HostPlus, Hesta, QIC and CSL back Brandon Capital in latest $270 million round

Life sciences venture capital firm, Brandon Capital has closed the first of six funding rounds to the tune of $270 million, with financing backing from HostPlus and Hesta plus QIC and CSL.

(L) founding partner & managing director, Stephen Thompson and (R) Brandon Capital managing partner Dr Chris Nave

The Australasian venture capital firm manages the biotechnology incubator, Brandon BioCatalyst, which backs the growth of early-stage biomedical discoveries and comprises around 50 medical research institutes and research hospitals.

While Brandon Capital invests in all areas of life sciences, its focus is on therapeutics and backs selected vaccines, medical devices, health tech, research tools and diagnostics.

Announced the first close of its sixth fund at the 2024 BIO International Convention in San Diego, the company is now speaking to new investors, according to Brandon Capital co-founder and managing partner Dr Chris Nave.

At the convention, Nave told the audience the business had raised its sixth fund, completing a first close of A$270 million across related vehicles and currently speaking to new investors.

Nave said, “We deeply appreciate our LPs' continued trust in Brandon Capital and their ongoing recognition that the Life Sciences sector is an exciting and rewarding venture capital asset class.

“As stewards of this capital, it is a privilege to invest in companies with the capacity to deliver both financial and health returns,” Nave said.

Under the ‘Fund VI’ Brandon Capital intends to seed new Australian and New Zealand life sciences startups plus develop its expansion into international markets, particularly the UK, Europe and the US.

Already, Brandon Capital has raised over A$1 billion across five funds and completed over 60 investments in new therapeutics, medical devices, and healthtech companies since its establishment in 2007.