Netherlands-headquartered anti-viral product developer Leyden Labs has completed a €40m ($47.2m) series A round led by GV, an early-stage investment vehicle for internet and technology conglomerate Alphabet.
The round included F-Prime Capital, a venture capital subsidiary of investment and financial services group Fidelity, in addition to life sciences investment firm Casdin Capital and angel investor Brook Byers.
Leyden is researching the commonalities of viral families in a bid to develop nasal sprays that would hypothetically protect users against multiple viruses simultaneously, as opposed to vaccines that focus on a particular variant of a virus.
GV general partner David Schenkein is joining the company’s board of directors in connection with the round, as is Stephen Knight, president and managing partner at F-Prime. It will support recruitment and the further development of Leyden’s technology and product candidates.
Schenkein said: “The Leyden Labs’ leadership team includes world-renowned virologists and industry veterans who bring substantial relevant experience to establish and advance a powerful portfolio of intranasal products.
“The company is well-positioned to leverage its platform to free people from the burden of respiratory viral pandemics and I look forward to working together to achieve this goal.”
