Oxford Science Enterprises raises £250m

By Sam Pither

20 July 2022

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Modern Medical Research Laboratory: Portrait of Latin and Black Young Scientists Using Microscope, Digital Tablet, Doing Sample Analysis, Talking. Diverse Team of Specialists work in Advanced Lab

Oxford Science Enterprises, an independent investment company in partnership with the University of Oxford, has raised £250 million in funding.

The round of fundraising, which included international investors and existing and new blue-chip investors, brings the OSE’s total funding to £850 million.

The investment will enable the company to identity and invest in novel science projects from the University of Oxford, providing initial funding, support and access to expert networks and startup infrastructure to create new spinouts across life sciences, health tech and deep tech.

Alexis Dormandy, CEO of OSE said: “This fundraise comes at an exciting and pivotal time for OSE. We have built a talented team and proved our model of translating ground-breaking science into a diverse portfolio of transformational businesses. Our companies are making remarkable breakthroughs from cancer, heart failure and infectious diseases, to climate change, food security and quantum computing.”

Since its creation in 2015, OSE has invested in more than 80 companies derived from Oxford science innovation. It has committed £0.5 billion and attracted over £1 billion from blue-chip, global co-investors. To date, OSE has helped progress 27 companies from seed to Series A and 21 to Series B and beyond, including 2 IPOs and 5 trade exits.

The terms ‘seed’, ‘Series A’ and ‘Series B’ refer to different investment stages in process of launching a startup. Seed funding is the first official equity funding stage; just as a seed grows into a plant, seed funding helps an idea progress to a business.

Series A funding comes once a business has a track record. Investors who invest in Series A funding rounds are looking at the strength of the idea along with early indications of commercial viability. Series B funding takes that business to the next level. It is used by businesses with a proven record to meet new levels of demand.

By Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset.

A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise.

Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.