Novalis Biotechnology Incubation
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation is a Ghent-based, privately held early-stage venture capital fund founded in 2018 that invests from pre-seed to Series A in life sciences enabling technologies—bioinformatics, genomics, diagnostics, digital health, and biomanufacturing tools—through Fund I (€4M) and a €25M Acceleration Fund, with a portfolio of 20+ companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersGent, Belgium
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Novalis Biotechnology Incubation does
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation is a Belgium-domiciled, privately held early-stage venture capital fund founded in 2018 and headquartered in Ghent. It invests in life sciences enabling technologies—bioinformatics, genomics, diagnostics, digital health, research and biomanufacturing tools—at the (pre-)seed to Series A stages, deploying equity alongside professional and academic network support and business-strategy shaping for portfolio companies. The firm operates two vehicles: Fund I (€4 million deployed across eight companies, focused on Benelux and the US) and the Acceleration Fund (€25 million closed in June 2021). It runs a horizontal thesis rather than a sector platform, sourcing deals primarily through academic channels such as Ghent University and EPFL, and has a portfolio of 20+ companies spanning Alithea Genomics (RNA-seq), Trince (cell engineering), Altavo (AI voice rehabilitation), BioLizard (bioinformatics), Rarity Bioscience (rare nucleic acid detection), Enzyre (coagulation diagnostics), C-mo Medical Solutions (cough monitoring), Carroucell (microcarriers), Grapheal (graphene biosensors), RheumaFinder (rheumatology imaging AI), and Clouds of Care (CNS electrophysiology). As a limited partnership under Belgian law, the firm does not sell a product; it earns returns through portfolio exits (realized via Doc.ai to Sharecare in January 2021, Cergentis to Solvias, and OHMX.bio to Anacura) and conventional fund economics, including management fees on committed capital and carried interest on realized gains. Its GTM motion is direct enterprise-style deal-making with founders and co-investors rather than marketing or sales, and the firm relies on its small five-person team plus a scientific and supervisory board (including ETH Zurich board president Michael Hengartner) to source and support investments.
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Novalis Biotechnology Incubation
- Legal name
- Novalis
- Website
- https://noval.is
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Novalis Biotechnology Incubation is a Ghent-based, privately held early-stage venture capital fund founded in 2018 that invests from pre-seed to Series A in life sciences enabling technologies—bioinformatics, genomics, diagnostics, digital health, and biomanufacturing tools—through Fund I (€4M) and a €25M Acceleration Fund, with a portfolio of 20+ companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Early-stage Venture Capital (Life Sciences)
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA), Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
Keywords
Where Novalis Biotechnology Incubation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gent
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Fund Management: Novalis generates returns through successful portfolio company exits, including acquisitions and IPOs. They manage multiple funds (Fund I €4M, Acceleration Fund €25M) investing in early-stage life sciences companies.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation is an early-stage venture capital investor that provides funding, professional and academic connections, and business strategy shaping to life sciences start-ups from pre-seed through Series A. The firm manages two investment funds (Fund I at €4 million and the Acceleration Fund at €25 million) focused on enabling technologies including genomics, bioinformatics, diagnostics, digital health, and manufacturing tools.
Product overview
Novalis Biotech is an early-stage venture capital investor in life sciences that does not operate a unified product platform but rather manages two investment funds (Fund I at €4 million and the Acceleration Fund at €25 million) targeting enabling technologies in healthcare. The firm provides funding, professional/academic connections, and business strategy support to portfolio companies from incorporation through Series A stage. Their investment focus spans innovative research and manufacturing tools, bioinformatics, genomics, diagnostics, and digital health.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Novalis Biotech Fund I
- Novalis Biotech Acceleration Fund
- Novalis Investment and Incubation Services
Companies that use Novalis Biotechnology Incubation
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Beckman Coulter Life SciencescoreBeckman Coulter Life Sciences partnered with Rarity Bioscience AB (Novalis portfolio company) to bring molecular research to flow cytometry.
- IMA LifeminorRheaVita announced strategic partnership with IMA Life (part of IMA Group) to drive technological development and commercial growth in freeze-drying solutions.
- Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS)minorCarroucell has partnership with EFS which enabled validation of its microcarriers and facilitated first commercial orders.
- RheaVitacoreCo-led EUR 2.5M Series A financing for RheaVita alongside PMV. Kjell Mortier from Novalis joined RheaVita's Board of Directors.
- Takeda Pharmaceutical CompanycoreTakeda formed strategic partnership with Enzyre (Novalis portfolio company), investing in Enzyre and joining its supervisory board to develop diagnostic assays for congenital bleeding disorders.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HealthCap: Nordic specialist life sciences VC investing from seed to later-stage across therapeutics, medtech, and industrial biotech. Comparable in stage focus and sector specialisation.
- Capricorn Partners: Belgian independent VC firm managing multiple sector-specific funds including Capricorn Health-tech Fund, actively co-investing with Novalis-style funds in life sciences spin-offs from Ghent and Leuven.
- Forbion: Leading European life sciences VC with multiple billion-euro funds, focused on biotech, medtech, and pharmaceutical platforms. Competes head-to-head for later Series A rounds on portfolio companies emerging from same Benelux academic cluster.
- PMV (Participatie Maatschappij Vlaanderen): Flemish regional investment company that is both an LP in Novalis Acceleration Fund and a co-investor in portfolio companies like RheaVita. Direct strategic overlap in life sciences funding in Flanders.
- BioGeneration Ventures (BGV): Dutch VC firm focused on early-stage life sciences companies, particularly spin-offs from Dutch and Benelux universities. Closely comparable in stage focus, sector concentration, and academic sourcing strategy.
- V-Bio Ventures: Belgian early-stage VC firm dedicated to biotechnology and agricultural biotech, with similar Ghent-area academic ties and pre-seed/seed orientation as Novalis.
- Life Sciences Partners (LSP): Amsterdam-based specialist life sciences VC firm investing across European biotech and medtech from early to late stage. Direct competitor for European life sciences deals and limited partner profile.
- Inkef Capital: Dutch early- and growth-stage VC with strong life sciences exposure, backed by APG. Competes for European life sciences deals with a similar academic-spinout thesis.
- qbic Fund: Belgian inter-university venture fund supporting academic spin-offs from Belgian universities. Direct co-investor with Novalis (e.g., Trince) and overlapping academic sourcing channels.
Broad incumbents
- Gimv: Large Belgian-listed investment company with a dedicated Health & Care platform that invests across life sciences stages. Competes for the same Belgian life sciences deal flow but with broader sector mandate and larger fund sizes.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation social profiles
Digital presenceNovalis Biotechnology Incubation compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments16 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Novalis Biotechnology Incubation
What does Novalis Biotechnology Incubation do?
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation is an early-stage venture capital investor that provides funding, professional and academic connections, and business strategy shaping to life sciences start-ups from pre-seed through Series A. The firm manages two investment funds (Fund I at €4 million and the Acceleration Fund at €25 million) focused on enabling technologies including genomics, bioinformatics, diagnostics, digital health, and manufacturing tools.
Is Novalis Biotechnology Incubation a public or private company?
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped.
When was Novalis Biotechnology Incubation founded?
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Novalis Biotechnology Incubation based?
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation is headquartered in Gent, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Novalis Biotechnology Incubation make money?
One revenue line is on record: fund Management.
Who are Novalis Biotechnology Incubation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HealthCap, Capricorn Partners, Forbion, PMV (Participatie Maatschappij Vlaanderen), BioGeneration Ventures (BGV), V-Bio Ventures, Life Sciences Partners (LSP), Inkef Capital and qbic Fund. Gimv is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Novalis Biotechnology Incubation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Novalis Biotechnology Incubation.
What industry is Novalis Biotechnology Incubation in?
Novalis Biotechnology Incubation's product category is Early-stage Venture Capital (Life Sciences). Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B), with a secondary code of FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.