Sofinnova Investments, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical investment firm, has established a wholly owned Canadian subsidiary based in Montreal. The new Canadian office will be led by Maha Katabi, PhD, who joined Sofinnova as a Partner this month. Dr. Katabi will focus on development stage investments in therapeutics.
Prior to joining Sofinnova, Dr. Katabi was a Managing Partner of Oxalis Capital and has held positions with Sectoral Asset Management (Partner), a family of funds (Portfolio Manager), Ventures West Management (VP) and T2C2 Capital Bio (Associate). Dr. Katabi holds a PhD in Pharmacology and BSc in Biology both from McGill University.
Menlo Park, California based Sofinnova Investments closed its last two funds, Fund X and Fund IX in 2016 and 2014 with US $650 and US $500 million in capital commitments respectively.
The forming Canadian subsidiary may prelude to start of fundraising in Canada for its upcoming XI fund.
American and Europen biotech venture firms that have been successful in fundraising, by way of Canadian parallel funds, include Versant Ventures, Sanderling Ventures, and TVM Life Science Ventures, all maintaining investment offices in Montreal.
photo credit: Sofinnova Investments
News Release
Sofinnova Investments Announces the Addition of Industry Veteran Maha Katabi, PhD. as a Partner
MENLO PARK, Calif., April 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Sofinnova Investments, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical investment firm, announces the addition of Maha Katabi, PhD. to the investment team as a Partner.
Sofinnova is pleased to announce Maha Katabi, PhD. has joined the firm as a Partner. She is an experienced investor in biopharma companies, with over 18 years in venture capital investing and public equities portfolio management. Prior to founding Oxalis in 2018, Maha was a Partner at Sectoral Asset Management since 2008, where she formed and led a dedicated investment team and advisory board to drive investments in private companies. Additionally, she was a Portfolio Manager for a family of funds that invested in publicly listed and private healthcare companies. Prior to Sectoral, Maha was Vice-President at Ventures West Management, a venture capital firm focused on technology and life sciences in Canada and the United States. She started her venture capital career in 1999 at T2C2 Capital Bio, a seed fund targeting Canadian start-ups.
“We believe Maha is an exceptional investor with a track record of successful public offerings and acquisitions,” says Jim Healy, M.D., PhD., and General Partner of Sofinnova. “We are fortunate to have her join our team. Her experience will contribute a seasoned perspective which we deem will add tremendous value in expanding our investing capabilities.”
“I have had the pleasure of working with Sofinnova numerous times over the years. We have recently co-invested in Ascendis (ASND) and Apellis (APLS), and I am thrilled to join such a great team with a long history of impactful investments in therapeutics,” comments Dr. Katabi.
With the addition of Dr. Katabi, Sofinnova will also be opening an office in Montreal, Quebec. The new location will enable the firm to work more closely with biotech companies based on the East Coast, in Europe, and in Canada. Sofinnova will now have three offices; Menlo Park, Ca., San Diego, Ca., and Montreal, Quebec.
About Sofinnova Investments
Since its genesis in 1974, Sofinnova has been funding futures. We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical investment firm with approximately $1.8B in assets under management and committed capital. We invest in both private and public equity of therapeutics-focused companies. Our goal is to actively partner with entrepreneurs in both the U.S. and Europe, across all stages of company formation. From drug development and navigating the regulatory process to company building and IPO, we strive to be collaborative, meaningful board members, and excellent partners at every level. We seek to build world class companies that aspire to dramatically improve the current state of medical care today and ultimately, the lives of patients. For more information, please visit www.sofinnova.com.
Company Contact
Charlotte Shropshire
Sofinnova Investments
charlotte@sofinnova.com
Media Contact
Kari Watson
MacDougall
kwatson@macbiocom.com
SOURCE Sofinnova Investments