Pureos Bioventures

Next-generation biological drugs and drug formats are what Pureos Bioventures prefers to back. The venture capital firm invests in private drug development companies, and says it strives to affect patients' lives by advancing innovative treatments for severe diseases.

A biologics emphasis

Its site says the firm backs great teams whose development programmes make a true difference for patients. The companies it lists are working on severe diseases and conditions, from cancers and liver fibrosis to heart failure and kidney injury, and the portfolio is notably international, with companies in Switzerland, France, Sweden and the United States.

Cancer and antibody-based medicines

Many holdings develop antibody-based or cell-based cancer treatments. Acrivon combines novel cancer drugs with companion diagnostics that predict treatment response and guide patient selection, and went public on Nasdaq in November 2022. Araris, a spin-off from the PSI and ETH Zurich, developed antibody-drug conjugates and was acquired by Taiho Pharmaceutical in March 2025. Adcytherix in Marseille and Callio, which carries several complementary payloads, work in the same area. Others include Hummingbird Bioscience, which develops precision monoclonal antibodies against difficult targets, and ImCheck, which targets butyrophilin checkpoint molecules to activate immune cells. Lava Therapeutics builds bispecific gamma-delta T-cell engagers and listed on Nasdaq in March 2021, while Engimmune works on T-cell receptor therapeutics.

Other severe diseases

Alentis develops medicines for advanced liver disease, including fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. AM-Pharma is developing a recombinant human alkaline phosphatase as a possible treatment for acute kidney injury and sepsis, and AnaCardio in Stockholm is working on an oral drug for heart failure. Corlieve, a French company, was developing gene therapy for drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy before uniQure acquired it in 2021. Eyevensys develops non-viral gene therapies for severe eye diseases, and NovaGo Therapeutics works on regenerative therapies for the eye and central nervous system. River Renal targets orphan renal diseases, Mediar in Boston targets fibrosis, MinervaX has a maternal vaccine against group B streptococcus, and Tridek-One, a spin-off from Inserm, develops immune checkpoint agonists for autoimmune disease.

An incubator close to home

BaseLaunch, an incubator and accelerator in the Basel area, helps scientists and entrepreneurs launch biotech companies in Switzerland, and it appears in the portfolio alongside the drug developers.

Pureos Bioventures is a venture capital firm for companies developing new medicines. It puts money into private drug developers, with particular interest in the next generation of biological drugs and drug formats.

Services

• Venture capital: funding for private therapeutics companies working on severe diseases.
• Backing for development programmes: support for teams whose programmes aim to make a real difference to patients.
• Biologics emphasis: focus on newer biological drug types and formats.

Customers and markets

Biotech and drug development companies. The portfolio on its site covers cancer, liver and fibrotic disease, kidney injury, neurological disease, eye disease and heart failure. Named companies include Acrivon Therapeutics, Alentis Therapeutics, AM-Pharma, Araris Biotech and Lava Therapeutics.

Key facts

• Sector: therapeutics and biotech
• Exits noted: Acrivon and Lava listed on NASDAQ; Corlieve acquired by uniQure