Gleiss Lutz has advised the Belgian investment and holding company Ackermans & van Haaren NV as co-lead investor on a seed financing round of EUR 36 million in the biotech company DISCO Pharmaceuticals GmbH.
Through its subsidiary AvH Growth Capital, Ackermans & van Haaren will, subject to certain conditions, invest up to EUR 9 million in multiple tranches and will initially hold a 12.4% stake.
DISCO Pharmaceuticals was founded in May 2022 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich. Based in Cologne (Germany), and Schlieren (Switzerland), DISCO Pharmaceuticals uses groundbreaking proteomics technology to map the surfaceomes of cancer cells. The new funds will enable the advancement of multiple ADC drug candidates for small-cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer into IND-enabling studies.
Ackermans & van Haaren is a diversified group that, among other things, provides growth financing to sustainable companies across various sectors. It is listed on Euronext Brussels and the BEL20 index. In 2024, the group generated a turnover of EUR 7.6 billion, a net profit of EUR 460 million, and employed over 24,000 people.
The following Gleiss Lutz team led by Dr. Martin Viciano Gofferje (partner) and Dr. Christoph Prawit Meissner (both M&A, both Berlin) has advised Ackermans & van Haaren:
Malte Benfeldt, Konrad Jankiewicz (both M&A), Dr. Enno Burk (partner), Christoph Schoppe, Sophie Römer (all Healthcare & Life Sciences), Dr. Rut Steinhauser (partner), Angela Tschech (both Employment), Jan Felix Hinrichs (IP/Tech, all Berlin), Michael P. Clever (Real Estate, Frankfurt), Aylin Hoffs (counsel, Foreign Trade Law, Düsseldorf).
Gleiss Lutz teams regularly advise investors and companies on major financing rounds relating to innovative future industries such as biotech, artificial intelligence, and deep tech. Gleiss Lutz has most recently advised TRUMPF SE on the entry of investors into its subsidiary Q.ANT.
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