Avlar BioVentures

Avlar BioVentures is a private equity firm based in Cambridge, founded in 1999 by Alan Goodman and Daniel Roach. The firm focuses on early-stage investments in the healthcare sector, managing Avlar Fund II and the First Cambridge Gateway Fund, with total assets of £78 million. Avlar has invested in eighteen companies across various sub-sectors of the bioscience industries, of which ten remain private, while others have experienced different outcomes, including mergers, acquisitions by public companies, and listings on public markets. Before establishing Avlar, Goodman and Roach were involved in founding or seed financing nine life science companies, seven of which achieved successful listings on recognized stock exchanges, yielding significant returns.

Alan Goodman

Chief Executive Officer and Finance Director

Daniel Roach

Investment Director

15 past transactions

CellCentric

Venture Round in 2006
CellCentric’s primary programme targets a deubiquitinase (DUB) enzyme which is strongly associated with prostate cancer, a leading cause of mortality among men. The target modulates the androgen receptor pathway and can potentially combat the multiple resistance mechanisms seen with recently approved prostate cancer drugs such Xtandi and Zytiga. The programme also has potential clinical utility in non-small cell lung, breast and colon cancer.

Intercytex Group

Series D in 2005
Intercytex Group plc, a development stage biotechnology company, engages in the research, development, and commercialization of cell-based therapies for the repair and regeneration of skin and hair. The company, using its integrated cell technology platform, develops living, human cell-based products. Its product programs in development include VAVELTA, a facial rejuvenation and skin damage repair product, which completed Phase II trials; SHEF-1-Stem Cell Line, which would develop a cure for AMD, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly; ICX-TRC, a hair regeneration product that completed Phase II trials; and ICX-SKN, a skin graft replacement for burns and acute wounds, which completed Phase I trial. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.

Takeda Cambridge

Series D in 2006
Takeda Cambridge Limited (TCB) and its subsidiary TSP, have established world-class target identification and validation capabilities. Together they have developed a promising pipeline of novel drug discovery targets and compounds in key areas of unmet medical need such as CNS disorders, chronic pain and urology indications, endocrinology and metabolic-related diseases.

Purely Proteins Limited

Series B in 2004
Purely Proteins commercial database model for delivering proteomatics information to clients has already been exemplified through 3 non-exclusive licences of database modules to biotech and pharma partners. Purely Proteins Protein Purification Partnerships are backed by the experience of previous high-value relationships between the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Cambridge and major pharmaceutical companies.

Purely Proteins Limited

Series A in 2003
Purely Proteins commercial database model for delivering proteomatics information to clients has already been exemplified through 3 non-exclusive licences of database modules to biotech and pharma partners. Purely Proteins Protein Purification Partnerships are backed by the experience of previous high-value relationships between the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Cambridge and major pharmaceutical companies.

Intercytex Group

Venture Round in 2000
Intercytex Group plc, a development stage biotechnology company, engages in the research, development, and commercialization of cell-based therapies for the repair and regeneration of skin and hair. The company, using its integrated cell technology platform, develops living, human cell-based products. Its product programs in development include VAVELTA, a facial rejuvenation and skin damage repair product, which completed Phase II trials; SHEF-1-Stem Cell Line, which would develop a cure for AMD, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly; ICX-TRC, a hair regeneration product that completed Phase II trials; and ICX-SKN, a skin graft replacement for burns and acute wounds, which completed Phase I trial. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.

Amura

Venture Round in 2005
Amura Holdings Ltd. designs and develops protease inhibitors. It develops AMcore, a solution for the discovery of small-molecule inhibitors against cysteine peptidases; and AM-112, an anti-bacterial program based on ß-lactamase inhibitors. The company focuses on osteoporosis, autoimmunity, malaria, bone metastasis, chronic neuropathic pain, osteoarthritis, and cathepsin K and arthritic diseases. The company was incorporated in 2005 and is based in Madingley, United Kingdom.

CellCentric

Venture Round in 2005
CellCentric’s primary programme targets a deubiquitinase (DUB) enzyme which is strongly associated with prostate cancer, a leading cause of mortality among men. The target modulates the androgen receptor pathway and can potentially combat the multiple resistance mechanisms seen with recently approved prostate cancer drugs such Xtandi and Zytiga. The programme also has potential clinical utility in non-small cell lung, breast and colon cancer.

De Novo Pharmaceuticals

Series A in 2000
De Novo Pharmaceuticals is an emerging computational drug design company. De Novo Pharmaceuticals uses its proprietary computational software for drug design to create novel, patentable lead molecules as candidates for drug development. De Novo's proprietary algorithms can convert information from structural genomics and medicinal chemistry rapidly into new chemical designs, maximising value within a pharmaceutical partner's research portfolio. De Novo's drug discovery partners include British Biotechnology, Aventis Pharmaceuticals and NV Organon.

Crescendo Biologics

Seed Round in 2009
Crescendo Biologics is a new Cambridge-based company whose vision is to deliver next-generation antibody therapeutics based on novel class-leading platforms. The focus of the company is on developing platforms that will address key issues in generating high-affinity, soluble, human VH antibody fragments. These are the smallest fragments that retain antibody binding, and have many desirable properties as potential therapeutics. Crescendo will then utilise these platforms for product development of in-house targets or in partnership with other companies.

Crescendo Biologics

Series A in 2010
Crescendo Biologics is a new Cambridge-based company whose vision is to deliver next-generation antibody therapeutics based on novel class-leading platforms. The focus of the company is on developing platforms that will address key issues in generating high-affinity, soluble, human VH antibody fragments. These are the smallest fragments that retain antibody binding, and have many desirable properties as potential therapeutics. Crescendo will then utilise these platforms for product development of in-house targets or in partnership with other companies.

NXVISION

Venture Round in 2006
NXVISION is located in Dunfermline, Scotland and was founded in August 2006 as Inxstor Ltd, to take advantage of its unique Placeshifting IP. NXVision, in a short time, has established itself as a leading supplier of STB applications, including end-to-end Place-Shifting and Sideloading solutions for the secure delivery of video content.

Takeda Cambridge

Venture Round in 2005
Takeda Cambridge Limited (TCB) and its subsidiary TSP, have established world-class target identification and validation capabilities. Together they have developed a promising pipeline of novel drug discovery targets and compounds in key areas of unmet medical need such as CNS disorders, chronic pain and urology indications, endocrinology and metabolic-related diseases.

De Novo Pharmaceuticals

Series B in 2001
De Novo Pharmaceuticals is an emerging computational drug design company. De Novo Pharmaceuticals uses its proprietary computational software for drug design to create novel, patentable lead molecules as candidates for drug development. De Novo's proprietary algorithms can convert information from structural genomics and medicinal chemistry rapidly into new chemical designs, maximising value within a pharmaceutical partner's research portfolio. De Novo's drug discovery partners include British Biotechnology, Aventis Pharmaceuticals and NV Organon.