Investing in
Mogrify
Mogrify® is a UK biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to transform the lives of patients through a novel class of in vivo reprogramming therapies across ophthalmology, otology, metabolic and other areas of degenerative disease.
The Company has developed a set of proprietary technologies that leverage transcriptomic and epigenetic sequencing to predict the factors required for direct cellular reprogramming and the maintenance of cell identity. These platforms, for the first time, make it possible to both systematically enhance the efficiency of stem cell-derived reprogramming and directly convert (transdifferentiate) mature cell types into other mature cell types (or states) without going through a pluripotent stem cell- or progenitor cell-state, whilst also identifying the optimal culture conditions required to maintain cells and support conversions in chemically defined media.
Mogrify is applying its proprietary and award-winning platforms to generate the functional cell types (in vivo or ex vivo) required to address diseases with a high unmet clinical need.
The platform is protected by the foundational patent application and a suite of additional patent applications covering improvements and extensions to the core platform and specific cell conversions. Uniquely positioned to address a regenerative medicine market estimated to be worth $150 billion USD by 2028, Mogrify is commercializing its technology via a combination of in vivo reprogramming therapy development, co-development partnerships, as well as the exploitation of the platform in other therapeutic and non-therapeutic applications.
Current
Investors
Since commercial inception in 2019, the Company has raised over $40 million USD funding from Parkwalk, Ahren Innovation Capital, 24Haymarket, Trend Investment Group, Dr. Darrin M. Disley, OBE, Dr. Jonathan Milner and the University of Bristol Enterprise Fund III, as well as strategic investors; Astellas Venture Management.
Parkwalk Advisors
Parkwalk has been the UK’s most active investor in world-changing technologies emerging from the UK’s leading universities and research institutions over the past five years. It currently has £300 million of assets under management, and has invested in over 120 companies across its flagship Parkwalk Opportunities EIS Fund as well as the award-winning enterprise and innovation funds Parkwalk manages for the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Bristol. Parkwalk offers investors and partners access to a unique and diverse deal pipeline. Investing from pre-seed through to later stage, these knowledge-intensive technologies are well tested and IP-protected, sitting at the cutting edge of innovation and creating solutions to real-world challenges.
Ahren Innovation Capital
Ahren LP is an investment fund that supports transformational companies at the cutting edge of deep science and deep tech. The technologies of its Founding Partners are today valued more than $100 billion combined. A group of highly diverse, creative and original thinkers leading their domains, Ahren believes in taking considered risk that will deliver superior rewards— capturing a generational opportunity to provide smart capital to deep technology pioneers. With a philosophy espousing the importance of relationships and trust, Ahren provides long-term capital and support to exceptional founders and teams, empowering them to achieve the unimaginable. Ahren Innovation Capital was founded by Alice Newcombe-Ellis, together with Science Partners Sir Shankar Balasubramanian, Professor John Daugman, Professor Zoubin Ghahramani, Professor Steve Jackson, Professor Andy Parker, Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, Lord Martin Rees and Sir Gregory Winter.
24HAYMarket
24Haymarket is a private capital investment firm focused on investing in high growth UK companies. 24Haymarket’s Investor Network includes several highly experienced private equity and venture capital investors, seasoned entrepreneurs and senior operators. We invest our own capital in direct alignment with entrepreneurs and typically seek Board representation to actively support their growth agenda. Since inception in 2011, 24Haymarket has invested over £80 million in more than 50 high-growth businesses.
ASTELLAS VENTURE MANAGEMENT LLC
Astellas Venture Management LLC (AVM) is the corporate venture capital organization dedicated to reinforcing Astellas Pharma Inc. (Astellas) to accomplish the strategic goals. The venture capital activity of AVM is designated since 2005. Astellas, the ultimate parent company of AVM, headquartered in Tokyo is actively engaged in business as an R&D-driven global pharmaceutical company with the business philosophy to “Contribute toward improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products”. Through strategic investments in private early-stage companies, the funds aim to mutual-interact with Astellas, leading to partnering/collaboration in the future. AVM will be able to provide portfolio companies with invaluable R&D advice and assistance.
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol Enterprise Fund is an early-stage investment fund backing scientific and technological companies spun out of the University of Bristol or being supported by the University’s SETsquared incubator.
DR. DARRIN M. DISLEY OBE
Darrin is a renowned scientist, entrepreneur, angel investor and enterprise champion who has started, grown, or invested in over 40 start-up life science, technology and social enterprises, raising $600 million USD in business financing and closing $700 million USD in commercial deals. He was CEO of Horizon Discovery Group plc for 11 years, during which he led the Company from start-up through a $113 million USD IPO, and rapid scale-up powered by multiple acquisitions of US peer companies to become a global market leader in gene editing and gene modulation technologies. He was awarded a lifetime Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion in 2016 for his work in promoting enterprise across the UK and appointed OBE in 2018 for his services to business and enterprise in the healthcare sector.
DR. JONATHAN MILNER
Jonathan, Founder of Abcam plc, is an experienced entrepreneur and investor and is passionate about supporting UK life science and high-tech start-ups. He has provided considerable investment and support to over 60 companies and has assisted three technology companies to IPO on the London AIM Stock exchange.
Jonathan gained his doctorate in Molecular Genetics at Leicester University after graduating in Applied Biology at Bath. From 1992–95, he was a post-doctoral researcher at Bath, following which he worked at the University of Cambridge in the lab of Professor Tony Kouzarides studying cancer. He identified the market opportunity for supplying high-quality antibodies to support protein interaction studies, and in 1998, founded Abcam with David Cleevely and Professor Tony Kouzarides.
Jonathan is Chairman of Axol Bioscience Ltd and Camallergy Ltd and non-executive director of PhoreMost Ltd, Syndicate Room Ltd and HealX Ltd.
TREND INVESTMENT GROUP
Trend Investment Group is a Guernsey-based Venture Capital fund focused on the investment of biotech, healthcare, deep tech companies across the UK, Europe, and the US. We have a close collaborative and inclusive team of partners consisting of entrepreneurs, scientists, academic researchers, and financial experts with extensive investment experience from pre-series A to pre-IPO. Since establishment in 2016, Trend has invested in over 20 high potential and high growth start-ups. We are also committed to supporting companies’ growth by fostering collaborations and sharing our industry insight, market knowledge, and resources.
