Analysis

January 31, 2022

14 drug discovery startups to watch, according to top VCs

Investors from LocalGlobe, Karista, Eight Roads, Sofinnova Partners and Albion VC tell Sifted who they’ve got their eyes on.


2021 was the year drug development startups in Europe shifted into a different gear. They raised $1.6bn — almost three times the figure from 2020 — as VCs backed a smattering of startups with significant cheques, including huge rounds for companies like Owkin and Exscientia, while BenevolentAI agreed Europe’s largest ever Spac deal.

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Antoine Papiernik, chairman and managing partner at Sofinnova Partners 
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Julia Hawkins, general partner at LocalGlobe
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Tanel Ozdemir, a life sciences investor at AlbionVC
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Catherine Boule, managing partner at Karista
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Michael Treskow, partner at Eight Roads 
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Kai Nicol-Schwarz

Kai Nicol-Schwarz was a senior reporter at Sifted. He covered AI and UK tech.

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