Q: Eir Ventures has now been in operations for 6 months since the launch last summer, how has that been?
We were delighted to be able to reach the first close of Eir Ventures last summer. Obviously raising a new first time life science venture fund is never easy, and completing the task during a global pandemic was not facilitating the process. However, we crossed the finish line on July 10, with a € 76 million first close of the fund, and we are grateful for the support shown to us by the four anchor investors, Saminvest of Sweden, the European Investment Fund, Vækstfonden and Novo Holdings of Denmark. In addition, a group of Nordic Universities invested as well as private investors.
This very strong investor base has allowed us to launch Eir Ventures on a very strong foundation, and we believe that it is a testament to the compelling investment opportunity that professional fund-of-fund investors see in the “market anomaly”: The great imbalance between abundant investment opportunities and scarce professional capital that characterize the Scandinavian life science industry. Download to read the full interview.