Weight-loss start-up in Innovation District raises substantial seed funding

The Innovation District Copenhagen- located biotech company, Ousia Pharma, has secured a nine-figure DKK investment (at least 13,5 mio Euro) from the Boston-based venture fund Omega Funds in a recently concluded financing round.

Enough to get to phase 1

Ousia Pharma is a spin-out from Innovation District Copenhagen-partner University of Copenhagen and is enrolled in the local accelerator BioInnovation Institute. The capital injection is expected to drive the development of the company’s leading obesity candidate through to the completion of Phase 1 studies.

Could revolutionise weight-loss

The company’s drug candidate is designed to address obesity through a so-called triple mechanism of action, which could potentially offer an alternative and simultaneously more effective weight loss treatment compared to existing therapies.

This investment is a strong recognition of our scientific foundation and the potential our drug candidate represents. With Omega Funds as a partner, we not only gain capital but also strategic sparring and global experience, which will be crucial in our further development. We are now well-positioned to bring our preclinical concept to clinical testing”:  Anders Bue Klein, CEO, Ousia Pharma.

Novel treatment for a metabolic disease

Ousia Pharma spun out of the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) at the University of Copenhagen and has since received 14 million kroner in financial support from the BioInnovation Institute (BII). The three founders of Ousia Pharma – Anders Bue Klein, Jonas Petersen, and Christoffer Clemmensen – have, through their research, arrived at an innovative solution in the quest to improve the current treatment of metabolic diseases.

For several years, we have researched new biological mechanisms behind weight regulation, and it is incredibly satisfying to see our work form the basis for a potential future treatment. At the same time, this investment marks an important milestone – not only for Ousia Pharma but also for the translational obesity research that originates from our research centre (CBMR) and the University of Copenhagen”: Christoffer Clemmensen, Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen and research leader for the group behind Ousia Pharma.

Investment sparks jubilation in the Danish innovation environment

At BII, which early on saw great potential in the team and research behind Ousia Pharma, it is seen as a great success story for the entire Danish innovation ecosystem that the company has raised a nine-figure sum from an international investor.

It is rare for a foreign fund to invest so much money in a Danish biotech company at such an early stage. Thus, the investment is a clear testament to a well-functioning innovation ecosystem that creates a number of fantastic companies such as Ousia. Ousia has a really strong case, and at BII we are proud to play a crucial role in connecting promising Danish startups with international investors”: Jens Nielsen, CEO, BioInnovation Institute.