Evopoint Completes RMB 700 Million Series E Financing to Accelerate R&D and Commercialization of Innovative Drugs
In the upcoming Year of the Loong, prosperity is anticipated, as the Dragon spreads its wings. Evopoint Biosciences Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Evopoint) successfully completed the Series E funding round with RMB 700 million. This round of financing was jointly led by one of the leading venture capital firms in China and Guoxin Investment Group, along with the participation of a number of well-known institutions such as Jinan Industrial Development Investment Group, TH Capital, Yuekai Capital, Chenhai Capital, Pudong Venture Capital, and Zhuopu Capital, with the continued support of the old shareholders of Loyal Valley Capital, as well as with Start Point Advisors actingas the exclusive financial advisor for this round of financing.
The funds raised in this round will mainly be used to promote the domestic and international clinical trials of multiple company pipelines, improve the three major technology platforms of independent innovation of targeted therapy, anti-infection and PROTAC, accelerate the operation of the production base aswell as the construction of the commercialization team, and push for an early product launch to benefit a vast population of patients.
Established in 2017, Evopoint Biosciences is an innovative biopharmaceutical company with extraordinary R&D and commercialization capabilities. Leveraging proprietary discovery platforms for targeted therapy, anti-infective and PROTAC, Evopoint has developed a robust pipeline of clinical assets featuringaβ-lactamase inhibitor, an EZH2 inhibitor, an hURAT1 inhibitor, next-generation ADCs, and many more preclinical programs in focused disease areas including oncology, infectious and metabolic diseases. The company has established multiple out-licensing partnerships with domestic and global pharma companiesto co-develop its assets for global markets. Potential value of these partnerships surpasses billion dollars. Since its inception, Evopoint is committed to improving human health by providing innovative pharmaceutical solutions to address greatest unmet medical needs globally.
Among these, XNW4107 is a new generation of β-lactamase-based broad-spectrumanti-drug-resistant bacterial drug independently developed by Evopoint, with strong antibacterial efficacy against the ever-increasing cases of carbapenem-resistant bacterial infections, such as the Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(CRAB), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), and Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). This drugis currently undergoing critical, global multicenter Phase III clinical study.
XNW3009, a new generation of uric acid lowering drug, has entered Phase III clinicaltrials, having completed two randomized, double-blind controlled trials. In these two trials, XNW3009's uric acid lowering effect was respectively shown to be far superior to those of the control groups – benzbromarone and febuxostat, the two drugs with the largest prescription volumes and the highest sales in the current Chinese market.
In the field of oncology, XNW5004, a new generation EZH2 inhibitor, has shown excellent anti-tumor efficacy in hematoma, prostate cancer and other indications, and is currently in Phase II clinical trials. It has entered in to a cooperation with MSD to carry out a clinical trial of co-administration with Keytruda.The new generation ADC drugs XNW27 and XNW28 are in Phase I clinical trials and have demonstrated significantly stronger efficacy and higher therapeutic window potential than competitors with the same target.
Relyingon its stellar product data and external licensing capabilities, Evopoint has entered into a number of external licensing cooperation with well-known companies both domestically and abroad, amounting to billions of USD in total, and is one of the companies that have reached the largest number of “License out”in the domestic biopharmaceutical field.
Since its establishment, the company has been highly recognized by investors, and has introduced domestic and foreign first-tier investment institutions, including Loyal Valley Capital, GIC, Oceanpine Capital, and CICC Capital. Meanwhile, the company has also received strong support from state-owned institutions such as Guoxin Investment Group, Jinan Industrial Development Investment Group, Yuekai Capital, Pudong Venture Capital, Guofa Venture Capital, Zhuopu Capital, and ABC International, and has received a cumulative total of more than RMB 2 billion in financing.
Evopoint will continue to work with determined confidence, maintaining the enthusiasmand motivation that will assemble in to a collective effort to create a better future.
Investment institutions of Series E funding round stated: I am pleased to participate in the Series E funding round of Evopoint. Evopoint is an innovative drug company that focuses on significant unmet clinical needs. Since the last round of funding,the company has demonstrated impressive execution, and several products are about to enter the market validation stage. The company has completed the transition from a “product-based” company to a “platform-based” company, and has built several leading technology platforms. Based on the efficient R&D system and its excellent capabilities, the company is actively going overseas and has completed the “License out” of many overseas pipelines’ interests. We are firmly optimistic about the founding team and product pipeline of Evopoint, and hope that this round of funding can help the products enter the market and benefita vast population of patients.
About Guoxin Investment
Founded in 2000 with a registered capital of RMB 4 billion, Guoxin Investment is awholly-owned subsidiary of Shanghai State-owned Assets Management Co. GXI accumulated many years of experience in equity investment, with strong project screening, investment and management capabilities, and has successfully invested in a number of well-known domestic biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, such as Tiger Pharmaceuticals, Aier Ophthalmology, Dongcheng Pharmaceuticals, Lianyin Medical and Lepu Medical, etc. Guoxin will always adhere to the principle of “discovering value and creating value, and growing together with outstanding enterprises”. Guoxin Investment will always adhere to the business philosophy of “discovering value, creating value, and growing without standing enterprises”, and will continue to play an important role in the implementation of SIG's strategic function of empowering the real economy with financial capital and supporting the construction of Shanghai's science and innovation center.
About Jinan Industrial Development Investment Group
Founded in 2016, Jinan Industrial Development Investment Group Co., Ltd. is astate-controlled group company approved by the Jinan Municipal Government,integrating industrial investment, park development, industrial operation and other businesses. Under the leadership of the municipal party committee and the municipal government, and with the mission of “developing the city through industry and repaying the country through development”, the group focuses onstrategic emerging industries such as new-generation information technology,new energy, biomedicine, high-end equipment manufacturing, etc., and has set up three major fund platforms, namely, the Industrial Development Fund, the Economic Development Fund and the Science and Technology Venture Capital Fund,as well as supporting the setting up of more than 50 parent-subsidiary funds,which have a total investment scale of nearly RMB 50 billion yuan. The totalsize of the funds is nearly RMB 50 billion, with nearly 200 investment projects. The construction and operation of industrial parks has exceeded 10 million square meters, introduced more than 1,500 enterprises, and driven the employment of more than 15,000 people, providing parks and carriers for the cultivation of industrial clusters.
About Loyal Valley Capital
With the investment values of “Long-term, Focused and Altruistic”, Loyal ValleyCapital
iscommitted to establishing the best investment research team and post-investmentmanagement team in China, covering the three major fields of new science andtechnology, new medical care and new consumption, and accompanying outstandingentrepreneurs through in-depth industrial research and post-investmentproactive empowerment, to build great companies that represent the direction of China's future growth and create value for the society. We will accompanyoutstanding entrepreneurs through in-depth industrial research and post-investment active empowerment, and work together to build great enterprises that represent the future growth of China's economy and createvalue for society. Since its inception in 2015, CZG has invested in a number of outstanding enterprises that represent the future development direction ofChina's economy, including SUPCON, UNISOC, CALB Tech, Avary Holding, RIGOLTechnologies, O-Net Technology, Bayi Space, Junshi Biolosciences, InnocarePharma, AkesoBio, RemeGen Biosciences, CARsgen, ObiO Technology, Allist,BiliBili, ByteDance, POP MART, NetEase Music, and more than 100 outstanding headline companies.
About TH Investment
Founded in 2007, TH Investment has a series of 20 sub-funds investing in VC, PE, industry funds, M&A funds, overseas funds and general aviation at differentstages and in different specialized fields, with a management scale of over 10 billion RMB, and is committed to becoming the most outstanding private equity investment institution in China. The fund focuses on investing in leading companies in niche industries, with emphasis on advanced manufacturing and high-end equipment, new-generation information technology, carbon neutrality, biotechnology and other fast-growing industries.
About Yuekai Capital
Yuekai Capital was founded in 2016, since its inception, has set up 12 activelymanaged funds, with a management scale of nearly 6 billion yuan, investment including Avatr, Kyland, Tofflon, SVOLT, Guangzhou Luxvisions, SinoHyKey, TONGYUAUTOMOTIVE and other projects, 2021 returned to Guangzhou Development Zone of Huangpu District, Guangzhou City, Guangzhou City, since the return to the region, relying on the regional advantage of industrial resources, and has successfully realized more than 10 projects of investment.
About Pudong Venture Capital
Shanghai Pudong Innovation Investment Development (Group) Co., Ltd. is a registered capital of 10 billion yuan, which is funded by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Pudong New Area. It focuses on“fostering scientific and technological innovation and promoting the development of emerging industries”, and realizes six major business synergies,namely “angel investment, industrial investment, strategic investment, fund investment, post-investment management, and industrial research”. It realizes the synergistic linkage of six major businesses, and builds an investment system that covers the whole life cycle of science and innovation enterprises.The company will also organize the capital chain around the innovation chain,guide more funds, projects, talents and technologies to gather in Pudong, and empower science and technology enterprises, so that “good ideas do not lack funds, and good enterprises do not lack capital”. Pudong Venture Capital focuses on the wind vane of industry development and future industrial explosion points, invests early and invests small, and focuses on strategic leading enterprises, high-level chain enterprises and major functional platforms, invests large and invests strong, injects new vitality intoindustrial development, creates new value, and boosts regional development."Small enterprises will cover the sky and large enterprises stands firm onthe ground.
About Zhuopu Capital
Founded in 2018, Suzhou Zhuopu Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary set up by Suzhou Asset Management Co. Ltd. with a long-term focus onnew-generation information technology, aerospace, semiconductor, biomedicine,artificial intelligence and other fields, with a management scale of over 2 billion yuan. Zhuopu Capital actively manages a number of direct investment funds such as Zhuopu No. 1 Fund, Gusu Talent II Fund, Zhangjiagang Talent No. 1Fund, Zhuopu Yong Win Fund, Zhuo Yun Qi Sheng Fund, etc., focusing on the four major leading industries in Suzhou, namely, electronic information, high-endequipment, advanced materials and new energy.
About Start Point Advisors
Start Point Advisors is committed to building a first-class new-generation healthcare investment bank in China. Founded in 2020, Start Point Advisors is headquartered in Beijing and Shanghai, with a team of experienced professionals from well-known institutions in the industry. Over the past 4 years, the firmhas covered all mainstream segments and financing stages in the industry. Start Point Advisors is also one of the few institutions in China with successful experience in private equity financing, M&A, BD and exit transactions.
About Evopoint
Establishedin 2017, Evopoint Biosciences is an innovative biopharmaceutical company withextraordinary R&D and commercialization capabilities. Leveraging proprietary discovery platforms for targeted therapy, anti-infective andPROTAC, Evopoint has developed a robust pipeline of clinical assets featuringaβ-lactamase inhibitor, an EZH2 inhibitor, an hURAT1 inhibitor, next-generation ADCs, and many more preclinical programs in focused disease areas includingoncology, infectious and metabolic diseases. The company has established multiple out-licensing partnerships with domestic and global pharma companies to co-develop its assets for global markets. Potential value of these partnerships surpasses billion dollars. Since its inception, Evopoint is committed to improving human health by providing innovative pharmaceutical solutions to address greatest unmet medical needs globally.