Biotech startups in Europe are credited with almost half a million jobs & generating €31.6B across EU countries. European biotech startups generally face difficulties in funding opportunities. Even with such obstacles, some of Europe’s red biotechnology startups have managed to gain high market capitalization, suggesting that even though total improvement is needed to support the biotech, small steps like innovative startups can still be successful.
Here are top 5 startup companies in Europe that are making their mark in the global Biotech market:
1. Arsanis
This is an Austrian company that was started in 2010. They use new methods of fighting infectious diseases by using monoclonal antibodies. The startup focuses on finding drugs against bacterial resistance that is developing as one of the serious issues due to the over-usage of antibiotics. The immunotherapies from this company are designed in such a way that it does not cause damage to the patient’s microbiome.
2. 4D Pharma
This company appears to be very persuasive, as many investors are willing to invest in it. Despite being founded just three years back, this company has an estimated valuation of €518M. The fundings are mostly from the US as well as the UK. They are one of the leading companies in developing live therapeutics (biological products that contain live organisms). They also have preclinical programs that range from cancer, arthritis to multiple sclerosis.
3. ProQR
This company was started in 2012 and is located in the Netherlands. They have been successfully able to reach the market capitalization which is estimated roughly around €103M. ProQR mainly specializes in the development of drugs, which is aimed at transforming the lives of people suffering from serious genetic diseases. This company started when a team of researchers tried to find a treatment for cystic fibrosis with the help of using RNA therapy. Meanwhile, the company has developed further programs to find treatment for other genetic disorders like Usher syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease.
4. Wilson Therapeutics
Sweden’s Wilson Therapeutics has a remarkable valuation of around €243M for market capitalization. As the name suggests, this company mainly focuses on finding new therapies for patients who are suffering from Wilson Disease. This disorder is caused by copper poisoning. Their active ingredient, tetrathiomolybdate, aimed at the reduction of copper, has already gone through several clinical studies and has shown promising results in patients.
5. Inivata
This U.K based startup company was launched three years back with a capitalization of €380M. The company mainly focused on clinical cancer genomics and developed a new, non-invasive way to detect and analyze genomic material. Just one drop of blood is all they need for their revolutionary approach, which changes for the better not only cancer detection but also the way the disease is monitored and treated.
Even though the companies listed above were successful in securing funding, most of their success was built through the NASDAQ Stock market. If one compares the numbers for the U.S. and E.U, there is a difference in capital raised by biotech companies.
Currently, there is much room for improvement in the European Union policies for helping biotech startups to thrive. In conclusion, we can say that maybe this is why many European biotech startups enlist on NASDAQ for satisfying their funding lust.
