Dr. Alfred Scheidegger, CEO and founding partner of Nextech Invest (Photo: Nextech)
Zurich – Nextech Invest Ltd., the Swiss specialist oncology private equity investor, today announced that portfolio company Kura Oncology (La Jolla, California, USA) has completed its public offering of common stock at the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol «KURA» and raised gross proceeds of USD 50 million.
In addition, Kura Oncology will grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 15 percent of the shares offered in the public offering to cover over-allotments. Kura Oncology is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of precision medicines for the treatment of solid tumors and blood cancers.
Fifth portfolio company to successfully list on NASDAQ
Nextech Invest engaged in an investment with Kura Oncology in March 2015 in the company’s first financing round of USD 60 million to develop Kura Oncology’s drug candidates, including tipifarnib, currently in Phase II studies, as well as several other preclinical pipeline programs. Kura Oncology was the second investment of Nextech Invest’s Fund IV. With the IPO proceeds the company plans to advance its pipeline of cancer drugs further into the clinic. For Nextech Invest, Kura Oncology is the fifth company of their portfolio to successfully list on NASDAQ.
Dr. Alfred Scheidegger, CEO and founding partner of Nextech Invest, stated, “In only a few months after our initial investment, the company successfully leveraged the recent advancements in cancer genetics with next-generation sequencing to identify a patient population that is predicted to respond to tipifarnib therapy and has consequently initiated two Phase II clinical studies. This is a remarkable progress achieved by an outstanding team of experts.”
Three full exits, two partial exits and five IPOs
Nextech Invest currently holds ten companies in its portfolio, all focusing on a variety of cancer treatments and indications. The portfolio includes Blueprint Medicines [NASDAQ: BPMC], ImaginAb, Jounce Therapeutics, MacroGenics [NASDAQ: MGNX], MolecularMD, Peloton Therapeutics, Sunesis Pharmaceuticals [NASDAQ: SNSS], TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals [NASDAQ: TLOG], and TRACON Pharmaceuticals [NASDAQ: TCON]. From its fourteen oncology investments since 2007, Nextech Invest has made three full exits, two partial exits and five IPOs. (Nextech/mc/hfu)
About Kura Oncology
Kura Oncology is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of precision medicines for the treatment of solid tumors and blood cancers. Kura’s pipeline consists of small molecules that target cancer signaling pathways where there is a strong scientific and clinical rationale to improve outcomes by identifying those patients most likely to benefit from treatment. The company’s lead drug candidate is tipifarnib, a farnesyl transferase inhibitor that is currently in two Phase II clinical studies: the first in patients with locally advanced tumors that carry HRAS mutations and the second in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma. The company’s preclinical pipeline includes KO-947, an ERK inhibitor, and a menin-MLL inhibitor program. For more information, please visit http://www.kuraoncology.com/
About Nextech Invest Ltd.
The global oncology specialist private equity firm Nextech Invest Ltd., established in 1998 in Zurich, Switzerland, focuses on investing in cancer companies. Supported by a Scientific Board of seven oncologists chaired by Prof. Dr. David Livingston, Deputy Director of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Nextech Invest invests in emerging companies with pioneering innovations in cancer that have compounds entering clinical trials. The other members of the Scientific Board include: Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Altmann, Prof. Dr. Philip Greenberg, Prof. Dr. William Kaelin, Dr. Charles Sawyers, Prof. Dr. Paul Workman and distinguished scientific advisor Prof. Dr. Sir Bruce Ponder. Nextech Invest is a longstanding member of SECA, and works closely with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). http://www.nextechinvest.com/
