Big Money, Bigger Mission—What’s Next for BioSapien?

It's been a busy time for BioSapien, the biotech company behind the MediChip cancer treatment platform. They've just announced an extension to their pre-Series A funding round, bringing their total to over US$8 million. On top of that, they're beefing up their team with a number of new hires across various departments.

The latest investor to join the round is Globivest, a women-led, gender-lens venture capital fund from the MENA region with a focus on life sciences. They join existing investors like Global Ventures, Golden Gate Ventures, and Dara Holdings. Globivest's mission is to demonstrate that financial returns and impact-driven models can go hand-in-hand, aligning with their support for the WHO's 'One Health' approach. This focus on innovative, scalable startups that drive health, social, and environmental change makes BioSapien a good fit for their portfolio.

BioSapien is also expanding its team significantly, with 12 new appointments. The new leadership includes Joseph Borrello PhD as Chief Technology Officer, Sonia Ramamoorthy MD MBA FACS as Head of Medical Affairs, and Agnes Westelinck PharmD as Head of Regulatory U.S. Also joining are Dirk Richter MD FACS as Head of Regulatory U.A.E., David Briere PhD as Director of Pharmacology, and Jerry Webb BSc as Head of Quality.

Beyond these leadership roles, BioSapien is also bringing on Zhiyu Xia PhD as Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Gaurav Vij MBA as Business Officer, and Nancy Sperling MS MS as the QC Lead. Rounding out the new hires are Nivedita Sivakumar PharmD MS as Documentation and Compliance Manager, Manny Valenza BA as Clinical Development Associate, and Jared Rice BA as the Research and Operations Lead.

Dr. Khatija Ali, CEO of BioSapien, shared that building a strong financial base and attracting skilled talent are crucial for growing companies. She expressed her satisfaction with the extended funding round and welcomed Globivest as a strategic partner, noting their unique position as a female-led healthcare fund in the MENA region. Dr. Ali also highlighted the importance of their new team members, emphasising that a company's success is directly tied to its people.

Dr. Laura-Joy Boulos, a Partner at Globivest, commented on their decision to invest, stating that they look for companies that offer truly transformative, science-backed solutions. She described BioSapien's MediChip platform as a breakthrough in localised cancer treatment, noting its scalability, precision, and alignment with Globivest's One Health mission.

These developments suggest BioSapien is focused on strengthening both its financial standing and its team as it continues to develop its cancer treatment platform.