SV Health Raises US$269m for Dementia Start-ups

The venture capital firm closed the fund on 20 May. DDF is the world’s largest family of specialised venture capital funds focused exclusively on companies working on innovative dementia treatments. This is the second such fund established by the firm and is intended to build on a decade of research progress to advance the development of new dementia therapies, according to the company.

The fund received backing from its existing cornerstone investors, including AARP, the British Business Bank, and Gates Frontier, as well as pharmaceutical companies Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, and Pfizer, and the Alzheimer’s Association.

With the addition of DDF-2, the Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF) has raised more than US$550m to date. DDF-2 has already invested in four companies, in keeping with its strategy of supporting highly innovative biotech ventures aimed at developing transformative therapies for patients – all the while, of course, delivering competitive returns. The fund aims to build a final portfolio of 10 to 15 companies, primarily across the UK, Europe, and the US.

“As a result of our investments, more than 2000 people have received experimental treatments, giving fresh hope to the mission to defeat dementia,” commented Christian Jung, a Partner at SV Health Investors. “DDF-2 will build on this groundbreaking work, which reflects our science-first approach to investing in therapeutic assets and platform technologies, while driving significant returns for our investors.”