MPM Capital forms VC fund with Japan's Astellas Pharma

DigiTx Partners will invest in the digital health space broadly, with a special focus on start-up and growth-stage companies that offer solutions for improving patient outcomes and providing substantial synergies with a broader pharma business. Details regarding financial commitments to the partnership were not disclosed.

"In the digital health space, there is no shortage of innovative technologies and companies that would markedly improve healthcare and the effective delivery of this care to the community," David Kim, a former partner at Pinnacle Ventures and former principal at MPM, who will lead DigiTx as CEO, said in a statement. "DigiTx Partners aims to identify and foster those companies that will meaningfully contribute to this improvement. From day one, it will be able to leverage the considerable resources of both Astellas and MPM Capital to execute on this goal."

Astellas conducts research and technology developments with a focus on urology, oncology, immunology, nephrology and neuroscience. It was previously active in venture investment in 2013, when it led a $45 million Series A round of funding for US biotech start-up Mitokyne. MPM and Longwood Founders Fund also participated in the round.

MPM focuses on investments in drugs for the treatment of human viral and other infectious diseases. The firm is currently investing out of its $400 million Bioventures 2014 fund and claims to have committed some $2 billion across more than 100 biotech companies since 1992. It typically makes investments in a range of $5-60 million with a geographic preference for India, Taiwan, the US and Europe.

• Tweet  
• Facebook  
• LinkedIn  
• Google plus  
• Save this article  
• Send to  

• Topics
• North Asia
• Healthcare
• Early-stage
• Fundraising
• Growth
• Japan
• USA
• Pharmaceuticals
• Venture