Plenty of capital for life science hub in INCUBA Skejby

2022 has been a challenging year for many companies, but in the entrepreneurial environment at INCUBA, the locomotive of growth has been in full swing. A new analysis of activity among INCUBA companies shows that no less than six companies raised rounds of significantly more than DKK 10 million in 2022.

"It is very positive that the companies managed to raise such large amounts in 2022. It testifies to the international quality and maturity of many of the cases we have in Aarhus. The figures also emphasise the important role that both national and international investment funds play for the knowledge-intensive growth layer," says Mai Louise Agerskov, CEO of INCUBA.

Most notable was the Aarhus-based biotech company NMD Pharma, which is a world leader in the development of drugs that strengthen the communication between nerve and muscle to improve muscle strength in people with a variety of diseases where muscle strength is impaired.

NMD Pharma was established in 2015 as a spinoff of Aarhus University. In 2022, NMD Pharma succeeded in raising EUR 35 million in funding for the second time in three years. In the last funding round, the French fund JEITO Capital also joined as the lead investor in the capital raising. Early investors in the company include Novo Holdings, Lundbeckfonden BioCapital, Inkef Capital, Roche Venture Fund and Capnova.

"In 2022, we have seen a strong increase in interest in our company and technology from both investors and potential partners among global pharmaceutical companies. This is largely due to the fact that we were the first in the world to show in a clinical trial with our drug candidate NMD670 that our mechanism has the potential to help patients with the disease Myasthenia Gravis," says Thomas Holm Pedersen, CEO of NMD Pharma and adds:

"We moved to INCUBA Skejby in 2020 to expand the company with our own research laboratories and animal facility, which is crucial for our research. The location is ideal for a biotech company like NMD Pharma, where we translate cutting-edge basic research into medicines through clinical research. We are close to the researchers and patients in the clinic because our partner Aarhus University Hospital, the largest hospital in Northern Europe, is right next door. And we are also close to other companies in INCUBA, with whom we have developed several collaborations over the years."

NMD Pharma also won the INCUBA award for "Startup of the Year 2022" for creating a scalable, innovative solution that contributes to a better quality of life for many people and for being both a great inspiration and asset to the startup community in the Central Denmark Region.

More than DKK 140 million was awarded to the remaining startups and companies in the Aarhus-based INCUBA science park in 2022.