News roundup 25 February 2019

Karolinska Development portfolio value gains one third
The gains came against a backdrop of falling net profits and cash reserves that will test Karolinska Development as it looks ahead to convertible debt obligations.
Van Nevel vaults over to Qbic
Cédric Van Nevel has departed Bekaert to become an investment manager at Qbic, a venture fund manager focused on spinouts of Ghent, Brussels and Antwerp universities and of Vito.
Minnesota fuels incubator
University of Minnesota’s Discovery Launchpad incubator is currently supporting eight projects based on university research with resources including office space and mentoring.
Chylla becomes Autm chairman
Richard Chylla, executive director of MSU Technologies, has taken over as chairman of Autm’s board of directors, succeeding Alison Campbell.
OssDsign takes in $6.9m
Regenerative craniofacial implant manufacturer OssDsign has amassed $19.7m altogether as it prepares to take its products based on Karolinska and Uppsala university research into new markets.
Complion complies for $7m series B
Complion collected funding from investors including the multi-university-backed Ohio Innovation Fund for its regulatory compliance software platform catered to sites conducting clinical research.
Sitka sets up $1.2m
UBC and CDRD spinout Sitka Biopharma has now lured $5.5m in total and is readying its bladder cancer treatment for initial clinical trials.
Vor roars to $42m series A
Osage University Partners has contributed to a series A round for Vor Biopharma, an oncology drug developer based on work by Siddhartha Mukherjee at Columbia University.
NetScientific to delist from Aim
Commercialisation firm NetScientific will delist from Aim to free up cash for its portfolio companies, having failed to attract concrete offers after putting itself up for an acquisition.
Passage Bio follows $116m series A trajectory
Passage Bio will develop therapies for diseases affecting the central nervous system based on research by James Wilson at Penn, after raising almost $116m in a series A round.
Maryland mulls $16m Tedco program
State lawmakers are considering plans to fund supports for Maryland’s cybersecurity and life sciences sectors administered by local economic development agency Tedco.
Glycotest captures $3m from Fosun Pharma
The liver disease diagnostics spinout has secured the first tranche of a $10m series A investment by Fosun Pharma initially announced in October 2018.
Liverpool universities grasp Sciontec
University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores and Liverpool City Council will launch the Sciontec Liverpool fund to drive works for the city’s $2.6bn Knowledge Quarter Liverpool project.
Jandhyala bids CoMotion farewell
Vikram Jandhyala is standing down as executive director of University of Washington’s CoMotion but will remain with the university in other capacities.
Laurentian hires Haché
Robert Haché will end his tenure as vice-president of research and innovation at York University to lead Laurentian University from July.
Phylagen traces corporates for $14m series A
The environmental microbiome testing kit maker, based on Oregon research, has collected series A capital from investors including Western Digital Capital and 3M Ventures.
TTU’s Innovation Hub spawns 12 businesses
TTU Innovation Hub graduated six companies from its accelerator and helped its wider affiliate community secure a total of $3.5m in grant funding.
Centrica gives Mixergy a whirl
The energy supplier’s corporate venturing subsidiary has put an undisclosed sum into Oxford’s smart water boiler spinout Mixergy.
Strathclyde books in Listings Ledger
Listings Ledger has spun out from the university to commercialise a real-time valuation ticker for privately-owned companies.
Neuspera restimulates $26m series B
Neuspera Medical has secured a $12m extension to bring its series B round to the targeted $26m close, with all investors from the first tranche returning.
Mead makes his way to Mobeus
Matthew Mead has resurfaced at Mobeus Equity Partners as a venture partner ten months after stepping down as chief investment officer of Mercia Technologies.
U-M commits $20m to four spinouts
University of Michigan will supply an initial $2.75m in funding to MemryX, Ripple Science, GreenMark Biomedical, and Give and Take, and could invest as much as $20m altogether.