VC firms back CHF 15.5m series-B extension for Oculis

Nan Fung Life Sciences was also a new investor in the round and was joined by unnamed previous backers. Brunnur Ventures, Silfurberg, Bay City Capital, Novartis Venture Fund and Pivotal BioVenture Partners have all previously invested in the business, according to Unquote Data.

The fresh capital will be used to expand the company's portfolio through strategic in-licensing, and to advance the development of its pipeline of eyedrop treatments for ophthalmic diseases.

The company simultaneously announced its first in-licensing agreement for a topical anti-TNF alpha antibody from Novartis. Proceeds from the funding round were used to finance the agreement but no further financial details were disclosed.

Tekla's Henry Skinner will join Oculis' board as non-executive director. Stefan Sveinsson, the former head of R&D at Actavis, will step down from the board; he joined in 2016 following the initial closing of the company's series-B.

Previous funding
Icelandic investment firms Brunnur and Silfurberg led a series-A funding round for Oculis in 2016.

Bay City Capital led a CHF 20m series-B funding round for the firm in 2017 alongside Novartis Venture Fund, Pivotal BioVenture Partners, Brunnur Ventures and Silfurberg.

Company
Oculis is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of topical treatments for ophthalmic diseases, for both back and front of the eye. Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, with research operations in Reykjavik, Iceland, Oculis was founded by Einar Stefánsson and Thorsteinn Loftsson in 2014.

People
Oculis – Riad Sherif (CEO).

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• Topics
• Expansion
• DACH
• Healthcare
• Venture
• Switzerland