Ghent, November 7th, 2022 – Animab, a biotech start-up that is developing a new class of orally administered antibodies for animal health, is excited to announce the successful closing of its Series A round. The proceedings will be used to bring its lead product to market and to expand the pipeline of antibody products in animal health. The investment round was led by the venture capital fund Qbic III with participation from existing investors (Seventure Partners, VIB, PMV, AIF and V-Bio Ventures).

Animab builds on a proprietary and scalable platform technology, enabling efficient and cost-competitive generation of monoclonal antibodies for the prevention of intestinal infections in livestock. The orally administered antibodies are designed to improve the health, wellbeing and performance of animals by controlling specific disease-causing pathogens.

Currently, the Animab lead product is a monoclonal antibody designed specifically against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), the most important cause of post-weaning diarrhea in piglets globally. The company has demonstrated in vivo that the product prevents diarrhea and related clinical signs in ETEC infected piglets and will now further develop the product for regulatory approval. This product will also contribute to a more sustainable livestock production and significantly reduce antibiotic usage in animals.

Last year, Animab received a 800 k€ grant from the Flemish Agency for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) that supported  the company in the research of the lead product.

Expanding the pipeline

To provide highly innovative first-in-class oral antibody solutions for unmet needs in production animals, Animab is also looking into expanding its platform-based pipeline. With this series A funding, the company is looking to demonstrate clinical efficacy and safety for a range of gastrointestinal indications in livestock.

Alain Wille, CEO of Animab: “We appreciate the strong and continued support from our existing investors, who have enabled the company to progress to this point. We are proud to welcome Qbic as new investor, completing a strong investor syndicate. Overall, we are very excited with the progress we are making towards providing the production animal sector with an economically viable alternative for antimicrobials to control the most important pathogens.

Vikram Virdi, Scientific Director at Animab: “We are very proud of our accomplishments and the success of our anti-ETEC oral antibody product, having demonstrated the clinical efficacy and the manufacturability are key milestones.”

 Sofie Baeten, Managing partner and CEO at Qbic II & III: “We are looking forward to help navigate Animab through the further development and commercialization of its products, which are based on cutting-edge technology that originated at VIB and Qbic’s partners Ghent University and VUB. We believe that Animab’s products will improve the industry’s sustainability and livestock health. It is a pleasure to support the company on this mission.”    

Patrik Haesen, CEO at AIF on behalf of the existing investors : “We are very excited about the significant progress made by Animab since its inception. Agriculture needs solutions that help limit the environmental impact while assuring food production keeps up with the globally increasing demand. Animab not only contributes to this, but also offers the prospect to bring its technology to the market within a very reasonable timeframe.”

Press contact

For Animab

Alain Wille, CEO of Animab

Phone: +32 467 06 00 91

Email: alain.wille@animab.com

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About Animab

Animab is a biotech company designed to address the changing needs of animal production. Using proprietary research discoveries, Animab targets the emerging science and new possibilities in the gut. The interdisciplinary team integrates cutting-edge research, animal science, and biotechnology for product breakthroughs in animal health, cost-efficiencies and sustainability. Led by an experienced group of experts with expertise in a range of relevant domains from vaccines, biotechnology, business management and international marketing, Animab is dedicated to offering a safe and sustainable way to ensure animal performance. Animab was founded in 2020 as a spin-off of the VIB and its partner universities Ghent University (UGent) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), backed by a solid European investor consortium. The company previously secured a 3.4M€ seed round led by Seventure Partners and PMV, and with the participation of Agri Investment Fund, V-Bio Ventures and VIB.

More information: www.animab.com

About Qbic

Qbic is an inter-university venture capital fund focusing on creating impact through the transformation of technological breakthroughs into sustainable business.

Qbic is a sector-agnostic seed and early-stage venture capital fund, supporting young innovative companies that valorize research from Qbic's knowledge partners. The fund typically participates in the first external investment round of a company and continues to support and invest in these companies throughout their growth.

More information: www.qbic.be

About Agri Investment Fund

Agri Investment Fund (AIF) is the private equity and venture capital fund of the group Boerenbond (Farmer's Union) focusing on Ag-Tech and Agro-Food companies that contribute to a more sustainable agriculture and horticulture. AIF believes that sustainability entails reducing the impact on the environment, while ensuring the much needed food production levels. AIF invests for a stronger agriculture of the future, allowing farmers to provide safe and high-quality food at fair prices. AIF is located in Leuven, Belgium.

More information: www.aifund.be

About PMV

PMV is an investment company that shapes the economic future of Flanders by financing promising companies from the very start to growth and internationalization. With over 1 billion euros in assets under management and led by experienced professionals, PMV offers tailor-made financial solutions for entrepreneurs with a solid business plan and a strong management team, including venture capital, loans and guarantees.

More information: www.pmv.eu

About Seventure Partners

Seventure Partners is a long-term equity investor who actively supports innovative companies aiming at generating positive impacts on Humankind, Society, Sustainability and the Planet. With €900m net commitments under management as of the end of 2021, Seventure is a leading venture capital firm in Europe investing since 1997 in innovative businesses with high growth potential in 2 main fields: Life sciences (Health & digital Health, Nutrition, Foodtech, Blue Economy, Aquaculture, Animal & Agriculture, Sport & Wellness with a specific interest for MICROBIOME-related innovations…) across Europe, Israel, Asia and North America and Digital technologies in Europe. Investments can range between €500k and €10m per round, or up to €20m per company, from early to late stage, growth, pre-IPO and IPO.

More information: www.seventure.fr/en

About V-Bio Ventures

V-Bio Ventures is an independent venture capital firm specialized in building and financing young, innovative life science companies. V-Bio Ventures was established in 2015 and works closely with Belgium-based VIB, one of the world’s premier life science institutes. The fund invests throughout Europe in start-up and early-stage companies with high growth potential focusing on technologies that provide transformational improvements in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and agricultural sectors.

More information: www.v-bio.ventures

About VIB

VIB is an excellence-based entrepreneurial research institute in life sciences located in Flanders, Belgium. VIB’s basic research leads to new and innovative insights into normal and pathological life processes. It unites the expertise of all its collaborators and research groups in a single institute, firmly based on its close partnership with 5 Flemish universities (Ghent University, KU Leuven, University of Antwerp, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Hasselt University) and supported by a solid funding program from the Flemish government. VIB has an excellent track record on translating basic scientific results into pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial applications. Since its foundation in 1996, VIB has created 34 start-up companies, now employing over 1.000 people.

More information: www.vib.be