HealthCap is a specialized provider of

venture capital Venture capital (VC) is a form of private equity financing provided by firms or funds to start-up company, startup, early-stage, and emerging companies, that have been deemed to have high growth potential or that have demonstrated high growth in ...

within

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, ...

. HealthCap invests in innovative companies with focus on therapeutics. As of 2023, HealthCap has invested in over 125 companies since inception and completed

initial public offerings An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investme ...

of more than 45 companies. HealthCap has offices in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

History

The firm was founded in 1996 by Björn Odlander and Peder Fredrikson, and the first fund was started the same year. As of 2023, HealthCap has established eight funds and financed more than 125 companies, where more than 45 have been taken public on nine different markets. The most recent fund, HealthCap VIII, was established in 2019. HealthCap has approximately 25 employees out of which thirteen are partners. The team combines venture capital investing experience with competences and work experiences from small as well as large companies across the healthcare industry, spanning disciplines of scientific research, drug development, clinical practice, investment banking, and industry management.

Investments

HealthCap has raised eight main funds. Investors in HealthCap funds include, among others,

European Investment Fund The European Investment Fund (EIF), established in 1994, is a financial institution for the provision of finance to SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), headquartered in Luxembourg. It is part of the European Investment Bank Group. It ...

, Skandia Life Insurance, the 4th and 6th Swedish National Pension Funds,

The Kresge Foundation The Kresge Foundation is a philanthropic private foundation headquartered in Troy, Michigan, United States. The foundation works to expand opportunities in America's cities through grantmaking and investing in arts and culture, education, enviro ...

Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

and

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

. HealthCap has committed capital exceeding EUR 1 billion. HealthCap invests in companies developing disruptive technologies that hold the potential to change clinical practice. Over the years HealthCap has invested in more than 125 companies. The portfolio companies have developed more than 20 pharmaceutical products and over 40 med-tech products to the market. Many of these products, such as Firazyr®,

Xofigo Radium-223 (223Ra, Ra-223) is an isotope of radium with an 11.4-day half-life. It was discovered in 1905 by T. Godlewski, a Polish chemist from Kraków, and was historically known as actinium X (AcX). Radium-223 dichloride is an alpha particle ...

®, Tracleer®, are breakthrough therapies addressing life-threatening diseases. Examples of technologies financed by HealthCap are: *

Pulmonary hypertension Pulmonary hypertension (PH or PHTN) is a condition of increased blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, arteries of the lungs. Symptoms include dypsnea, shortness of breath, Syncope (medicine), fainting, tiredness, chest pain, pedal edema, swell ...

therapy developed by

Actelion Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is a pharmaceuticals and biotechnology company established in December 1997, headquartered in Allschwil near Basel, Switzerland. The company is part of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine business segment. Actel ...

. The company was acquired by J&J in 2017. *

® developed by

Algeta Algeta ASAALGETA:NO was founded in 1997 by Roy H. Larsen and Øyvind S. Bruland in Oslo, Norway as a private biotechnology and pharmaceutical company. The company’s research and development focus lies in the field of alpha-particle emitting ra ...

for treatment of bone

metastasis Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spreading from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, ...

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

. * A range of drugs in development for rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases by

Ultragenyx Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. is an American biopharmaceutical company involved in the research and development of novel products for treatment of rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases for which there are typically no approved treatments and hig ...

. *

Restylane Restylane is the trade name for a range of injectable fillers with a specific formulation of hyaluronic acid (HA). In the United States, Restylane was the first hyaluronic acid filler to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FD ...

, an injectable filler developed by Q-Med. The company was acquired by

Galderma Galderma SA is an American-Swiss pharmaceutical company specializing in dermatological treatments and skin care products. Formerly a subsidiary of L'Oréal and Nestlé, it was acquired by a consortium of private institutional investors in 20 ...

in 2011. * Trans-femoral

aortic valve replacement Aortic valve replacement is a cardiac surgery procedure whereby a failing aortic valve is replaced with an artificial heart valve. The aortic valve may need to be replaced because of aortic regurgitation (back flow), or if the valve is narro ...

developed by CoreValve that evades the need for open heart surgery when replacing a malfunctioning heart valve. * Injectable synthetic bone substitute, Cerament, to enhance

bone remodeling 300 px, Bone tissue is removed by osteoclasts, and then new bone tissue is formed by osteoblasts. Both processes utilize cytokine ( Insulin-like_growth_factor.html" ;"title="TGF-β, Insulin-like growth factor">IGF) signalling. In osteology, bone ...

and

fracture healing Bone healing, or fracture healing, is a proliferative physiological process in which the body facilitates the repair of a bone fracture. Generally, bone fracture treatment consists of a doctor reducing (pushing) displaced bones back into place ...

developed by

BoneSupport BoneSupport AB is a Swedish biotech company active at the Ideon Science Park in the university town of Lund in Skåne, Sweden, founded in 1999 by Lars Lidgren, Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Academic Head of Department at Lund University Hospi ...

AB. * WTX101, an orphan drug currently in development by

Wilson Therapeutics Wilson Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company, based in Stockholm, Sweden, that develops novel therapies for rare diseases. The company is listed in the Mid-Cap segment on Nasdaq Stockholm with the stock ticker WTX. Wilson Therapeutics' lea ...

for the treatment of

Wilson's disease Wilson's disease (also called hepatolenticular degeneration) is a genetic disorder characterized by the excess build-up of copper in the body. Symptoms are typically related to the brain and liver. Liver-related symptoms include vomiting, wea ...

.Ala A, Walker AP, Ashkan K, Dooley JS, Schilsky, ML (2007). "Wilson's disease". ''Lancet'' 369 (9559): 397-408. Wilson Therapeutics was acquired by Alexion in 2018.

References

External links

HealthCap website
{{private equity firms Venture capital firms of Sweden Private equity and venture capital investors Private equity firms of Sweden Life sciences industry