Leyden Labs announced a €40 million investment to advance its mission of improving protection against influenza and other respiratory viruses.
The financing includes participation from the European Innovation Council Fund, Invest-NL, Gates Foundation, ClavystBio, and others. The company said the round brings together impact-focused investors from Europe, the United States, and Asia.
Leyden Labs is a Dutch biotech company developing novel approaches designed to better protect people against respiratory viruses. The company said respiratory viruses remain a global concern, requiring broad access for vulnerable patients in both seasonal and pandemic settings.
The company is leveraging its Mucosal Protection Platform to develop broadly protective nasal sprays for influenza, coronaviruses, and other respiratory viruses.
Leyden Labs’ approach is based on delivering broadly protective antibodies directly to the respiratory mucosa. Since airborne viruses such as influenza and coronaviruses enter the body through the nose and mouth, the company is focused on providing protection at the point of entry.
The company said its antibodies are designed to protect against full viral families, which could allow them to keep working even as viruses mutate and evolve. Leyden Labs also noted that the intranasal strategy may be beneficial for people with weakened immune systems because it does not require a fully functional immune response.
Funding from the EIC Fund was granted through the EIC Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform. The program supports investments that strengthen European readiness and market competitiveness in biotechnology and other strategic sectors.
Invest-NL, the Netherlands’ national promotional institution, also continued its support in the round. The organization provides financing for businesses, projects, and funds that contribute to societal transitions, innovation, and economic resilience.
Investment from the Gates Foundation will support work to identify and implement strategies to optimize access to Leyden Labs’ products in low- and middle-income countries.
Leyden Labs also announced that Ben Verwaayen has joined its Supervisory Board. Verwaayen was nominated by the EIC Fund and Invest-NL and brings decades of international leadership experience from senior executive and board roles at global technology companies.
KEY QUOTES:
“This financing represents much more than capital. It signals confidence in our scientific approach, our team, and our mission to fundamentally improve how the world protects itself against respiratory viruses. The support from globally respected investors across public health and strategic innovation gives us tremendous momentum as we advance our programs through clinical development and toward global access.”
Koenraad Wiedhaup, Founder and CEO of Leyden Labs
“Leyden Labs represents the kind of breakthrough biotechnology innovation the EIC STEP Scale Up initiative was designed to support. This investment was made because we believe Leyden Labs’ novel approach to protect against respiratory viruses has the potential to make a meaningful impact on global public health while reinforcing Europe’s leadership in biotechnology innovation.”
Hermann Hauser, Member of the EIC Fund Board
“To turn breakthrough innovations into solutions that benefit society, companies need access to patient capital. As the national promotional institution of the Netherlands, we are pleased to support Leyden Labs in that journey.”
Ineke Cazander, Investment Principal at Invest-NL
