Angelini Ventures invests into extended €75.8 million ($82 million) Series C financing round for Nouscom, a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing off-the-shelf and personalized cancer vaccines

2024-03-21

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Angelini Ventures joins syndicate of top-tier international healthcare investors in Nouscom’s Series C financing round Financing will enable Nouscom to continue advancing the clinical development of its portfolio of neoantigen cancer vaccines to key clinical proof-of-concept endpoints Participation in this financing marks Angelini Ventures’ fourth life sciences investment in 2024 and its 15th since launching its €300 million BioTech and Digital Health fund in 2022 Rome, Italy, 21 March 2024 – Angelini Ventures, the corporate venture firm of Angelini Industries focused on investing in companies developing innovative solutions and ideas in BioTech and Digital Health, is pleased to announce its participation in an extension of the Series C financing round for Nouscom, a clinical stage immuno-oncology company based in Basel, Switzerland. Angelini Ventures’ investment of €7 million brings the total raised by Nouscom, in its oversubscribed Series C round – first announced in November 2023 – to €75.8 million (approx. $82 million). Angelini Ventures joins a syndicate of top-tier international healthcare investors through its participation in Nouscom’s financing, including new investors: Andera Partners, Bpifrance (through its InnoBio 2 fund), M Ventures, Revelation Partners, Indaco Venture Partners, Panakès Partners, XGen Ventures; existing investors: 5AM Ventures, EQT Life Sciences, Versant Ventures; and other undisclosed investors. The total proceeds of the Series C financing will enable Nouscom to continue advancing and expanding its wholly owned clinical pipeline to achieve multiple clinical value catalysts including: Readout from its ongoing randomized Phase 2 clinical trial for NOUS-209, an off-the-shelf cancer vaccine for the treatment of Mismatch Repair/Microsatellite Instable (dMMR/MSI) Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (mCRC) Phase 1b study completion and progression of NOUS-209 monotherapy in Lynch Syndrome (LS) carriers investigating the potential to intercept, prevent or delay cancer in high-risk individuals Phase 1b study completion for NOUS-PEV, a personalized cancer immunotherapy, in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor in patients with advanced melanoma and entry into randomized Phase 2 trials in indications with high unmet medical needs. Paolo Di Giorgio, Chief Executive Officer at Angelini Ventures, said: “In less than two years since launching our healthcare focused venture strategy, we have executed 15 global investments spanning biotechnology to digital health. Our aim is to promote innovation by investing in a portfolio of high-quality companies in Europe and North America that are transforming healthcare to improve patient outcomes. Our investment in Nouscom is a great example of the type of company we are interested in. We have been highly impressed with Nouscom’s team, best-in-class technology and advancing clinical pipeline, which is expected to deliver multiple catalysts in the coming years and, if positive, exciting new immunotherapy options for cancer patients.” Dr. Marina Udier, Chief Executive Officer at Nouscom, commented: “We are delighted to have extended our successful Series C financing round and excited to have Angelini Ventures on board. Their support strengthens our commitment to innovation and accelerates our journey towards delivering next-generation treatments for cancer patients.” Sergio Marullo di Condojanni, Chief Executive Officer of Angelini Industries, added: “As shareholders of Angelini Ventures, we look at opportunities that can be interesting not only in terms of return on investment but also to support ideas and new projects able to design high-impact solutions. This kind of investment fully responds to our long-term vision which is to take care of patients, communities, and nations, aiming to transform the future of the global health system.” *** Notes to Editors About Angelini Ventures Angelini Ventures, the venture capital arm of Angelini Industries, is an early-stage investment firm focused on accelerating disruptive innovations and trends in BioTech and Digital Health. The firm will invest €300 million across a global portfolio led by investment professionals and advisors in Europe, North America, and Asia. Angelini Ventures has deep domain expertise and leverages a global team, advisors, and strategic partners to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses into transformative category-leading companies. To date, Angelini Ventures has invested €80 million into 15 companies (five of which were created with Angelini Lumira Biosciences Fund) covering a range of therapeutic areas and modalities, including Cour Pharmaceuticals, Noctrix Health, Avation Medical, Pretzel Therapeutics, Cadence Neuroscience and Freya Biosciences. About Angelini Industries Angelini Industries is a multinational industrial group founded in Ancona in 1919 by Francesco Angelini. Today, Angelini Industries represents a solid and diversified industrial reality that employs approximately 5,800 employees and operates in 21 countries around the world with revenues of over 2 billion euros, generated in the health, industrial technology and consumer goods sectors. A targeted investment strategy for growth, constant commitment to research and development, deep knowledge of markets and business sectors, make Angelini Industries one of the Italian companies of excellence in the sectors in which it operates. About Nouscom Nouscom is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing next-generation, off-the-shelf and personalized cancer immunotherapies. Nouscom’s proprietary viral vector platform has the capacity to encode for large payloads of neoantigens or other immunomodulators and clinically demonstrated to safely and potently harness the power of the immune system. Nouscom is currently advancing the clinical development of its wholly owned programs: NOUS-209, an off-the-shelf cancer immunotherapy for the treatment of MSI solid tumors in combination with pembrolizumab in randomized Phase 2 trials. In January 2023, Nouscom announced a clinical trial collaboration and pembrolizumab supply agreement with MSD (Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA). NOUS-209, an off-the-shelf monotherapy in Lynch Syndrome carriers with the potential to ‘intercept cancer’ before it occurs. A Phase 1b is being conducted under a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement signed in 2022 with the National Cancer Institute (NCI)Cancer Institute (NCI) and a randomized Phase 2 trial is expected to be initiated in 2024. NOUS-PEV, a personalized cancer immunotherapy, is expected to enter randomized Phase 2 trials in indications with high unmet medical need in 2024. Nouscom has also exclusively out-licensed VAC-85135, an off-the-shelf immunotherapy developed under a multi-project agreement, which is currently under evaluation in a Phase 1 trial for the treatment of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms sponsored by Janssen Research & Development and Bristol Myers Squibb. For more information on Nouscom, please visit the company’s website at or follow us on LinkedIn. Contacts Angelini Ventures Paolo Di Giorgio, CEO Martina Palmese, Communications Coordinator martina.palmese@angeliniventures.com SEC Newgate Italia Daniele Pinosa daniele.pinosa@secnewgate.it Tel. +39 3357233872 Fausta Tagliarini fausta.tagliarini@secnewgate.it Tel. +39 3476474513 Daniele Murgia daniele.murgia@secnewgate.it Tel. +39 3384330031 MEDiSTRAVA (for press outside Italy) Sylvie Berrebi, Sandi Greenwood, Mark Swallow Sylvie.berrebi@medistrava.com Nouscom Rick Davis, COO info@nouscom.com