Turin – April 23, 2025 – Claris Ventures today announced the first closing of Claris Biotech II, its second venture capital fund dedicated to early-stage investments in biotech startups originating from the Italian research ecosystem. The fund has a target size of €100 million, continuing the trajectory established by Claris Biotech I.

Claris Biotech II follows the successful first fund launched in September 2020, which raised €85 million, financed ten early-stage biotech companies, and supported programs across oncology, neurology, cardiometabolic diseases and rare diseases. Four of the therapeutic programs supported by the first fund have already entered clinical development, and the portfolio companies have collectively raised more than €170 million in follow-on capital, attracting interest from international investors and major pharmaceutical groups.

Institutional investors who have already committed to the second fund include CDP Venture Capital SGR and the European Investment Fund (EIF), reaffirming their support for innovation in the life sciences sector in continuity with their backing of the first Claris Ventures fund.

Claris Biotech II will maintain the focused investment approach of its predecessor, selecting early-stage therapeutic programs with strong scientific rationale and significant clinical need, and supporting portfolio companies through early clinical validation toward partnering and strategic exits.

“We are proud to reach this first closing milestone for Claris Biotech II,” said Pietro Puglisi and Ciro Spedaliere, Managing Partners at Claris Ventures. “This fund represents an important step in our vision for the growth and maturation of the biotech industry in Italy and Europe, and underscores our commitment to backing ambitious scientific innovations from the earliest stages.”