Epidarex Capital
Epidarex Capital is a transatlantic venture capital firm that invests seed and Series A capital in early-stage life science and health technology companies sourced from under-ventured research hubs in the UK and US.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBethesda, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Epidarex Capital does
Epidarex Capital is a privately held transatlantic venture capital firm that invests in early-stage, high-growth life science and health technology companies in under-ventured research hubs across the United Kingdom and the United States. Founded in 2013 as Rock Spring Ventures EU LP and rebranded to Epidarex Capital, the firm operates from a UK headquarters in Edinburgh and a US office in Bethesda, Maryland, with a small team of managing partners, partners, and venture partners. The firm's customer base is bifurcated: portfolio companies receive seed and Series A equity investment, while institutional limited partners including the British Business Bank, Strathclyde Pension Fund, and Scottish National Investment Bank commit capital to successive fund vintages.
The firm's product set spans three components. The primary vehicle is Epidarex Capital Fund IV, a $145M+ transatlantic life sciences fund targeting up to 15 companies in oncology, cardiometabolic, autoimmune, and neurological conditions. Epidarex Exeed, founded in 2019 as a wholly-owned subsidiary, functions as a therapeutic discovery engine that identifies and supports early-stage life science assets with hands-on scientific input prior to or alongside investment. Investment advisory services are offered alongside these vehicles, partnering with entrepreneurs and universities to spin out and build companies from leading research institutions. Underlying sourcing infrastructure relies on deep relationships with the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Oxford, and King's College London.
Epidarex generates revenue through two standard institutional VC streams: annual management fees on committed capital and carried interest on profits above the hurdle rate from successful portfolio exits. The firm has raised four disclosed fund vintages totalling over £300M / $400M in cumulative commitments and has produced a track record of liquidity events including the 2017 NASDAQ IPO of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, the acquisition of SIRAKOSS by OSSDSIGN in 2020, the Roche acquisition of Enterprise Therapeutics' lead programme, and the 2024 acquisition of Kynos Therapeutics by Dr. Falk Pharma. Distribution is direct: capital is deployed via negotiated equity rounds into portfolio companies, while fundraising occurs through established institutional LP relationships.
Epidarex Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Epidarex Capital
- Legal name
- Epidarex Capital
- Website
- https://epidarex.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Epidarex Capital is a transatlantic venture capital firm that invests seed and Series A capital in early-stage life science and health technology companies sourced from under-ventured research hubs in the UK and US.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Epidarex Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Life Sciences Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Impact / ESG Venture Capital (FSANAAAG)
Keywords
Where Epidarex Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bethesda
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Epidarex Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Management Fees: Venture capital firms typically charge annual management fees on committed capital to cover operational costs of the fund.
- Carried Interest (Carry): Epidarex generates returns through carried interest from successful portfolio company exits, aligning fund manager incentives with investor returns.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Fund IV - First close at $145+ million |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Epidarex Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Epidarex Capital is a transatlantic venture capital firm that provides seed and Series A equity financing to early-stage life science and health technology companies spun out of leading research universities and institutions in the UK and US. It raises and deploys multi-fund limited partnerships (currently Fund IV) and operates the Exeed therapeutic discovery engine to identify and advance innovative early-stage life science assets.
Product overview
Epidarex Capital is a transatlantic venture capital firm offering investment funds and advisory services for early-stage life science companies. The firm operates Fund IV as its primary investment vehicle, complemented by Exeed, a therapeutic discovery engine that identifies and supports early-stage assets through hands-on scientific support. The firm targets breakthrough life science innovations in emerging hubs within the US and UK, focusing on biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and health technology companies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Epidarex Exeed: Therapeutic discovery engine to advance early stage highly innovative life science assets
- Rock Spring Ventures
Products and services
- Epidarex Capital Fund IV Transatlantic life sciences venture fund providing seed and Series A equity investments to early-stage therapeutics and medical device companies in the UK and US.
- Exeed Epidarex's therapeutic discovery engine that identifies innovative early-stage assets and provides hands-on scientific support and funding to drive drug discovery projects.
- Investment Advisory Services Early-stage investment advisory services partnering with entrepreneurs and leading research institutions to transform world-class science into innovative products addressing major unmet needs in global healthcare.
Quantifiable outcome
- Apellis Pharmaceuticals went public on NASDAQ in 2017 and achieved FDA approvals for EMPAVELI and SYFOVRE
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Epidarex Capital
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Epidarex Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Epidarex Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- LonzacoreEpsilogen partnered with Lonza for GMP manufacturing of MOv18 IgE antibody; Lonza supported expression and manufacturing in less than ten months at Slough UK site
- MSD (Merck & Co.)coreCurve Therapeutics has a US$1.7 billion global research collaboration with MSD to discover and validate modulators of up to five therapeutic targets using its Microcycle technology
- Edinburgh InnovationscoreCommercialisation service for University of Edinburgh; facilitated company formation and in-licensing of Macomics technology
- Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, and AberdeencoreInitial investors and university partners for Rock Spring Ventures EU LP; key sources of spin-out companies including NodThera, Macomics, and others
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Epidarex Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sofinnova Partners: European life sciences venture capital firm investing in early-stage biotech and medtech across Europe. Direct peer because Epidarex co-invests alongside Sofinnova in portfolio companies like Mironid and NodThera, targeting the same therapeutic areas and stage.
- Advent Life Sciences: UK- and US-based venture capital firm investing in early- and mid-stage life sciences companies. Direct peer because Advent co-founded Curve Therapeutics with Epidarex and shares the same emerging-hub UK biotech thesis.
- BioGeneration Ventures: Early-stage European biotech venture capital firm based in the Netherlands. Direct peer because BGV co-invests with Epidarex in Mironid and focuses on the same seed/Series A European biotech opportunity set.
- Forbion: European life sciences venture capital firm investing across development stages in biotech. Direct peer because Forbion co-invested with Epidarex in Enterprise Therapeutics and shares the European biotech focus.
- 5AM Ventures: US-based early-stage life sciences venture capital firm. Direct peer because 5AM co-invested with Epidarex in NodThera's Series B and competes for similar early-stage biotech opportunities.
- Versant Ventures: Healthcare-focused venture capital firm with significant biotech investing. Direct peer because Versant co-led Enterprise Therapeutics' Series B alongside Epidarex's earlier backing, in the same therapeutic area.
- M Ventures: Corporate venture capital arm of Merck KGaA investing in early-stage life sciences. Direct peer because M Ventures co-invests with Epidarex in Theolytics and pursues comparable therapeutic-stage biotech opportunities.
- Oxford Science Enterprises: UK science and technology investment company backing spinouts from the University of Oxford. Direct peer because OSE co-invests with Epidarex in Theolytics and shares the UK university spinout thesis.
Regional players
- Scottish Enterprise (Scottish Investment Bank): Scotland's national economic development agency providing equity and debt finance. Regional peer because the Scottish Investment Bank has co-invested in multiple Epidarex portfolio companies (Macomics, SIRAKOSS) and operates in the same Scottish life sciences ecosystem.
Emerging players
- Apollo Therapeutics: UK-based translational medicine venture fund backed by AstraZeneca, GSK, and Johnson & Johnson. Emerging player peer because it represents an alternative pooled-vehicle model for UK university life science translation that competes for similar spinout deal flow.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Epidarex Capital social profiles
Digital presenceEpidarex Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Epidarex Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Epidarex Capital subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Epidarex Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Epidarex Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments51 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Epidarex Capital
What does Epidarex Capital do?
Epidarex Capital is a transatlantic venture capital firm that provides seed and Series A equity financing to early-stage life science and health technology companies spun out of leading research universities and institutions in the UK and US. It raises and deploys multi-fund limited partnerships (currently Fund IV) and operates the Exeed therapeutic discovery engine to identify and advance innovative early-stage life science assets.
Is Epidarex Capital a public or private company?
Epidarex Capital is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Epidarex Capital founded?
Epidarex Capital was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Epidarex Capital based?
Epidarex Capital is headquartered in Bethesda, United States, in the North America region.
How does Epidarex Capital make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest (Carry).
Who are Epidarex Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sofinnova Partners, Advent Life Sciences, BioGeneration Ventures, Forbion, 5AM Ventures, Versant Ventures, M Ventures and Oxford Science Enterprises. Scottish Enterprise (Scottish Investment Bank) is listed as a regional player. Apollo Therapeutics is listed as an emerging player.
Does Epidarex Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Epidarex Capital.
What industry is Epidarex Capital in?
Epidarex Capital's product category is Life Sciences Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAG, Impact / ESG Venture Capital. Its NAICS code is 52394 and its SIC code is 6282.