University of Washington Institute for Protein Design
Read more
Bringing ideas to life and research to market
Collaborations
Collaborations
Our community collaborations
When joining the BII programs, start-ups become part of an international community focused on bringing ideas to life and science to the market.
Working together with our collaborators, we want to create value for our program companies and our ecosystem. The collaborations support start-ups in their journey and increase their likelihood of success.
Meet all our collaborators below and click on the read more button to learn more about what they offer start-ups in BII’s community.
University and hospital collaborations
Natural proteins evolved over millions of years to solve the most complex challenges on Earth, but we face new and pressing challenges today. The Institute for Protein Design aims to create a new world of synthetic proteins to address these challenges. To achieve this, we are marshaling deep institutional strengths in our faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students, as well as partners from collaborating institutions, innovator networks, and the computer and biotechnology industries. We are bringing extraordinary expertise to bear on a singular focus to advance the potential of protein design.
EMBL, Europe’s flagship laboratory for life sciences, is an intergovernmental organization established in 1974 and supported by 27 member states, two prospective member states, and an associate member state. EMBL performs fundamental research in molecular biology, studying the story of life. It offers services to the scientific community, trains the next generation of scientists, and helps integrate the life sciences across Europe.
Rigshospitalet is the University Hospital of Copenhagen with specialized treatment, research, and education at the highest international level. Through a strong focus on innovation and developing new treatments, services, and solutions for better healthcare, the hospital seeks to benefit patients across the world by being a global pioneer in future healthcare.
The hospital has established a structured process for innovation support, where clinicians receive help from a dedicated team of innovation consultants to convert their research into new medical solutions. The aim is to help design and develop future healthcare solutions with startups and the industry that can bring products to market and scale to make a global impact.
Bispebjerg Hospital is one of the hospitals in the Capital Region of Denmark. Along with several other hospitals and the University of Copenhagen (the Faculty of Health Sciences), Bispebjerg Hospital forms part of the Copenhagen University Hospital.
Technical University of Denmark – DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programs, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear vision to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That vision lives on today.
The University of Copenhagen was founded in 1479 by the Danish king Christian 1, and today has 37,500 students and 9,000 employees – of whom some 5,000 are researchers – and revenues of DKK 9.1 billion. The University of Copenhagen consistently ranks as the top university in Denmark and Scandinavia. The quality of the University of Copenhagen is underlined by the fact that its researchers have received nine Nobel Prizes.
Aarhus University (AU) is one of Denmark’s largest research and teaching hubs, with its main campus in downtown Aarhus. Rooted in strong disciplines, researchers and students have been generating new knowledge here for over 90 years. Aarhus University has 38,000 students, five faculties, research activities all over the country, and campuses in Aarhus, Herning, and Emdrup.
Research and education of the highest international quality are at the core of our mission, and strong partnerships with our society are at the heart of our activities. Thanks to its size and reputation as a leading research-intensive university, Aarhus University has a strong impact and influence across the entire spectrum of disciplines, locally, nationally, and globally.
Among more than 17,000 universities worldwide, Aarhus University is in the top 100 on several international rankings. With its recently launched business collaboration and innovation initiative, Aarhus University will create even more tangible value for society.
Industry collaborations
Insempra is a biology-powered company enabling businesses to make superior products with nature. They combine bioscience and technology to grow matter for new and better products. Businesses have relied on chemical industrialization processes and petrochemicals for too long, depleting our planet’s limited resources. Therefore, Insempra is committed to driving the regenerative revolution to manufacture at scale in collaboration with nature. Led by a hand-picked team of biologists, technologists and entrepreneurs with rebel hearts, Insempra is here to create a new school of thought and collective action. The time to restore the balance between people and the planet is now. We don’t wait for change. We do what needs to be done to grow a better future.
Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat diabetes and other serious chronic diseases such as obesity and rare blood and endocrine disorders. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. Novo Nordisk employs about 45,000 people in 80 countries and markets its products in around 170 countries. Novo Nordisk’s B shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Novo-B). Its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NVO).
Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, specialty biopharmaceutical group committed to helping people around the world build families and live better lives. Headquartered in St-Prex, Switzerland, Ferring is a leader in reproductive medicine, women’s health, and specialty areas within gastroenterology and urology. Ferring has been developing treatments for mothers and babies for over 50 years and has a portfolio covering treatments from conception to birth. Founded in 1950, privately-owned Ferring now employs around 6,000 people worldwide, has its own operating subsidiaries in nearly 60 countries, and markets its products in 110 countries.
Program Advisory Group - Therapeutics
NeRRe Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company developing the neurokinin(NK)-1 receptor antagonist orvepitant for the treatment of common, chronic, and debilitating conditions caused by neural hypersensitivity associated with Substance P/ NK-1 receptor system dysfunction. Their focus with orvepitant is on the disabling chronic cough associated with the rare and terminal lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) for which there is no approved treatment.
Charles River Laboratories is an American pharmaceutical company specializing in a variety of preclinical and clinical laboratory, gene therapy and cell therapy services for the pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology industries.[2] It also supplies assorted biomedical products, outsourcing services, and animals for research and development in the pharmaceutical industry (for example, contract research organization services) and offers support in the fields of basic research, drug discovery, safety and efficacy, clinical support, and manufacturing.
Mission Therapeutics is a world leader in developing novel therapeutics which combat serious diseases including Parkinson’s Disease by enhancing mitophagy – the vital quality control process cells use to ensure dysfunctional mitochondria are removed.
Danmarks Eksport- og Investeringsfond (EIFO) er danske virksomheders fælles indgang til risikovillig statslig finansiering. De skaber værdi ved at være drivkraft og katalysator for danske virksomheders fornyelse og vækst, åbne døre for global forretning og føre an i omstillingen til en grønnere og mere bæredygtig fremtid. EIFO er Danmarks nationale erhvervsfremmende bank og Danmarks officielle eksportkreditinstitut i én og samme finansielle institution.
Sound Bioventures is a venture capital fund investing in about-to-be clinical or clinical stage private companies in Europe and USA developing therapies in specialty therapeutic areas.
Sound Bioventures Fund I AB is a registered alternative investment fund under the Swedish Alternative Investment Funds Managers Act. The target size for the fund is EUR 150 million.
Abingworth is a leading transatlantic life science investment firm. They help transform cutting-edge science into novel medicines by providing capital and expertise to top-caliber management teams building world-class companies.
Since 1973, Abingworth has invested in 168 life science companies, leading to 44 M&As and 69 IPOs. Their therapeutic-focused investments fall into three categories: seed and early-stage, development stage, and clinical co-development.
Novo Seeds is the early-stage investment arm of Novo Holdings. Novo Holdings is a leading international life science investor focusing on creating long-term value. As a life science investor, Novo Holdings provides seed and venture capital to development-stage companies and takes significant ownership positions in growth and well-established companies. Novo Holdings also manages a broad portfolio of diversified financial assets.
Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm specializing in Life Sciences. Based in Paris, France, with offices in London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of 40 professionals from Europe, the U.S., and Asia. The firm focuses on paradigm-shifting technologies alongside visionary entrepreneurs. Sofinnova Partners invests across the Life Sciences value chain as a lead or cornerstone investor, from very early-stage opportunities to late-stage/public companies. It has backed nearly 500 companies over more than 48 years, creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over €2 billion under management.
SR One is the corporate venture capital arm of GlaxoSmithKline. The firm invests globally in emerging life science companies pursuing innovative science to significantly impact medical care. SR One’s team of investment professionals in the US and UK have experience spanning basic science, drug development, and commercialization. We take an active role in our portfolio companies and work with management teams and our fellow venture investors to create significant value. In its 30+ year history, SR One has invested >$1.1 billion in nearly 190 companies, and its current portfolio includes 40+ private and public investments.
Program Advisory Group - BioIndustrials
Forbion is a leading European venture capital firm that helps companies bridge research and development through the team’s expertise in drug development and company building. Forbion is signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment further demonstrating our philosophy that investments in companies should positively impact the health and well-being of patients.
Climate change mitigation requires industrial transformation with investments in hardware and deep-tech solutions, as well as in software solutions. Climentum Capital primarily focusses on hardware & deep-tech solutions augmented by software, which we refer to as hard-tech. They focus on on high-impact European hard-tech companies addressing the six sectors that demonstrate the largest CO2 emission reduction potential. Climentum Capital invests. With offices in Stockholm and Copenhagen they have a particular focus on the Nordics, known for leadership in sustainable industry and climate tech. With their office in Berlin, they also have a special focus on DACH (esp. Germany), home to the industrial powerhouse of Europe with a growing appetite for change.
They invest primarily in Seed and Series A with initial investments of €1-5m., and they take both lead and follower roles in investment consortia.
Danmarks Eksport- og Investeringsfond (EIFO) er danske virksomheders fælles indgang til risikovillig statslig finansiering. De skaber værdi ved at være drivkraft og katalysator for danske virksomheders fornyelse og vækst, åbne døre for global forretning og føre an i omstillingen til en grønnere og mere bæredygtig fremtid. EIFO er Danmarks nationale erhvervsfremmende bank og Danmarks officielle eksportkreditinstitut i én og samme finansielle institution.
The World Fund helps to decarbonize the global economy. As a climate tech VC, they are driven by tackling the climate crisis and only invest in technologies with scalable businesses and significant emissions savings potential. They support startups from early to growth stage, focusing on Energy, Food and Agriculture, Manufacturing, Buildings, and Mobility.
Entrepreneurs who understand decarbonization as a value driver are whom we back; those who think big, act macro; those who build tech for a regenerative world.
Re:food is a for-profit, evergreen investment firm on two continents helping entrepreneurs solve the most pressing food system challenges for future generations. They have invested in the green transition of the food system since 2015 and have more than two decades of work experience in leading roles in the food industry.
In 2016, Father and Son, Mads Laustsen, and Andreas Laustsen-Kiel went on a family vacation. Here they realized that some of Andreas’ ideas and research in toxin neutralization from snake bites, could be combined with Mads’ lifetime experience in industrial biomanufacturing of enzymes and therapeutic proteins. This sparked the idea of supporting the body against gut infections in a novel and affordable way. To turn an idea into action, Mads and Andreas invited long-term colleagues, Per Falholt, Sandra Wingaard Thrane, and David Kauffman, to join them in their venture. Jointly, the five of them mastered the field of industrial biotech, microbiology, and biotech investments, and together they founded Bactolife in 2017 with the mission to develop binding proteins to help maintain healthy microbiomes in humans and animals.
Wellington Partners is a leading European Venture Capital firm investing in early – and growth-stage life science companies. Wellington Partners focuses on investing in the most promising life science companies in biotechnology, therapeutics, medical technology, diagnostics, and digital health. With funds totaling EUR 1 billion, and more than EUR 400 million committed to Life Sciences, Wellington Partners has been actively supporting world-class private companies translating true innovation into successful businesses with exceptional growth. To date, Wellington Partners has invested in more than 40 innovative life science companies, including Actelion (acquired by J&J), Definiens (acquired by AZ/Medimmune), Invendo (acquired by Ambu), MTM laboratories (acquired by Roche), Rigontec (acquired by MSD), Symetis (acquired by Boston Scientific), Themis (acquired by MSD), Immatics and AMBOSS.
Novo Seeds is the early-stage investment arm of Novo Holdings. Novo Holdings is a leading international life science investor focusing on creating long-term value. As a life science investor, Novo Holdings provides seed and venture capital to development-stage companies and takes significant ownership positions in growth and well-established companies. Novo Holdings also manages a broad portfolio of diversified financial assets.
Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm specializing in Life Sciences. Based in Paris, France, with offices in London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of 40 professionals from Europe, the U.S., and Asia. The firm focuses on paradigm-shifting technologies alongside visionary entrepreneurs. Sofinnova Partners invests across the Life Sciences value chain as a lead or cornerstone investor, from very early-stage opportunities to late-stage/public companies. It has backed nearly 500 companies over more than 48 years, creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over €2 billion under management.
The March Fund (“TMF”) – Technology. Food. Health. TMF is a technology venture capital fund dedicated to the transformation of the multi-trillion-dollar food industry and the expanding global health opportunity this represents. Our focus is on breakthrough technologies and defensible intellectual assets that can be rapidly commercialized and scaled to create healthier and more affordable nutrition solutions.
The Founding Partners are Harold Schmitz Ph.D. (Senior Scholar at the Graduate School of Management, University of California, Davis; Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and former Chief Science Officer at Mars, Incorporated), and Christopher Lai (former Director at Horizons Ventures and former Co-Chairman of Celsius Holdings NASDAQ:CELH).
They have established unique collaborations with a world-class network of universities, companies, researchers, innovators, and industry experts. TMF has unparalleled access to the most exciting technologies, early-stage companies, and founders defining the role of food in the new economy of health.
Program Advisory Group - Health Tech
Founded in 2001, HBM Partners focuses on venture, growth and buy-out financings of private companies as well as on investments in public companies in the biopharma, medtech, diagnostics and healthcare sectors in Europe and North America as well as in India, China and other Emerging Markets.
NH
NH
Management consultancy specializing in organizational strategy and development in health care run by Pam Garside.
Danmarks Eksport- og Investeringsfond (EIFO) er danske virksomheders fælles indgang til risikovillig statslig finansiering. De skaber værdi ved at være drivkraft og katalysator for danske virksomheders fornyelse og vækst, åbne døre for global forretning og føre an i omstillingen til en grønnere og mere bæredygtig fremtid. EIFO er Danmarks nationale erhvervsfremmende bank og Danmarks officielle eksportkreditinstitut i én og samme finansielle institution.
Novo Seeds is the early-stage investment arm of Novo Holdings. Novo Holdings is a leading international life science investor focusing on creating long-term value. As a life science investor, Novo Holdings provides seed and venture capital to development-stage companies and takes significant ownership positions in growth and well-established companies. Novo Holdings also manages a broad portfolio of diversified financial assets.
Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm specializing in Life Sciences. Based in Paris, France, with offices in London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of 40 professionals from Europe, the U.S., and Asia. The firm focuses on paradigm-shifting technologies alongside visionary entrepreneurs. Sofinnova Partners invests across the Life Sciences value chain as a lead or cornerstone investor, from very early-stage opportunities to late-stage/public companies. It has backed nearly 500 companies over more than 48 years, creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over €2 billion under management.
BioVentures MedTech Funds invests in leading-edge medical technologies. Founded by the highly experienced team of BioVentures Investors, BioVentures MedTech Growth Capital Fund and BioVentures MedTech Innovation Fund target companies that develop next-generation implantable and disposable devices, diagnostics, imaging, and digital health.
Program Advisory Group - Quantum
2xN is a quantum-inspired early-stage VC fund. 2xN was founded by Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen, a Silicon Valley operator turned investor, and Niels Nielsen, an entrepreneur and pioneer investor in Quantum Computing to bring the true, high-growth value of network effects to early-stage founders. The 2xN team offers a unique “best of both worlds” approach that merges the platform service typically seen from institutional investors with the kind of dedicated, hands-on trusted support of angels.
Quantonation is an early stage venture capital fund investing globally in novel technologies based on advances in physics and/or computing. Physics has been, is and will be the fundamental operating system for world changing technology. We harness it for our transportation, energy, computing and civilization. Today, fields such as high-performance computation, secure communications, drug design or ultra-precise sensing are being driven by advancements from quantum technologies. Quantonation invests globally and their portfolio extends across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.
APEX Ventures is a deep-tech and medical focused venture capital firm, run by founders with complimentary backgrounds driven by the same mission: Build the next generation of world-leading companies.
Danmarks Eksport- og Investeringsfond (EIFO) er danske virksomheders fælles indgang til risikovillig statslig finansiering. De skaber værdi ved at være drivkraft og katalysator for danske virksomheders fornyelse og vækst, åbne døre for global forretning og føre an i omstillingen til en grønnere og mere bæredygtig fremtid. EIFO er Danmarks nationale erhvervsfremmende bank og Danmarks officielle eksportkreditinstitut i én og samme finansielle institution.
Program Advisory Group Experts
SG
Shomit Ghose
Venture Capitalist & Entrepreneur
HealthTech
EA
Eric Alan Rapp
Venture Partner at Gullspång Re:food
BioIndustrials
JS
John Shields
Non Executive Director at Adaptate Biotherapeutics & Microbiotica Ltd.
Therapeutics
CJ
Christel Jørgensen
Consultant, Bactolife ApS
BioIndustrials
PG
Pam Garside
Management Consultant, Newhealth
HealthTech
AL
Anker Lundemose
CEO, MISSION Therapeutics
JF
Julie Frearson
Chief Scientific Officer, VP Strategic Alliances at Charles River Laboratories
Therapeutics
MK
Mary Kerr
CEO, NeRRe Therapeutics
CL
Chandra P. Leo
Investment Advisor, HBM Partners