Korify launches debut VC fund with USD 100m target

The fundraise was launched in September 2021 and a final close is expected mid-2022.

Korify acts as the venture arm of Infinitas Capital, the family office of Robin and Peter Lauber. The firm is headquartered in Basel and is managed by co-founder Davide Ottolini.

The firm was previously structured as an investment company backed by investors it knew through its family office activities, co-founder Davide Ottolini and general partner Robin Lauber told Unquote.

"It's a great time for mental health and longevity investments; Covid has really accelerated this," Lauber said. "Big pharma has basically dropped out of mental health research in the last 20 years, so there is a lot of opportunity for biotech in the space. And the broader public is now more aware of where innovation is coming from, looking at examples like BioNTech."

"The pandemic has also brought more awareness of these sectors from an investor perspective," Ottolini added. "We have seen more generalist investors coming into the space who can see how successful these companies can be."

Investors
The fund is targeting LPs on a global basis, but is currently backed by investors from the DACH region, the UK and the US, including institutional investors, family offices and ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

Investments
Korify Capital Fund One will invest in biotechnology businesses developing treatments for mental illness and age-related diseases. The majority of the fund will be dedicated to classical biotechnology and diagnostics companies, although it does not rule out medical technology and digital health, Lauber and Ottolini told Unquote. The fund will invest in companies in Europe and the US.

The fund can invest from pre-seed to pre-IPO rounds, adjusting its ticket size accordingly and with LP co-investments. Korify expects to syndicate rounds alongside other VC firms.

The fund will invest in platforms with diversified portfolios that are aiming to become leading players in their respective fields, Ottolini told Unquote. "This said, public markets are a natural exit route," he added.

The vehicle will back 15-20 companies over two years and will be opportunistic in terms of the split between mental health and longevity-focused companies. It expects to back 15-20 companies in total and has made its first investment, pursuing its strategy of backing platform companies with an investment in New York-based Cambrian Biopharma, which develops treatments for the biological drivers of ageing. It has 14 novel therapeutics in its pipeline.

People
Korify Capital – Davide Ottolini (co-founder); Robin Lauber (general partner).

Update 21.12.21: This article was amended to reflect the fact that the target of the fund is USD 100m, not EUR 100m as originally stated.

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