Kos Biotechnology raises US$123m for Greek life sciences fund
Kos Biotechnology Partners has raised US$123m (€106m) for its inaugural global life sciences fund, marking a notable step for Greece’s still young biotechnology financing ecosystem.
The New York- and Athens-based investment firm said the third closing of the fund follows its initial launch in December 2025. Backers include institutional investors led by the Hellenic Development Bank of Investments, as well as global family offices. Kos describes the vehicle as the first life sciences-dedicated investment fund in Greece and one of the largest first-time life sciences VC launches in Europe.
The firm plans to invest across development stages, from company formation to Series C, with a focus on three areas: novel therapeutics, pharma services and technology-enabled life sciences platforms. This gives Kos a broader mandate than many specialist biotech seed funds, allowing it to back both drug developers and infrastructure companies serving the pharmaceutical industry.
Greek diaspora
Kos was founded by Dr Simos Simeonidis and Alex Tzoukas. Simeonidis previously worked as a biotechnology analyst at Morgan Stanley, Cowen and RBC, and held investment roles at Sarissa Capital and Ally Bridge Group. Tzoukas has worked in healthcare investment banking and private equity, including at Deutsche Bank, MTS Health Partners and Gurnet Point Capital. Nikos Kostaras, previously country head for Greece at IQVIA, has joined as the firm’s third partner.
The fund’s positioning is explicitly transatlantic. Kos aims to connect US biopharma development expertise with European scientific talent, while helping build a more visible life sciences investment ecosystem in Greece. This comes at a time when European biotech investors have been warning that the continent continues to lag the US in its ability to finance and scale life sciences companies, despite strong academic science and a growing pool of entrepreneurs.
First investments
Kos has already completed two investments, although its early portfolio differs from what many specialist biotech venture funds might be expected to back. Its first disclosed deal was a financing round for Epikast, a New York-headquartered, Athens-operated provider of commercial, medical, market access and patient support services for biopharma companies. Rather than developing drugs or platform technologies, Epikast operates closer to a consulting and services model, highlighting Kos’s stated interest in pharma services alongside therapeutics. Kos led the round, with Tzoukas joining Epikast’s board. A second investment, in a San Francisco-based biotechnology company, has not yet been announced.
The initial investments also appear to reflect the importance of the Greek scientific and business diaspora in the US. While both disclosed portfolio companies are headquartered in the US, Epikast has significant operations in Athens and ties to Greek management. The firm said additional investments are expected later this year. Its approach suggests that Greece could play a role not only as a source of scientific talent, but also as an operational base for companies serving global biopharma markets.
