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WI Harper Group | February 17, 2022 | Source: Synthego
Synthego, a genome engineering company, raised $200 million in a Series E financing led by Perceptive Advisors. Participating in the round were new investors SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Declaration Partners, Laurion Capital Management, Logos Capital, GigaFund and Chimera Abu Dhabi as well as existing investors Wellington Management, RA Capital Management and Moore Strategic Ventures. WI Harper Group originally invested into Synthego’s Series A Round in June 2013, and the subsequent Series B round in 2016 alongside 8VC, Founders Fund, and Menlo Ventures.
Synthego will use the proceeds from the Series E financing to accelerate the creation of a cell and gene therapy discovery and development ecosystem to help researchers scale and simplify the translation of new discoveries into novel therapeutics for serious diseases. Synthego plans to focus on expanding both the capacity and capabilities of its Halo and Eclipse Platforms for research and discovery applications, continuing to drive abroad accessibility of genome engineering tools and genome engineered cells. Synthego will also invest in next-generation technologies such as CRISPROff, a light-based system for specific and precise CRISPR editing, and increase its Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) to support customers’ clinical and therapeutic programs.
Paul Dabrowski, co-founder and CEO of Synthego said, “CRISPR has become a powerful discovery tool, and the field is now at an inflection point. The promise of translating insights into clinical applications to treat a myriad of serious diseases, including cancer and genetic disorders, is within reach. With Synthego’s full stack of proprietary platforms, clinical-grade manufacturing capabilities, and strong relationship in industry, academia and the investor community, we are well positioned to help our customers usher in this new era of genetic and cellular medicines, ultimately ensuring these therapies are accessible to all patients.”
Synthego has demonstrated the importance and potential of accelerating scientific discovery and development through new technologies during the past year. Synthego brought together more than 12,000 CRISPR researchers at the largest annual global CRISPR conference, leveraged its Eclipse Platform to rapidly accelerate critical programs in COVID-19 research and neurodegenerative diseases, and is enabling the rapid translation of CRISPR-based cell and gene therapies into the clinic through the ISO 9001 certification of its GMP manufacturing capabilities.
| About WI Harper Group
WI Harper is a pioneer and leading cross-border venture capital firm investing in early and expansion stage companies globally. With offices in San Francisco, Beijing, and Taipei, the firm actively oversees more than $1 billion in assets under management. Since inception nearly three decades ago, WI Harper has invested in over 400 startups and has successfully experienced more than 100 IPO and M&A exits.
We look for innovative companies and visionary founders in healthcare, technology and sustainability fields where there are high synergies and meaningful value added cross selling opportunities. While our healthcare team is presently honing on bioinformatics and digital biology, our technology team is focused blockchain, big data, analytics, artificial intelligence, AR/VR, IoT, robotics, drones, autonomous driving, as well as digital media and green energy projects.
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