NeoSci Ventures (NSV), a global venture builder and investment firm with operations in Singapore, Taiwan and the United States, has secured S$70 million (US$53 million) in the first close of its inaugural institutional venture fund.
The fundraising attracted a diverse group of limited partners (LPs), including sovereign wealth and government-backed investment funds, publicly listed companies, family offices and entrepreneurs.
Among the investors participating in the first close were Taiwan’s National Development Fund, EDBI, Catcher Technology and Crescendas Group.
EDBI operates as part of SG Growth Capital, the investment platform of Singapore’s Economic Development Board and Enterprise Singapore.
Daphne Teo and Timothy Lu Lead Investment Strategy
The fund is led by Founding Managing Partner Daphne Teo and Founding Chief Scientist Timothy Lu, MD, PhD.
NSV will focus its investments on next-generation biotechnology companies developing promising therapeutics worldwide.
Its investment strategy will also target emerging technologies at the intersection of biology, artificial intelligence, data and scientific tools.
These technologies are focused on transforming how diseases are understood and how new medicines are researched and developed.
Firm Combines Investment With Company Building
In addition to providing financial backing, NSV operates as a venture builder, identifying promising scientific discoveries and developing businesses around them from the ground up.
The firm provides operational support from the earliest stages of company development, with members of its team frequently taking on founder, board or executive responsibilities.
Their involvement is adjusted as the portfolio companies grow and become more established.
Pharmaceutical Network Supports Biotechnology Companies
NSV also benefits from connections across the global pharmaceutical industry, supported partly through NSG BioLabs and its established relationships with major pharmaceutical companies.
Over five consecutive years, NSG BioLabs has operated joint programmes with pharmaceutical industry partners and facilitated introductions between more than 50 biotechnology companies and industry stakeholders.
Protuoso Among the Fund’s Initial Investments
The inaugural fund has already backed Protuoso, a biotechnology company developing protein-based therapeutics for the treatment of complex diseases.
NSV has also invested in another company whose identity has not been disclosed.
The investments form part of the firm’s strategy to support biotechnology businesses and emerging scientific technologies with the potential to advance therapeutic development.
