Apollo Health Ventures launches biotech fund

Investments from the $180 million fund will focus on companies in Europe and the US.

Berlin-based investment firm Apollo Health Ventures has launched a new fund. With the "Health Ventures Fund II", the firm aims to build a portfolio of data-driven biotechnology and health technology companies. Investments from the fund are to focus on companies in Europe and the US. Equal parts of the money will be used for the creation of new start-ups and the further development of existing companies.

The concepts of the companies supported are said to be aimed at extending the time people live healthy lives. The fund also aims to help improve people's quality of life, make them more resilient and reduce the cost of patient care. Specifically, it will support companies that enable early intervention in age-related disease processes. This is to prevent damage, maintain cellular health and fitness, reduce tissue damage and restore a healthy immune system.

"The healthcare sector is experiencing a paradigm shift from treating age-related diseases long after the first symptoms have developed to addressing the root causes at earlier stages of disease pathology," says Nils Regge, co-founder and partner of Apollo Health Ventures. Apollo Health's predecessor fund was dedicated to companies developing therapeutics for age-related diseases. For example, Aeovian Pharmaceuticals developed a safer version of the drug "Rapamycin," which is designed to improve health and extend life. In addition to Regge, Dr. Jens Eckstein and, more recently, Dr. Marianne Mertens are also involved in Apollo Health Ventures' ventures.