29 January 2025 – Momentum continues building in the biotech sector as four companies announce major financing rounds this month—each aimed at pushing forward disruptive therapies across obesity, vision loss, respiratory disease, and genetic medicine.

Verdiva Bio led the charge with a massive $411 million Series A, one of the largest rounds seen in recent years. The UK-based clinical-stage startup is developing both oral and injectable treatments for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases. Positioned as “first-in-class or best-in-class,” Verdiva’s portfolio is drawing attention amid growing demand for safe and effective metabolic therapies. Investors include Forbion, General Atlantic, RA Capital, OrbiMed, Lilly Asia Ventures, and LYFE Capital—highlighting broad support across specialized and global healthcare funds.

Rounding out January’s top fundraises, Aviceda Therapeutics raised $207.5 million in Series C financing. The company, which utilizes a High Affinity Ligands of Siglecs (HALOS) nanotechnology platform, is advancing AVD‑104—a candidate for geographic atrophy (GA), the degenerative form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The funding supports Phase IIb/III studies and further expansion into other ophthalmic diseases. Lead investors include Omega Funds and TCGX, with backing from OrbiMed and Logos Capital among others.

Windward Bio announced its launch with a substantial $200 million Series A, backed by OrbiMed, Novo Holdings, and Blue Owl Healthcare. The respiratory-focused company is developing WIN378, a long-acting monoclonal antibody against TSLP (thymic stromal lymphopoietin) that may be dosed just twice yearly. Windward is gearing up for a Phase II study in severe asthma, with clinical plans also targeting COPD, addressing serious unmet needs across roughly five million advanced patients in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.

Lastly, Colossal Biosciences secured a $200 million Series C, valuing the company at approximately $10.2 billion. It will fuel development of B-cell Medicines (BCM), including two lead gene therapy candidates: BE-101 for hemophilia B (in the Phase 1/2 BeCoMe-9 trial) and BE-102 for hypophosphatasia. The funds will also support RhyGaze’s optogenetic vision restoration program, which aims to restore sight in blindness-causing conditions.

Highlights

 Metabolic Innovation: Verdiva’s massive Series A demonstrates investor confidence in next-gen obesity and cardiometabolic treatment modalities, signaling heightened pharma interest in non-hormonal, potentially first- or best-in-class candidates.

• Eye Disease Leadership: Aviceda’s Series C underscores the urgency in tackling geographic atrophy—an area with no approved treatment—by supporting advanced trials of its HALOS-based immunology approach.
• Respiratory Breakthroughs: Windward’s TSLP-targeting, long-acting antibody opens a new frontier in pulmonary medicine, offering potential relief for patients inadequately managed by current inhaled therapies.
• Genetic and Sight Restoration Therapies: Colossal’s funding aligns with the growing scope of gene-based medicine, targeting rare genetic disorders and merging biotechnology with synthetic biology to produce visionary restoration therapies.

These four major financings in January—totaling over $900 million—spotlight the spectrum of innovation across therapeutic areas. They illustrate that, even amid broader market caution, sectors like metabolic disease, ocular degeneration, respiratory health, and gene therapy continue to capture outsized investor enthusiasm.