The British Business Bank has agreed a $100m cornerstone commitment to SV Health Investors (SV)’s new flagship fund, SV8 Biotech Fund LP (SV8 Biotech) a multi-stage therapeutics-dedicated fund.
This commitment, which will be the Bank’s largest to date, brings its total fund commitments to life sciences above half a billion, with £560m committed across 15 life science funds. These fund commitments have collectively leveraged £3.04bn from private sector investors, bringing in six pounds for every one pound invested.
The British Business Bank is the largest investor in UK venture and venture growth capital funds and regularly makes cornerstone commitments to funds that fit its strategy. SV is a transatlantic life sciences specialist fund manager with a 30-year track record of deploying capital into the UK’s life science companies, including EyeBio, Draig Therapeutics, Alchemab and Pulmocide.
SV investments have resulted in the launch of 30 novel drugs and six new drug classes able to treat indications with unmet medical needs and deliver positive impact to patients. SV funds attract investment from pension funds, asset managers, family offices, charities, sovereign wealth funds and several of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. The firm’s biotech investment team manages a portfolio of specialist life sciences funds, including four that have received meaningful commitments from the British Business Bank.
This includes commitments to SV’s two Biotech funds; the SV7 Impact Medicine Fund (SV7 IMF) in 2019 and SV Biotech Crossover Opportunities Fund (BCOF) in 2021, as well as SV’s two Dementia-focussed funds; the inaugural Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF1) in 2015 and Dementia Discovery Fund 2 (DDF 2) in 2025.
