Leuven, Belgium, October 14, 2024
Biotalys announced today that it has successfully obtained subscription commitments for an amount of 15 million euros in new capital. As an early investor, AIF is participating in this transaction with 5 million euros. Throughout the various capital increases since the founding of Biotalys in 2013 (then still Agrosavfe), AIF has invested nearly 17 million euros in the company. This demonstrates AIF’s continued commitment to support companies that take on the challenge of bringing new and improved plant protection products to market.
For more than 10 years, Biotalys has been working on bringing its first candidate product EVOCA™ to the market. Started in 2013 as a spin-off from VIB (Flemish Institute for Biotechnology), Biotalys developed its AGROBODY Foundry™ platform based on the Nanobodies® top technology, which also made Ablynx successful. For agricultural applications, however, not only must the technology be sound, but the products must also extensively demonstrate their effectiveness in the field, production costs must be controlled to fit within a value chain that allows little room for additional costs, and the end products must undergo strict and complex regulatory processes. This new capital increase – which is also fully supported by current co-shareholder Ackermans & van Haaren and by the Dutch ASR Vermogensbeheer, which is joining as a new shareholder – should enable Biotalys to continue its successful trajectory in all serenity.
Extended cash runway to achieve ambitions
Kevin Helash, CEO of Biotalys, is very grateful for the additional support. “We will strategically use these funds to advance our R&D pipeline with the goal of launching one new project each year. The timing of this investment extends our cash runway while we await final regulatory approval of EVOCA™.”
AIF continues to focus on innovation to support the agriculture and horticulture of the future
“Due to increasing pesticide resistance and stricter regulations, growers urgently need new solutions to combat pests and diseases in crops,” says Patrik Haesen, CEO of AIF. “We support innovators like Biotalys, which develop products with new mode of actions to help growers at home and abroad protect their income and produce healthy, sustainable products.”
About Biotalys
Biotalys is an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for the protection of crops and aiming to provide alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides for a more sustainable and safer food supply. Based on its novel AGROBODY™ technology platform, Biotalys is developing a strong and diverse pipeline of effective product candidates with a favorable safety profile that aim to address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate. Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has been listed on Euronext Brussels since July 2021. The company is based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com.
About AIF
Agri Investment Fund BV (“AIF”) is the private equity and venture capital fund of the group Boerenbond and wishes through its investments to contribute directly or indirectly to a stronger and more sustainable agriculture and horticulture in Flanders and German speaking Belgium. Its investments have a focus within the Ag-Tech and Agro-Food domains aiming at stimulating innovation and as such helping to build a stronger agriculture of the future, allowing farmers and horticulturists to provide high-quality products at honest prices. More information can be found on www.aifund.be .
For more information, please contact:
AIF
Patrik Haesen, CEO
T: +32 (0)16 28 62 54 | E: pers@aifund.be
Biotalys
Toon Musschoot, Head Investor Relations & Communication
T: +32 (0)9 274 54 00 | E: IR@biotalys.com
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