VIB-backed venture capital firm V-Bio Ventures has reached the final close of its second fund and hired Shelley Margetson as managing partner.

V-Bio Ventures, the Belgium-based venture capital firm aligned with research institute VIB, closed its second fund at €110m ($120m) today, exceeding its €100m target.

The firm did not identify any new limited partners. It had achieved a €96m second close by January this year, when limited partners included VIB, KU Leuven and Ghent University.

Limited partners in V-Bio Fund 2 also include vegetable raw materials trader Vanden Avenue Commodities, the EU-owned European Investment Fund, ParticipatieMaatschappij Vlaanderen, Federale Participatie- en Investeringsmaatschappij, BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity, KBC Private Partners Life Sciences, family offices Korys and De Eik, and private investor Aat van Herk.

V-Bio Fund 2 will target spinouts in the healthcare and sustainable agriculture sectors throughout Europe, being the first Belgium-based fund to gain European Venture Capital Fund accreditation – which enables funds with less than €500m under management to operate throughout the common market without having to meet all demands under the EU’s alternative investment fund managers regulation.

V-Bio Ventures now has a total of €185m under management.

In conjunction with the final close of Fund 2, V-Bio has brought on board Shelley Margetson as managing partner and promoted Ward Capoen to partner.

To learn more about V-Bio Ventures’ investments, listen to our interview with founding managing partner Christina Takke on Talking Tech Transfer.

– Image courtesy of V-Bio Ventures

Thierry Heles

Thierry Heles is the former editor-at-large of Global University Venturing and Global Corporate Venturing, and was the producer and host of the Beyond the Breakthrough podcast until December 2024.