Sarcura secures € 7M Seed Plus funding to revolutionize cell therapy manufacturing

The Austrian deep tech startup Sarcura closes an oversubscribed €7M Seed Plus funding round to develop a next-generation cell therapy manufacturing platform.

The round was co-led by seed investors Lansdowne Investment Company Cyprus and IST Cube with participation from newly joined HCVC and tecnet equity. Besides returning seed investors Axilium Holding, Novacapital, and Nina Capital we are particularly happy to welcome newly joined European family offices with industrial biopharmaceutical backgrounds. The financing will fuel the development of Sarcura’s first system prototype.

“We are delighted to have successfully closed this funding round. It reflects the unmet need for breakthrough technologies to address the existing challenges in the manufacturing of cell therapies” says Daniela Buchmayr, Co-founder and CEO of Sarcura.

Engineered cell therapies bring hope to patients who lack alternatives. With more than 1400 CAR-T clinical trials ongoing, the advanced cell therapy industry has seen unprecedented growth, but the manufacturing of these lifesaving treatments remains a major bottleneck. 

“Scientists aim to identify and engineer the right cells, enhancing control while lowering manufacturing cost. Sarcura unites cutting-edge silicon technologies such as integrated photonics in microfluidic cartridges, to automate, miniaturize and bring real-time control to cell therapy manufacturing” says Daniela Buchmayr.

“Having spent the first 12 years of my career in semiconductors in Taiwan and Silicon Valley, I am really excited to have the chance to lead HCVC’s investment in Sarcura,” says Jerry Yang, General Partner at HCVC. “Sarcura is addressing a huge pain point in cell therapy by leveraging semiconductor MEMS technology. If successful, they could completely change the cancer treatment landscape. I’m looking forward to partnering with Daniela and her co-founders.” 

“The interdisciplinary team at Sarcura demonstrated their ability to advance developments at the intersection of biology and semiconductor technology. Enhancing the understanding of cell biology and solving biomanufacturing bottlenecks through advanced silicon-based technologies is key to translating scientific progress into therapeutic results for patients in the future. We are excited to continue and extend our support in this financing round together with the other investors in this round”, adds Florian Resch, Managing Partner at IST cube.

For more information, visit www.sarcura.com

About

Sarcura is an Austrian deep-tech startup developing an instrument platform for the manufacturing of advanced cell therapies. Our platform combines silicon chip technology and microfluidic processing to enable real-time process control and manipulation on a cellular level, enabling a fully automated and modular manufacturing system. www.sarcura.com 

Lansdowne Investment Company Cyprus Limited is an investment vehicle managed by Lansdowne Partners Austria GmbH which is an Austrian Alternative Investment Fund Manager with a strong focus on investing in and fostering European innovation. Lansdowne Partners Austria GmbH is part of the Lansdowne Partners group of companies.

IST cube is an early-stage venture fund focusing on academic spin-offs and deep-tech startups rooted in science. The fund leads investment rounds in pre-seed and seed stages with the ability to follow on. IST cube supports portfolio companies with equity, know-how, and network. In addition, the fund has a strong partner in the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, which provides access to academic research and scientific infrastructure. www.ist-cube.com 

HCVC is a thesis-driven venture capital firm that backs hard tech founders on a mission to digitize, automate and decarbonize the physical world. Currently investing out of its second fund, HCVC invests in early-stage startups in Europe and US, with first tickets ranging between 250k€~2.5M€. Notable portfolio companies include Span.io, Cowboy Bike, Caper Labs, Radian Aerospace, Automata, etc. HCVC also manages Hardware Club, the largest exclusive community in the world for hard tech startups, which today counts 1800+ founders. www.hcvc.co

tecnet equity is a venture capital firm with EUR 50M under management. It finances new technology enterprises as well as companies with innovative business ideas. As an archetypal early-stage investor, tecnet has played an active part in the Austrian startup landscape for many years. With personal commitment, an international business network, and many years of experience, tecnet supports its investees in making their business successful. www.tecnet.at

Press Contact

Sarcura GmbH
Daniela Buchmayr, CEO
daniela.buchmayr@sarcura.com


 

 

IST cube is supported by InnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (“EFSI”) set up under the Investment Plan for Europe. The purpose of EFSI is to help support financing and implementing productive investments in the European Union and to ensure increased access to financing.

Photo of the Sarcura Founding Team

Further exciting news from our ecosystem

Sarcura secures € 7M Seed Plus funding to revolutionize cell therapy manufacturing

The Austrian deep tech startup Sarcura closes an oversubscribed €7M Seed Plus funding round to develop a next-generation cell therapy manufacturing platform.

The round was co-led by seed investors Lansdowne Investment Company Cyprus and IST Cube with participation from newly joined HCVC and tecnet equity. Besides returning seed investors Axilium Holding, Novacapital, and Nina Capital we are particularly happy to welcome newly joined European family offices with industrial biopharmaceutical backgrounds. The financing will fuel the development of Sarcura’s first system prototype.

“We are delighted to have successfully closed this funding round. It reflects the unmet need for breakthrough technologies to address the existing challenges in the manufacturing of cell therapies” says Daniela Buchmayr, Co-founder and CEO of Sarcura.

Engineered cell therapies bring hope to patients who lack alternatives. With more than 1400 CAR-T clinical trials ongoing, the advanced cell therapy industry has seen unprecedented growth, but the manufacturing of these lifesaving treatments remains a major bottleneck. 

“Scientists aim to identify and engineer the right cells, enhancing control while lowering manufacturing cost. Sarcura unites cutting-edge silicon technologies such as integrated photonics in microfluidic cartridges, to automate, miniaturize and bring real-time control to cell therapy manufacturing” says Daniela Buchmayr.

“Having spent the first 12 years of my career in semiconductors in Taiwan and Silicon Valley, I am really excited to have the chance to lead HCVC’s investment in Sarcura,” says Jerry Yang, General Partner at HCVC. “Sarcura is addressing a huge pain point in cell therapy by leveraging semiconductor MEMS technology. If successful, they could completely change the cancer treatment landscape. I’m looking forward to partnering with Daniela and her co-founders.” 

“The interdisciplinary team at Sarcura demonstrated their ability to advance developments at the intersection of biology and semiconductor technology. Enhancing the understanding of cell biology and solving biomanufacturing bottlenecks through advanced silicon-based technologies is key to translating scientific progress into therapeutic results for patients in the future. We are excited to continue and extend our support in this financing round together with the other investors in this round”, adds Florian Resch, Managing Partner at IST cube.

For more information, visit www.sarcura.com

About

Sarcura is an Austrian deep-tech startup developing an instrument platform for the manufacturing of advanced cell therapies. Our platform combines silicon chip technology and microfluidic processing to enable real-time process control and manipulation on a cellular level, enabling a fully automated and modular manufacturing system. www.sarcura.com 

Lansdowne Investment Company Cyprus Limited is an investment vehicle managed by Lansdowne Partners Austria GmbH which is an Austrian Alternative Investment Fund Manager with a strong focus on investing in and fostering European innovation. Lansdowne Partners Austria GmbH is part of the Lansdowne Partners group of companies.

IST cube is an early-stage venture fund focusing on academic spin-offs and deep-tech startups rooted in science. The fund leads investment rounds in pre-seed and seed stages with the ability to follow on. IST cube supports portfolio companies with equity, know-how, and network. In addition, the fund has a strong partner in the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, which provides access to academic research and scientific infrastructure. www.ist-cube.com 

HCVC is a thesis-driven venture capital firm that backs hard tech founders on a mission to digitize, automate and decarbonize the physical world. Currently investing out of its second fund, HCVC invests in early-stage startups in Europe and US, with first tickets ranging between 250k€~2.5M€. Notable portfolio companies include Span.io, Cowboy Bike, Caper Labs, Radian Aerospace, Automata, etc. HCVC also manages Hardware Club, the largest exclusive community in the world for hard tech startups, which today counts 1800+ founders. www.hcvc.co

tecnet equity is a venture capital firm with EUR 50M under management. It finances new technology enterprises as well as companies with innovative business ideas. As an archetypal early-stage investor, tecnet has played an active part in the Austrian startup landscape for many years. With personal commitment, an international business network, and many years of experience, tecnet supports its investees in making their business successful. www.tecnet.at

Press Contact

Sarcura GmbH
Daniela Buchmayr, CEO
daniela.buchmayr@sarcura.com


 

 

IST cube is supported by InnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (“EFSI”) set up under the Investment Plan for Europe. The purpose of EFSI is to help support financing and implementing productive investments in the European Union and to ensure increased access to financing.

Photo of the Sarcura Founding Team

Pitch your idea

Investment process

1. Share your Information

Use the form to tell us about your startup. Our team will review the details provided and will get back to you as soon as possible. If you meet the required criteria, we’ll plan together the next steps of your funding journey.

2. Start the financing process

We start by inviting you to a meeting and gather more information relevant to conducting a due diligence process, evaluating your business plans, growth strategy, and financial forecasts. Together, we analyze and determine the essential details and deal structure to meet your unique financing requirements.

3. Raise capital

If we invest, we will likely lead your funding round and will help you to fill your round and guide you through the process. From round preparations to execution, our team is here to support you, ensuring a smooth and successful experience.

4. Go beyond financing

We will be your partner in everything you encounter while executing your plans. We offer continuous support and guidance as we firmly believe long-term succes is a shared mission.