Germany’s Merck Ramps up Venture Capital
Germany’s Merck is allocating an additional €600 million to its strategic corporate venture capital arm M Ventures. The chemicals, pharmaceuticals and life sciences group said the funds will be deployed over the next five years.
The top-up marks the third time Merck has increased its financial commitment to investing what it calls “visionary” companies since establishing the venture capital fund in 2009. The additional funding will be used to increase both the number and size of investments in a new and larger portfolio of innovative companies that align with the future strategies of its own businesses.
For the past two years, Merck said M Ventures has validated its dual foci as a strategic and financial corporate venture capital fund, with several of the companies sponsored entering collaborations with the Darmstadt group and others creating strong financial returns through acquisitions or public market listings.
“Over the past decade, M Ventures has established itself globally as a leading partner to the biotech and tech venture ecosystems,” said CEO Belén Garijo, contributing its expertise in identifying new technologies and capabilities. Enhancing the fund’s annual financial investments, she said, will enable it to continue to advance its innovation strategy, deliver a sustainable business performance and be a catalyst for innovative companies to develop breakthrough technologies.
Merck calculates that it has been instrumental in the development of over 80 global companies from creation to exit, thereby helping advance multiple medicines and technologies to market launch. With the fresh capital injection, it plans to continue focusing on companies that find new ways to treat the most challenging diseases, develop new technologies and provide novel solutions for increased sustainability in the science and technology ecosystem.
Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist
