Latest news with #VentureCapital
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Life sciences VC Omega Funds closes $647m funding round
Life sciences venture capital (VC) company Omega Funds has closed its eighth fund, with capital commitments totalling $647m. As with its previous funds, the US-based business said its oversubscribed funding, which had initially targeted a $600m close, will continue executing on its strategy to support management teams in the US and Europe that target severe, unmet medical needs through company creation, early venture rounds, and later-stage financing. Omega Funds managing director Francesco Draetta said: 'We believe our broad investment strategy is well-positioned for navigating this period of macro and policy uncertainty. 'We look forward to contributing our capital, expertise, and network connectivity in partnering with entrepreneurs, founders, co-investors, and the broader community to transform the standards of care for severe diseases.' According to Omega, it has raised $2.5bn since its first fund in 2004 to support the development of medical devices and therapeutics across indications including oncology, immunology, and rare diseases. In total, 52 products have been brought to market by Omega's former portfolio companies, with the VC's previous investments resulting in 50 exits via M&A, and 47 public listings. M&A exits include SoniVie, Scorpion Therapeutics, and Amunix Pharmaceuticals, which were acquired by Boston Scientific, Eli Lilly, and Sanofi, respectively. Companies that Omega has invested in have gone on to launch initial public offerings (IPO). These include Kestra Medical Technologies, Beta Bionics, and Imago Biosciences, all of which are listed on the Nasdaq exchange. Omega Funds' founder and managing director Otello Stampacchia commented: 'By exceeding its target size, fund VIII is a recognition of our investment strategy and track record of consistent exits across market cycles.' Life science companies are typically reliant on investment from VC or private equity (PE) businesses. While research by Bain & Company found that deal value in 2023 struggled to match the pace of previous years, more recent research by the consultant found that healthcare PE soared to an estimated $115bn in 2024, making it the second-highest deal value total on record. Other significant entities backing life science companies include Symbiotic Capital. The credit company from biotech entrepreneur Arie Belldegrun, founder of Kite Pharma and co-founder of Bellco Capital, launched in August 2024 with $600m for life science-specific loans. "Life sciences VC Omega Funds closes $647m funding round" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Arab News
an hour ago
- Business
- Arab News
Foreign startup registrations in Saudi Arabia rise 118%
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment has granted 550 foreign new ventures the Startup Investment Registration, known as the Riyadi license, as of mid-2025, marking an annual rise of 118 percent. The Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority, known as Monshaʾat, has issued 364 licenses to business incubators and accelerators nationwide, according to a report by the body. Monshaʾat said these entities provide facilities for prototype development, mentorship, and connections to investors and commercial partners. The increase in Riyadi registrations aligns with the Kingdom's surge in venture capital activity. According to regional platform MAGNiTT, Saudi Arabia led MENA VC funding in the first half of 2025, with $860 million raised, representing a 116 percent annual increase across 114 deals. This marked a 31 percent rise in deal count compared to the same period in 2024. This momentum built on a record 2024 performance, when startups in the Kingdom secured $750 million in funding and saw a 34 percent increase in early- and mid-stage 'MEGA' rounds below $100 million. 'This increase forms part of joint national efforts to reinforce the Kingdom's role as a regional hub for entrepreneurship by streamlining market access for foreign startups and establishing a flexible regulatory environment that supports innovation and attracts investment,' Monsha'at's report said. According to the Ministry of Investment, this trend reflects growing international interest in Saudi Arabia's investment environment, underpinned by recent legislative changes, expanded digital infrastructure, and a range of support programs introduced in line with the objectives of Vision 2030. Saudi organizers have hosted international startup events, including Biban and LEAP, which feature presentations on the local ecosystem and investment opportunities. Government agencies and private-sector representatives have attended overseas gatherings, such as the Web Summit, VivaTech, and Slush, to facilitate networking with foreign entrepreneurs and promote the Kingdom as a potential base for regional operations. In addition to the Riyadi permit, the Ministry of Investment will issue a full suite of eight sector-specific business licenses, designed to accommodate virtually any foreign investor's needs. These include service licenses, which permit 100 percent foreign ownership for activities such as IT, consulting, marketing, and hospitality; entrepreneurial authorizations that offer streamlined fees and access to government-led support for startups; and industrial licenses for establishing manufacturing facilities. Specialized agricultural permits cover crop cultivation and animal husbandry, while trade licenses authorize wholesale, retail and import-export operations. Additional categories encompass real estate licenses for development and brokerage projects, professional permits for individual practitioners and solidarity firms, and mining licenses for exploration and extraction activities. Each permit carries tailored minimum-capital requirements and documentation processes, but all are obtainable through MISA's online portal, which centralizes application, approval and renewal under a unified regulatory framework.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘GTA 6' Predicted To Make $7.6 Billion In 60 Days, But That's Impossible
GTA 6 There's a new story circulating about some predications regarding next year's Grand Theft Auto 6, some logical, some wildly off base. This is from Venture Capital firm Konvoy, where managing partner Josh Chapman makes a few predictions, mainly that GTA 6 will be the biggest gaming launch of all time, and that it will make $7.6 billion two months after release. The first one? Yeah, I mean, that's not really a question. GTA 5 did $1 billion in three days and GTA 6, due to the expansion of the industry and massive elevation of the series, will no doubt top that. It will be the biggest entertainment launch in history, not just among video games. However, getting to $7.6 billion in two months is…something else entirely. Assuming an $80 price point, which even with rumors about GTA 6 potentially costing $100, is a fair bet, that would mean GTA 6 would need to sell around 95 million copies in two months. To put that in context, that would be selling 20% of every Call of Duty game ever sold, combined, in two months. And for the GTA series itself, that would be close to 50% of its 200+ million sales over the course of 12 years. Again, in two months. It took five years for GTA 5 to sell 100 million copies. GTA 5 I will say Konvoy's estimation that GTA 6 will sell $2 billion over the course of its first month could happen. He says that will make up its reported $2 billion budget, but that has never been confirmed and remains an estimation. This is even with the data that GTA 5 didn't hit $2 billion until closer to nine months after launch. But I'm willing to say GTA 6 mania may speed that along. Maybe the full two months. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder However, this proves the point about just how fast things can drop after an initial rush of sales. If you are dying to pick up GTA 6, there is little reason you would not buy it day one, especially if this is now an era when 80% of players will be downloading the game, not waiting in line for it, so to think it would ramp up to $7.6 billion in two months is ludicrous. There are also simply…platform limits. And they are severe. GTA 6 is only releasing on Xbox Series X/S consoles and PS5. No last generation PS4s or Xbox Ones. And no PC, a huge market that Rockstar enjoys selling to separately later, causing many players to want to rebuy. It will not be on Switch or Switch 2 (maybe ever). So those 95 million sales in two months would be coming from…let's see, 77.8 million reported PS5 sales and an estimated 30-35 million Xbox Series sales. So we're talking about something near a 90% attach rate on ~110 million consoles for a single game for this console generation. Yeah sure, totally feasible… GTA 6 will set loads of records, and will past many of GTA 5's milestones easily, not to mention the rest of the entire entertainment industry. But when you're throwing around billions and billions of dollars in estimates, you have to actually look at the facts. And that simply does not add up. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Saudi Arabia maintains its first rank across MENA for venture capital investment in H1 2025
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The "H1 2025 MENA Venture Investment Report" revealed that Saudi Arabia maintained its first rank across MENA in terms of Venture Capital (VC) funding in H1 2025, witnessing a total VC deployment of $860 Million (SAR 3.2 billion), surpassing the total VC funding of 2024 (full year). This achievement reflects the development the Kingdom is witnessing in various economic and financial sectors in light of the Saudi Vision 2030 and its goals to strengthen the national economy. According to the report published today by the venture data platform MAGNiTT, the Kingdom captured the highest share of total VC funding in the MENA region in H1 2025, accounting for 56% of the total capital deployed in the region. The report also revealed that Saudi Arabia achieved a record number of 114 VC deals for the first half of 2025. This confirms the attractiveness of the Saudi market, enhances its competitive environment, and consolidates the strength of the Kingdom's economy as the largest economy in MENA. Dr. Nabeel Koshak, CEO and Board Member at SVC, commented: "The Kingdom's leading position in the VC scene in the region comes as a result of many governmental initiatives launched to stimulate the VC and startups ecosystem within the Saudi Vision 2030 programs. We at SVC are committed to continuing to lead the development of the ecosystem by stimulating private investors to provide support for startups and SMEs to be capable of fast and high growth, leading to diversifying the national economy and achieving the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030." SVC is an investment company established in 2018. It is a subsidiary of the SME Bank, part of the National Development Fund (NDF). SVC aims to stimulate and sustain financing for Startups and SMEs from pre-Seed to pre-IPO through investment in funds and direct investment in startups and SMEs.
Bloomberg
14-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Europe's VCs Are On Pace for Lowest Fundraising Year in a Decade
Venture capital-backed firms in Europe are on track for their worst year of fundraising since 2015, as investors avoid putting money in an industry that's struggled with returns. Venture funds based in Europe raised €5.2 billion ($6.1 billion) in the first half of 2025, according to data provider PitchBook.
