– Brandon Capital, Australasia’s leading life sciences venture capital firm, has closed its sixth fund (Brandon BioCatalyst Fund Six – BB6) at A$439 million.
– New investors include the Western Australian Government and the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC), joining existing investors HESTA, Hostplus, CSL, and QIC.
– BB6 will invest in emerging biomedical technologies with strong commercial potential, aiming to build high-growth firms that improve human health.
– Brandon Capital has raised over A$1 billion across all its funds to date. It was founded by Dr Chris Nave and Stephen Thompson.
– Notable investments from BB6 include:
▪️AdvanCell (radiopharmaceuticals)
▪️PolyActiva (glaucoma implants)
▪️Myricx Bio (antibody-drug conjugates)
▪️CatalYm (oncology therapies)
– Dr Chris Nave, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, emphasized BB6 is their largest fund yet and reaffirmed their commitment to scientific rigour and disciplined capital allocation.
– Brandon Capital has a strong record of advancing companies to commercialisation, with recent highlights:
▪️FDA approval for a hypertension drug by George Medicines
▪️FDA approval for a cardiac resynchronisation device by EBR Systems
▪️Japan approval for Q-Sera’s blood collection tubes
– The firm has over 30 active portfolio companies, including:
▪️17 in clinical trials
▪️4 in-market or nearing commercialisation
▪️A robust preclinical pipeline
– More than 270 high-skilled jobs in Australia are supported by portfolio companies such as:
▪️OncoRes Medical (real-time cancer surgery imaging probe)
▪️PolyActiva (glaucoma treatment)
▪️Vaxxas (needle-free vaccine delivery patches)
▪️AdvanCell (cancer radiopharmaceutical therapies)
– NRFC CEO David Gall highlighted the importance of long-term investment in medical science to build Australia’s future commercialisation capabilities.
– Brandon Capital’s presence in Australia, the UK, and the US facilitates global collaboration and access to capital, talent, and research networks for its portfolio companies.
