Globally Recognized Impact Investors Back Leyden Labs’ Mission to Transform Protection Against Respiratory Viruses with €40 Million Investment

• Spanning Europe, the United States, and Asia, investors include the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Invest-NL, Gates Foundation, ClavystBio, and others
• Ben Verwaayen appointed as a new Supervisory Board member

LEIDEN, Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dutch biotech Leyden Laboratories B.V. (the “Company” or “Leyden Labs”) today announced a €40 million investment from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Invest-NL, Gates Foundation, ClavystBio, and others. The financing brings together a strong group of impact-focused investors from Europe, the United States, and Asia to support novel approaches that could better protect people worldwide against influenza and other respiratory viruses. Respiratory viruses are a global concern, requiring global access to reach the most vulnerable patients around the world, both in seasonal and pandemic situations.

“This financing represents much more than capital,” said Koenraad Wiedhaup, Founder and CEO of Leyden Labs. “It signals confidence in our scientific approach, our team, and our mission to fundamentally improve how the world protects itself against respiratory viruses. The support from globally respected investors across public health and strategic innovation gives us tremendous momentum as we advance our programs through clinical development and toward global access.”

Funding from the EIC Fund has been granted through the EIC Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP), which provides investments strengthening European readiness and market competitiveness in biotechnology, as well as other technical sectors. “Leyden Labs represents the kind of breakthrough biotechnology innovation the EIC STEP Scale Up initiative was designed to support,” said Hermann Hauser, Member of the EIC Fund Board. “This investment was made because we believe Leyden Labs’ novel approach to protect against respiratory viruses has the potential to make a meaningful impact on global public health while reinforcing Europe’s leadership in biotechnology innovation.”

The Company also has the continued support of Invest-NL in this latest round of funding. Invest-NL is the Netherlands’ National Promotional Institution, which enables financing for businesses, projects and funds that contribute to societal transitions, innovation and economic resilience. “To turn breakthrough innovations into solutions that benefit society, companies need access to patient capital. As the national promotional institution of the Netherlands, we are pleased to support Leyden Labs in that journey,” said Ineke Cazander, investment principal at Invest-NL.

Investment from the Gates Foundation supports necessary work to identify and implement strategies to optimize access to products in development by Leyden Labs in low- and middle-income countries.

The Company welcomes Ben Verwaayen as a new Supervisory Board member. Nominated by EIC Fund and Invest-NL, Mr. Verwaayen brings decades of international leadership experience, having served in senior executive and board roles across some of the world’s leading technology companies.

About Leyden Laboratories B.V.

Leyden Labs is working to free people from the threat of respiratory viruses. Leyden Labs is leveraging its Mucosal Protection Platform to develop a portfolio of candidates aimed at providing protection against influenza, coronaviruses, and other respiratory viruses through a new class of broadly protective nasal sprays. Systemically administered antibodies or vaccines primarily generate systemic protection. Airborne viruses, including influenza and coronaviruses, enter the body through the nose and mouth. Thus, what we need is protection right at the gate, at the respiratory mucosa, to more effectively prevent initial infection and subsequent illness. Leyden Labs is pursuing this strategy by developing nasal sprays that administer broadly protective antibodies directly to the respiratory mucosa. These antibodies aim to protect against full viral families, so they keep working even when a virus mutates and evolves. In addition, this intranasal strategy is beneficial for people with weakened immune systems because it does not require a fully functional immune response. To learn more, visit www.leydenlabs.com.