Private Company Edition: The €740m ($806.5m) Gilde Healthcare Venture&Growth VI Fund will back companies in Europe and North America. Among recent financings, VectorY raised a €129m ($138m) series A round, EyeBio expanded its series A to $130m and MBrace raised an $85m series B.

Private Company Edition: In other $100m-plus venture capital rounds, Third Harmonic Bio emerged with $155m, including a new $105m series B round. Also, Europe- and Japan-focused Newton Biocapital launched its second VC fund with €50m in initial capital and a €150m fundraising goal. 

Founder-CEOs do not typically remain at the helm as biotechs mature. Exceptions to that rule are multiplying, though, especially in Europe as companies aim directly for Nasdaq.

The first half of 2018 appeared promising for the European biopharma sector, with multiple large investment funds promising cash to young, innovative companies in the region – a turnaround after years of life science firms suffering from a funding drought across Europe.