Droia Ventures is a specialist investor, dedicated to making an impact and save patient lives. We invest in novel science and innovative approaches to bring promising drug candidates to patients, and accelerate their progress by actively supporting young drug development companies to achieve clinical proof of concept with their lead programs. We have an in-house team of experts and drug development professionals who follow our companies closely and provide hands-on support.
Droia invests in early financing rounds and also incubates new companies. Operating from Luxembourg and Belgium, Droia invests globally.
Breakthrough focus
For life science companies, ultimate success should be measured in effective patient benefit. Droia invests in companies that develop the most promising and impactful therapies.
Promising therapies will have a material impact on patient prognosis, measured as a function of the severity of the unmet medical need addressed, the improvement in therapeutic benefits as compared to standard of care, and the feasibility of development.
Novel science can innovate in terms of mechanism of action, target, modality, specificity,… Above all, novel therapies should be sufficiently differentiated to earn their place among competing therapies in the future standard of care.
Getting it done
Droia actively participates in the development of the portfolio companies. We aim to support portfolio companies at least up to clinical proof of concept. To this end, Droia’s team has experience in translational science, clinical development and company building. Droia’s team can assist where useful on scientific, preclinical, clinical & CMC development, on IP & regulatory affairs, on licensing, legal, finance & transactions, and on general company building. Droia’s network of life science leaders gives us access to top-level institutions and KOL’s around the world and allows our portfolio companies to benefit from a global knowledge base.
Portfolio
ARCUS Biosciences (Hayward, California) develops small-molecules and antibodies to compose proprietary immune-oncology combinations. The company targets tumor related immune suppression, enhanced APC function and immune cell efficacy. — www.arcusbio.com
Aura Biosciences (Cambridge, Massachusetts) develops tumor targeted viral-like nanoparticles which can encapsulate a wide range of payloads. Aura’s lead product is in clinical trials against ocular melanoma. — www.aurabiosciences.com
Bioncotech (Madrid, Spain) develops nanocomplexes of synthetic dsRNA that target PAMP receptors and TLRs to induce powerful immune responses. Bioncotech is clinically evaluating several immune-oncology combinations with its lead product. — www.bioncotech.com
Cristal Therapeutics (Maastricht, The Netherlands) develops a polymeric nanoparticle drug delivery platform enhancing the PK properties of chemotherapeutic or nucleotide payloads and improving their uptake in the tumor microenvironment. — cristaltherapeutics.com
Cyteir Therapeutics (Cambridge, Massachusetts) is developing the next generation of synthetic lethal therapies to treat cancer and autoimmune disease. — cyteir.com
Frontier Medicines (South San Francisco, California) leverages chemoproteomics and machine learning to accelerate the development of medicines that drug the “undruggable” protein targets that drive human disease. — Frontiermeds.com
Montis Biosciences (Leuven, Belgium) develops novel immuno-oncology therapeutics targeting the intersection between perivascular macrophages and tumor vasculature – montisbiosciences.com
Octimet (Beerse, Belgium) is developing a new generation of highly selective MET kinase inhibitors with augmented therapeutic index. The lead compound was licensed from J&J and is being clinically tested in specific MET mutated patient populations. — octimet.com
PACT Pharma (Hayward, California) develops neoantigen-specific adoptive TCR T-cell therapies. PACT’s proprietary neoantigen identification technology advances the feasibility, potency and affordability of personalized cell therapy for cancer. — pactpharma.com
Tusk Therapeutics (Stevenage, UK – acquired by Roche) is developing novel immune modulating antibodies based on an in-depth understanding of the innate and adaptive immune system. — www.tusktherapeutics.com
Volastra Therapeutics (NY, USA) targets chromosomal instability to tackle metastases and therapeutic resistance. – volastratx.com
Investment Team
- M.Sc. Engineering, University of Leuven
- MBA, INSEAD
- McKinsey & Company
- Waterland Private Equity
* representing Wepaven BV
Janwillem Naesens *
Managing Partner Droia
- M.Sc. Bio-Engineering, University of Leuven
- Founder / former owner of Verelst real estate group
- Seasoned investor in small and big biotech, venture capital
- Founder of the Anti Cancer Fund and the Verelst Uterine Cancer Fund
Luc Verelst
Founder & Chairman
- Pharm.D., University of Leuven
- MBA, Vlerick Management School
- Arthur D. Little
- TiGenix
- Prosensa
- Tusk Therapeutics
- Independent board member Erytech, Pharvaris
* representing Primix Bio Ventures BV
Luc Dochez *
Managing Partner, Genetic Disease
- Msc. Business Engineering, Université Catholique de Louvain
- Executive Master in Finance, Solvay Business School
- ING Bank, Corporate Banking
- Floridienne Group, CFO
* representing Axis Advice SRL
Lionel de Hemptinne *
Chief Financial Officer
- Master of laws, University of Leuven
- M.Sc. law and finance, Oxford University and Saïd Business School
- Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
- Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
- Etex Group
* representing MARA Consulting BV
Matthias De Witte *
General Counsel
- M. Sc. Biomedical Sciences, University of Leuven
- PhD Biomedical Sciences – Angiogenesis and Metabolism, University of Leuven
- Starter Fellowship Emmanuelle van der Schueren, Vlaamse Liga tegen Kanker
- PhD fellow IWT & Post-doc fellow FWO
- Nominee Eos Pipet
- Recipient BiR&D Multidisciplinary PhD Award
- Scientific publications in e.g. Nature, Cell, Cell Metabolism
Sandra Schoors
Principal
- Studentship Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Lab Tech, Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University, BE
- PhD Medical Sciences, DNA damage in cancer, University of Cambridge, UK
- Postdoctoral Fellow, novel drug targets in a rare cancer, New York University Langone Health, USA
- Recipient Cancer Research UK PhD Fellowship
- Scientific publications in e.g. JNCI, Oncotarget, Eur J Hum Genet
Elke van Oudenhove
Scientific Analyst
- M. Sc. Biomedical Sciences, University of Leuven
- PhD Biomedical Sciences – Tumor Immunology, University of Leuven
- PhD Pharmaceutical Sciences – Polymers, ULB
- PhD fellow IWT
- Recipient VCU RDD Peter R. Byron Graduate Student Award
- Belgian Brain Tumor Support
- Scientific publications in e.g. EMBO Mol Med, Oncoimmunology, Journal of Controlled Release
Matthias Van Woensel
Principal
- MSc. Business Engineering, University of Leuven
- CFA – level I
- Ernst & Young, M&A advisory
- Corporate finance, M&A, BD, structuring, tax & legal, modeling & valuation
- Tusk Therapeutics, interim CFO
Joke Vereecken
PrincipalCareers
Droia is currently recruiting for its investment and development team. The team scouts for new opportunities, evaluates companies and projects, manages the investment and exit process, and works with the portfolio companies on their progress.
Team members work closely with the portfolio companies at management or board level, and play a hands-on role in all aspects of the drug development process.
Droia is an entrepreneurial environment, where everyone is above all committed to making things happen.
Applicants should have relevant experience in biomedical science, drug development and/or life science investing.