Geneva-based Index Ventures has announced the closing of its latest fund, Index Ventures V, with EUR350m in commitments.
Geneva-based Index Ventures has announced the closing of its latest fund, Index Ventures V, with EUR350m in commitments.
The fund is dedicated to early stage and seed investments in the technology, biotechnology and clean technology sectors in Europe, the US and Israel.
It is the fifth early stage fund Index has raised in the past ten years. The fund was raised almost entirely from the firm’s existing base of limited partners.
‘Over the past 12 years, we have been fortunate enough to work with some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world who have started game-changing companies such as Betfair, Skype, MySQL and GenMab,’ says partner Bernard Dallé. ‘There are certainly challenges facing many industries right now but, thanks to the ongoing commitment of our limited partners, we can continue to focus on our core strength – that of finding and supporting ambitious, dedicated entrepreneurs.’
Operating from offices in Geneva, London and Jersey, Index invests in companies across multiple geographies. Investments made during the last 12 months include: Criteo (France), DimDim (India), Lehigh Technologies (US), MyHeritage (Israel), NormOxys (France), OpTier (Israel), Playfish (UK), RightScale (US), and WooMe (UK/US).
Francesco De Rubertis, Index partner, adds: ‘On the biotech side, Index is focused on finding the best companies with the strongest pipelines. We are equally interested in very early stage ventures and more mature companies with established proof-of-concept. In terms of therapeutic areas, our priorities are oncology, CNS, immunology and inflammation. We continue to see tremendous innovation and development within these areas, driven in part by the ever growing pharmaceutical pipeline deficit.’
Index has also announced that Ben Holmes (pictured), a London-based member of the technology team since 2002, has been named a partner of the firm. Holmes focuses on investments in consumer and internet infrastructure companies and currently sits on a number of boards including Mind Candy, Netlog, Playfish, Rebtel and Stardoll.
‘Since joining our London office in 2002, Ben has played a key role in sourcing and supporting investments we have made in internet and software sectors.’ says Danny Rimer, partner at Index Ventures. ‘We are excited to announce his promotion and we look forward to his ongoing contributions to the firm and our portfolio companies.’
In addition, Tony Zappala and Roman Fleck, both based in the firm’s Geneva office, have been promoted to principals in the IT and biotech teams respectively.
