ALSA Ventures
ALSA Ventures is a London-based life sciences venture capital firm that invests in and supports early-stage European biotechnology companies developing novel therapeutics through its ALSA Ventures I SCSp fund and Eclipse clinical development accelerator partnered with ICON.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ALSA Ventures does
ALSA Ventures is a London-based life sciences venture capital firm founded in 2019 by Alek Safarian, the former founder and CEO of Asia-Pacific contract research organisation Novotech. The firm invests in and provides operational support to early-stage European biotechnology companies developing novel therapeutics, spanning indications including reproductive medicine, gene therapy for ciliopathies, diabetic eye disease, oncology antibody-drug conjugates, immune-oncology, IgE-based oncology, and clinical-stage oncology. Its core investment vehicle is ALSA Ventures I SCSp, a Luxembourg-domiciliated venture capital fund that held a first close of US$59M in September 2020 against a $150M target.
The firm runs two primary product lines. The first is direct equity investment into early-stage biotechs, either via company formation or participation in syndicates with co-investors. The second is Eclipse, a clinical development accelerator launched in October 2020 in partnership with ICON Clinical Research, which offers up to $5M equity investment plus preclinical-to-first-in-human clinical development services to selected preclinical companies on a quarterly selection cycle. The current disclosed portfolio comprises seven companies: ReproNovo, Axovia Therapeutics, Vantage Biosciences, Promatix, Montis Biosciences, Epsilogen, and Oxford BioTherapeutics. The firm also maintains strategic alliances with Lonza (CDMO services) and BioNeex (biotech out-licensing and M&A support), and operates from 78 Pall Mall, London.
ALSA's revenue model is the standard venture capital two-stream model: recurring management fees on committed/invested capital of the ALSA Ventures I SCSp fund, supplemented by performance-based carried interest from the same fund. The UK advisory entity, ALSA Management Services Ltd, is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA Registration No. 939120) as an SNI MIFIDPRU investment firm permitted to act only for eligible counterparties and professional clients. The firm is privately held with no parent company, founded by Safarian, and employs a small investment team of approximately ten people plus an advisory board drawn from senior roles at GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Roche, Takeda Ventures, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and the Institute of Cancer Research.
ALSA Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ALSA Ventures
- Legal name
- ALSA Management Services Ltd
- Website
- https://alsaventures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ALSA Ventures is a London-based life sciences venture capital firm that invests in and supports early-stage European biotechnology companies developing novel therapeutics through its ALSA Ventures I SCSp fund and Eclipse clinical development accelerator partnered with ICON.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ALSA Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biotechnology Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Venture Debt Providers (FSANAAAL)
Keywords
Where ALSA Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
ALSA Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Management Fees: Fixed remuneration from annual salary for employees, plus management fees from advising a venture capital fund based in Luxembourg specializing in the biotech sector.
- Carried Interest: Variable remuneration made up of Carried Interest from the Fund to which the Firm advises, along with performance-based bonuses.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Eclipse Accelerator Equity Investment |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
ALSA Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ALSA Ventures is a London-based life science venture capital firm that provides equity investment and operational support to early-stage European biotechnology companies developing novel therapeutics, spanning company formation to public market listing. It manages the ALSA Ventures I SCSp fund (first close $59M, $150M target) and runs the Eclipse clinical development accelerator in partnership with ICON Clinical Research, offering up to $5M equity investment plus clinical development services to selected preclinical biotech companies.
Product overview
ALSA Ventures is a London-based international life science venture capital firm offering a single unified investment fund (ALSA Ventures I SCSp) with an integrated clinical development accelerator (Eclipse). The firm provides equity investment and strategic operational support to early-stage European biotech companies across therapeutic areas including oncology, reproductive medicine, gene therapy, and immune-oncology. Eclipse, partnered with ICON Clinical Research, offers up to $5M equity investment plus clinical development consulting to accelerate portfolio companies from preclinical to first-in-man studies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Eclipse: Clinical development accelerator program partnered with ICON Clinical Research, offering up to $5M equity investment to preclinical biotech companies developing novel therapeutics.
Products and services
- ALSA Ventures I SCSp Fund ALSA Ventures' inaugural European biotechnology investment fund focused on novel therapeutics at preclinical proof-of-concept or early clinical development stage. The fund is advised by ALSA Management Services Ltd and is the vehicle through which the firm invests in early-stage European biotech companies and earns management fees and carried interest.
- Eclipse Clinical Development Accelerator A clinical development accelerator program, run in partnership with ICON Clinical Research, that provides equity investment of up to $5 million to selected preclinical biotech companies developing novel therapeutics. The program offers support for preclinical work in readiness for first-in-human trials, clinical development planning and clinical trial execution, with selected companies admitted on a quarterly basis.
Quantifiable outcome
- First closing of $59M fund targeting $150M total
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use ALSA Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ALSA Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
ALSA Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Investing in Women CodeminorALSA Ventures has joined the Investing in Women Code, a UK Government-backed commitment to improve women entrepreneurs' access to tools, resources and finance needed to start and scale.
- LonzacoreLonza and ALSA Ventures collaborate to provide development and manufacturing services for biotech firms in the ALSA portfolio.
- BioNeexminorBioNeex and ALSA Ventures partner to provide biotech firms a new way to drug candidate out-licensing and acquiring investment.
- ICON Clinical ResearchcoreALSA Ventures partnered with ICON Clinical Research to accelerate clinical development of novel compounds through the Eclipse program. ICON provides capabilities across full spectrum of consulting and clinical development services, including preclinical work in readiness for FIH trials, clinical development planning, and clinical trial execution.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ALSA Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BioGeneration Ventures: Dutch early-stage life sciences VC focused on founding and seeding European biotech companies. Closely comparable in stage focus, European geographic mandate, and company-creation model.
- Epidarex Capital: UK/Scottish early-stage life sciences VC investing in innovative European biotech and healthtech. Similar fund size range and focus on translating academic science into company formation.
- Apollo Therapeutics: UK-based translational VC created by major pharma (AstraZeneca, GSK, J&J) funding academic spinouts into early clinical development. Comparable in targeting preclinical-to-clinical biotech in the UK/Europe.
- Capricorn Partners (Health & Wellness funds): Belgian fund manager with dedicated biotech/healthtech venture funds targeting early-stage European life sciences. Comparable scale and European biotech origination focus.
- Newton Biocapital: Belgium-based early-stage biotech VC investing in European therapeutic companies from preclinical onward. Comparable in fund size, European focus, and early-stage biotech thesis.
- Medicxi: European biotech VC focused on company creation and asset-centric investing across pharma and biotech. Comparable European life science mandate and founder-led origination style.
Broad incumbents
- Sofinnova Partners: Paris-based European life sciences VC with a long track record across biotech and medtech. Direct category competitor but with substantially larger, multi-fund AUM.
- Syncona: UK-listed life sciences investment company that founds and scales biotech companies. Overlaps with ALSA in early-stage European biotech creation but at much larger scale and via a permanent-capital structure.
- LSP (Life Sciences Partners): Large European life sciences investor with public and private fund strategies. Overlaps with ALSA in European biotech investing but at significantly greater scale and broader mandate.
- Forbion: Large Dutch/European life sciences VC managing multiple funds across biotech stages. Overlaps with ALSA in European biotech focus but operates with materially larger AUM and broader stage coverage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ALSA Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceALSA Ventures compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
ALSA Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ALSA Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
ALSA Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ALSA Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments7 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ALSA Ventures
What does ALSA Ventures do?
ALSA Ventures is a London-based life science venture capital firm that provides equity investment and operational support to early-stage European biotechnology companies developing novel therapeutics, spanning company formation to public market listing. It manages the ALSA Ventures I SCSp fund (first close $59M, $150M target) and runs the Eclipse clinical development accelerator in partnership with ICON Clinical Research, offering up to $5M equity investment plus clinical development services to selected preclinical biotech companies.
Is ALSA Ventures a public or private company?
ALSA Ventures is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was ALSA Ventures founded?
ALSA Ventures was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ALSA Ventures based?
ALSA Ventures is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does ALSA Ventures make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest.
Who are ALSA Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BioGeneration Ventures, Epidarex Capital, Apollo Therapeutics, Capricorn Partners (Health & Wellness funds), Newton Biocapital and Medicxi. Broad incumbents are Sofinnova Partners, Syncona, LSP (Life Sciences Partners) and Forbion.
Does ALSA Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for ALSA Ventures.
What industry is ALSA Ventures in?
ALSA Ventures's product category is Biotechnology Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAL, Venture Debt Providers. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.