18.12.2017, Oslo, Stockholm – Hadean Ventures announced today the closing of Hadean Capital I, a
new fund with a target size of €100 million that will invest in life science companies. A particular
attention will be given to regions of Europe harbouring world class scientific communities, yet are
under-served from a venture capital perspective, especially the Nordic region. The fund is supported
by a consortium of blue chip fund investors, including Argentum, Saminvest, Gjensidigestiftelsen,
OPF and Varner.
Ingrid Teigland Akay, Managing Partner of Hadean Ventures, says: “Several European countries have
built world class scientific communities on the basis of longstanding tradition for scientific excellence
and significant investments in research. In addition, the growing ecosystem and surge in
entrepreneurship have created a very fertile ground for life science start-ups. In particular, the
Nordic region has outstanding scientists, a stable, business friendly environment and a vibrant startup
community, yet very few life science specialist venture funds are on the ground. We see an
exceptionally strong deal flow of high potential opportunities here.”
Walter Stockinger, Managing Partner of Hadean Ventures, points out that “the availability of venture
capital for life science start-ups has not kept pace with the recent entrepreneurial boom. Other
industries have seen several new VC funds emerge, supporting and benefiting from the surge in
young and innovative companies, whereas the complexity of the healthcare sector presents a
particularly high hurdle. If you are purchasing drugs, you need to know reliable drug suppliers. Our team combines the necessary life science know-how with many years of
VC experience, which we believe enables us to identify and accelerate high potential life science
start-ups and benefit from the particularly fertile environment.”
Joachim Høegh-Krohn, CEO of Argentum, says: “We invest in Hadean Ventures because we believe in
the healthcare growth potential and Hadean Ventures’ ability to find and further develop companies
that solve tomorrow’s health challenges”.
“I am delighted that Saminvest invests in the emerging team of Hadean Ventures. We firmly believe
that the new fund is well positioned to take advantage of the investment opportunities in the fast
growing and innovative life science sector in Scandinavia”, says Peder Hasslev, Chief Executive
Officer at Saminvest.
Hadean Ventures has offices in Oslo and Stockholm and collaborates with start-up hubs across the
region.