Finnish investment company Innovestor has made significant strides in Finnish healthcare innovation by investing in three promising university spinouts Polku Therapeutics, Kasvu Therapeutics, and Soihtu DTx through its Life Science Fund. These early-stage companies, all focused on neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and depression, have collectively raised €10 million, attracting international interest. Innovestor’s €90 million Life Science Fund has been instrumental in fostering scientific breakthroughs by backing research-driven companies, showcasing Finland’s growing role in the global life sciences ecosystem.
Innovestor’s Life Science Fund of €90 million is dedicated to advancing life-saving science innovations. Since 2022, the fund has invested in 12 pioneering drug development and digital health companies in Finland and the Nordics. The fund’s latest investments focus on solving Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression.
“Our approach of collaborating closely with research groups to spin out science-backed companies directly from universities has proven successful. These three new investments are a great example of this strategy,” says Pekka Simula, Partner at Innovestor Life Science Fund, and continues: “We are also excited about the international investors they have attracted. These one-year-old companies have collectively raised about 10 million euros with notable participation from international investors. Nearly all our investments to date are syndicated with other European or US funds, which is exceptional for companies at such an early stage and demonstrates the high quality of academic research in Finland.”
Polku Therapeutics, a University of Helsinki spinout, is developing innovative small molecule drugs for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – the two most common neurodegenerative conditions and among the greatest socio-economic burdens worldwide.
Since its founding in 2024, Polku Therapeutics has quickly attracted funding from several American foundations that support research and drug development for neurodegenerative diseases. The company has now secured a €2 million pre-seed round led by Innovestor’s Life Science Fund and Torrey Pines Investment, a San Diego-based specialty life-science investment company. Helsinki University Funds also participated in this funding round.
Kasvu Therapeutics, a drug development spinout from the University of Helsinki, develops potent neuroplasticity enhancers, compounds that boost the brain’s ability to adapt. Their innovative approach addresses conditions affecting hundreds of millions of people, including post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, and depression. The growing need for solutions to these conditions has led pharmaceutical companies to explore even illegal psychedelics like LSD for their neuroplasticity-enhancing properties. Kasvu, however, has already demonstrated that its molecules are highly potent neuroplastogens without causing the hallucinations associated with psychedelics.
Innovestor played a crucial role in Kasvu’s journey, helping to spin out the company from the University of Helsinki and leading its pre-seed round in 2023, the year of its founding. The following year, Innovestor continued its support by participating in Kasvu’s seed round. In total, Kasvu Therapeutics has raised €6 million.
Soihtu DTx, an Aalto University spinout, is developing a game-based treatment for depression rooted in over a decade of neuroscientific research. Soihtu DTx’s approach combines game design, neuroscience, and psychology, creating a unique digital therapy. The company anticipates publishing clinical data in 2025 on its promising initial results for treatment-resistant depression.
Founded in 2023, Soihtu DTx has already secured over €3 million in funding. Innovestor led its pre-seed round, joined by NewFund HEKA, an international specialist investor in brain health.
Innovestor is a Finnish investment company focusing on venture capital and real estate. In addition, we offer corporate venturing services. The firm currently manages six VC funds with total capital of over €250 million. Consisting of over 100 growth companies across multiple sectors of technology and life science & health, it represents one of the largest private venture-backed portfolios in the Nordics. Our mission is to make good money.
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Read the orginal article: https://arcticstartup.com/innovestor-invests-in-polku-therapeutics-kasvu-therapeutics-and-soihtu-dtx/
