BioInnovation Institute Backs 11 Life‑Science Startups

BioInnovation Institute (BII), the Copenhagen‑based non‑profit set up by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, has announced a new Venture Lab cohort made up of 11 early‑stage life‑science companies. Each participant will receive €500,000 in convertible loan funding alongside access to BII’s labs, mentoring, business development support and a network of more than 200 investors.

This 12‑month programme aims to help scientific projects move toward commercial viability. BII targets ventures across human health, biotechnology and planetary health, focusing on solutions that translate research into products or services addressing societal and environmental challenges.

The newly selected startups cover a broad technological spectrum. Highlights include 2D, a Technical University of Denmark spin‑out working on scalable graphene applications for sustainable industry; Vasuqi, which develops light‑based treatments for industrial water pollutants; and QFactory, spun out of the Niels Bohr Institute to build custom quantum systems for advanced sensing.

Other cohort members pursue medical and diagnostic aims: Cerentry is developing systemic drug delivery approaches to the brain, Combotope Therapeutics focuses on tumour‑selective antibodies, and Equilibrium Diagnostics works on non‑invasive kidney tubular function tests. Ibnova Therapeutics and Heureka Therapeutics are tackling engineered heart tissue and liver restoration respectively, while 1st Biome develops next‑generation probiotics. Anorit Medical brings an automated ventilation device for bystander response to cardiac arrest, and Étiquette explores fermentation‑based alcohol‑free wine.

With this intake, BII has now supported 142 companies with around €145 million in direct funding; those firms have gone on to attract roughly €1.1 billion in external investment. The institute recently also provided €1.3 million in follow‑on grants to five portfolio startups to push product development and scaling.

For founders and investors watching the junction of academia and industry, BII remains a notable example of how concentrated funding, shared infrastructure and targeted mentorship can lower the barrier from lab bench to market.