disorders such as, for example GT, are still limited to blood transfusions and acute treatments. We owe these patients new treatment options and Hemab is uniquely positioned to leapfrog drug development of these medicines and bring treatment paradigms into the 21st century.”
Johan Henrik Faber, MSc, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Hemab, said: “As founders, we are thrilled to reach this important milestone. Benny is an extraordinary leader and an expert in clinical drug development in hemophilia, which is exactly what Hemab needs to secure clinical proof of concept for our lead candidate. Novo Holdings, HealthCap and RA Capital Management share our vision for the Company and we look forward to advancing Hemab’s preclinical portfolio with this team.”
As a result of the financing, Mårten Steen, Partner at HealthCap and Laura Tadvalkar, Principal at RA Capital Management, will join Jørgen Søberg Petersen, Partner at Novo Holdings and Hemab’s Chairman, Camilla Petrycer Hansen, Principal at Novo Seeds, and Thomas Batchelor on the Board of Directors.
Jørgen Søberg Petersen, Chairman of Hemab and Partner at Novo Holdings, said: “Novo Seeds is focused on creating and building world class companies that are developing innovative treatments for patients with unmet medical needs. We created Hemab just over six months ago and we are very pleased to announce this significant financing backed by top tier investors from the Nordics and the US. Hemab’s novel approach to effectively treat rare bleeding disorders lacking effective therapeutic options is unique and provides potential for a breakthrough therapy across several underserved hematological diseases. I am looking forward to continuing the successful collaboration with Benny, Johan and the Hemab team.”
Mårten Steen, Partner at HealthCap, said: “We are excited to invest in Hemab, a company that fits HealthCap’s strategy, addressing significant unmet medical needs with a strong platform and potential to generate many breakthrough therapeutics in the future.”
Laura Tadvalkar, Principal at RA Capital Management, said: “We believe Hemab’s innovative approach to addressing rare bleeding disorders has the potential to make an impactful difference for patients, and we are excited to support the Company through this financing as well as in expanding their operations in the US.”
About Hemab
Hemab is an emerging biotech company developing next generation therapeutics for serious, underserved bleeding and thrombosis disorders. The Company was founded by Johan Henrik Faber, Søren Bjørn, Hans Wandall, Thomas Batchelor and Mads Behrndt who secured the seed financing round with Novo Seeds, the early-stage investment and company creation team of Novo Holdings, which also invested in the Series A financing alongside HealthCap and RA Capital Management. Based in Denmark and the US, the Company is led by a team of drug developers and scientists with deep expertise in thrombosis and hemostasis. Hemab has exclusive licenses to state-of-the-art antibody technologies from both Novo Nordisk A/S and Genmab A/S. Hemab aims to progress its pipeline of monoclonal and bispecific antibody-based therapeutics with the vision to transform the treatment paradigm for blood disease patients – from orphan disorders to broad indications with high unmet need. Further information: www.hemab.com.
About Novo Holdings A/S
Novo Holdings A/S is a private limited liability company wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. It is the holding company of the Novo Group, comprising Novo Nordisk A/S and Novozymes A/S, and is responsible for managing the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s assets.
Novo Holdings is recognized as a leading international life science investor, with a focus on creating long-term value. As a life science investor, Novo Holdings provides seed and venture capital to development-stage companies and takes significant ownership positions in growth and well-established companies. Novo Holdings also manages a broad portfolio of diversified financial assets. Further information: www.novoholdings.dk.
About HealthCap
HealthCap is one of the largest specialized providers of venture capital within life sciences in Europe. Since the start in 1996, HealthCap has backed and built more than 100 companies. HealthCap’s investment strategy focuses on diseases with high unmet medical needs and breakthrough therapies which have the potential to be transformative and improve the lives of patients suffering from these conditions. Please see: www.healthcap.eu and on Twitter: @HealthCapVC
About RA Capital Management
RA Capital Management is a multi-stage investment manager dedicated to evidence-based investing in public and private healthcare and life science companies that are developing drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics. The flexibility of its strategy allows RA Capital Management to provide seed funding to startups and to lead private, IPO, and follow-on financings for its portfolio companies, allowing management teams to drive value creation from inception through commercialization. www.racap.com
CONTACT:
For more information please contact: Hemab Benny Sorensen, CEO Email: [email protected] Optimum Strategic Communications Mary Clark, Manel Mateus, Stella Lempidaki Tel: +44 (0) 203 922 1906 Email: [email protected]