About This Fund
Columbus Innvierte Life Science I is the debut venture capital fund managed by Columbus Venture Partners, a Valencia, Spain-based life sciences investor founded in 2016 by Javier García and Damià Tormo. The fund was registered with the Spanish securities regulator CNMV (registration no. 190) and launched in April 2016 as part of Spain's Innvierte programme, a public-private co-investment initiative supporting early-stage innovation. The fund raised EUR 42 million and had an investment period running from 2016 to 2018, making seed and Series A investments in deep biotech and advanced therapy companies, primarily in Spain.
The fund's strategy combined scientific expertise in therapeutic development with an industrial vision, targeting companies working on cell and gene therapies, AAV vector manufacturing, and other disruptive life sciences platforms. Columbus Venture Partners brought a distinctive approach of investing in both product development and the manufacturing infrastructure required to scale these technologies, thereby shortening time to exit. The geographic focus was Spain with international reach, co-investing alongside specialist international and corporate venture funds.
The fund built a portfolio of eight investments and has since generated exceptional returns through landmark exits. Viralgen Vector Core was sold to Bayer in 2020 in a transaction valued at approximately EUR 4 billion. Vivet Therapeutics was acquired by Pfizer for an upfront and option value of EUR 560 million. Aura Biosciences completed a NASDAQ IPO in 2021. Columbus Venture Partners now manages over EUR 400 million across four successive funds, establishing itself as one of Spain's leading life sciences venture capital franchises.