PRESS RELEASES

EvlaBio raises €21 Million Seed Funding to Develop a Monoclonal Antibody for the Treatment of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in the Setting of Chronic Kidney Disease

  • EvlaBio secures €21 million Seed Funding to complete preclinical development and progress towards IND-enabling studies.
  • The financing round is led by Kurma Partners as well as AdBio Partners, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, NRW.Venture (NRW.BANK) and HTGF.
  • EvlaBio’s lead program consists of a first-in-class therapeutic monoclonal antibody treatment of left ventricular hypertrophy in the setting of chronic kidney disease with the potential to transform outcomes for millions of patients.

Düsseldorf, Germany and Zurich, Switzerland – July 7th, 2025 – EvlaBio, a life science startup pioneering innovative therapies for the treatment of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH) in the setting of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), announced today the successful closing of its seed funding round, one of the largest seed rounds closed in Germany to date. The financing will support the advancement of EvlaBio’s lead program, a first-in-class therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting specifically the FGF23/FGFR4 signaling in the setting of CKD, one of the key drivers for LVH, which can lead to heart failure.

Founded with a mission to address high unmet medical need in the cardiorenal field, EvlaBio is developing a targeted treatment for patients suffering from CKD with limited therapeutic options. The company’s lead asset is a novel monoclonal antibody designed to inhibit the pathological FGF23/FGFR4 cardiac signaling axis — a critical driver of cardiac remodeling in patients with CKD.

“Despite recent advances, the clinical need in LVH in the context of CKD remains significant, with high prevalence and substantial negative impact on patients’ outcomes. Even with improved management of hypertension and anemia, LVH often persists or even progresses in CKD patients,” said Wenzel von der Heydte, CEO & Co-Founder of EvlaBio. “EvlaBio’s approach is unique in its ability to directly target a key pathway on the cardiomyocyte level. This new therapeutic avenue has the potential to improve lives of millions of patients.”

The program originates from Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC), a company established in 2008 by the technology transfer organization Max Planck Innovation, where it has been developed in collaboration with KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I GmbH & Co KG (KHAN-I).

“Blocking cardiac FGF23/FGFR4 overdrive has the strong potential to become a very promising treatment option for millions of patients facing a high risk of cardiac remodeling and progression to heart failure in CKD,” said Thomas Kirmeier, COO & Co-Founder of EvlaBio. “Heart failure is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in this patient population and our therapeutic approach offers a promising strategy to modify disease progression at its root.”

The seed round was led by Kurma Partners, AdBio Partners, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, NRW.Venture (NRW.BANK) and HTGF, and will enable EvlaBio to complete preclinical development and progress towards IND-enabling studies.

Hadrien Bouchez, Partner at Kurma Partners added: “We’re excited to partner with EvlaBio as they advance their groundbreaking approach targeting the FGF23/FGFR4 pathway. The team’s deep scientific expertise and compelling preclinical data position them to address cardiac hypertrophy in CKD patients — a significant unmet medical need affecting millions worldwide. Their differentiated approach offers meaningful advantages over existing therapeutic options. This investment reflects our commitment to supporting innovative companies poised to transform patient outcomes in areas of high unmet need.”

Clément Bertholet, Managing Partner at AdBio Partners added: “This investment in EvlaBio, the first one for AdBio Partners in Germany, is driven by the key features of the product developed by the team to target the well-known FGF23/FGFR4 pathway. We are thrilled to support the company through its development to ultimately bring innovative treatments to patients in need.”

Marek Kozlowski, Senior Investment Director at NRW.BANK, commented: “The FGF23/FGFR4 axis is a very well-validated target pathway, yet its clinical potential remains unrealized. EvlaBio’s research and development program can finally change this. With a substantial seed funding from NRW.Venture and this high-quality syndicate, EvlaBio is well-positioned to advance the development of the lead candidate to the next value inflection point.”

 

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About EvlaBio

EvlaBio is a life science company focused on developing first-in-class therapeutics for cardiovascular and cardiorenal diseases. Its lead program targets the FGF23/FGFR4 signaling axis, a critical driver of cardiac remodeling in chronic kidney disease. By advancing novel mechanisms grounded in strong translational science, EvlaBio aims to redefine treatment paradigms for CKD patients with high unmet medical need.

About Kurma Partners

Kurma Partners is a key European player in the financing of innovation in Healthcare and Biotechnology, from pre-seed to growth capital, in particular through its funds Kurma Biofund I, II, III, IV, Kurma Growth, Kurma Diagnostics and Kurma Diagnostics 2, as well as the links the company has forged with a network of prestigious research institutes and hospitals. Kurma Partners was founded in July 2009 and is based in Paris and in Munich. Learn more at www.kurmapartners.com

About AdBio Partners

AdBio Partners is a European VC firm based in Paris and Barcelona that invests mainly in therapeutics-oriented projects. AdBio partners’ unique strategy combines early-stage investments in promising companies and strong entrepreneurial support to strengthen the company’s growth. Created in 2016, AdBio Partners has made 28 European investments from two seed-funds. Those companies have raised more than €1Bn additional capital from international syndicates and strategics. Learn more at www.adbio.partners

About Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund

The Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF), established in 2010, is dedicated to investing in groundbreaking biotechnology companies that are at the forefront of therapeutic and digital innovations, aiming to advance biomedical research. With a commitment to revolutionizing the standard of care, the BIVF fosters long-term partnerships with scientists and entrepreneurs. The BIVF’s focus is on nurturing disease-modifying therapeutic concepts and facilitating their clinical application. The BIVF prioritizes the translation of first-in-class concepts that address significant medical needs in fields such as oncology, immunology, regenerative medicine, neurodegeneration, infectious diseases, and digital health technologies. These innovative concepts often encompass novel platform technologies designed to tackle targets and diseases that were previously considered untreatable.

With a fund volume of EUR 350 million, the BIVF operates as an evergreen fund, continually reinvesting to fuel its mission. The partners of the BIVF gain from the fund’s deep expertise in drug discovery & development, translational science, and management, along with access to a network of experts within the Boehringer Ingelheim organization. Currently, the BIVF supports a diverse portfolio of over 40 companies, leveraging its extensive experience to drive progress in healthcare.

For additional information, please visit http://boehringer-ingelheim-venture.com

About NRW.Venture (NRW.BANK)

NRW.Venture is the venture capital fund of NRW.BANK, located in Düsseldorf. Together with private-sector investors, NRW.Venture invests up to 15 million euros of equity in young and innovative start-ups over several financing rounds, with NRW.BANK taking a minority stake with a term of three to seven years. But the Bank not only provides capital – an experienced team is the key to joint success. Since the inception of its venture capital fund in 2005, NRW.BANK has invested in over 30 companies within the life sciences and healthcare sectors, spanning biotech, medtech, diagnostics, lab tools, and digital health. The investment professionals at NRW.Venture bring many years of venture capital experience, often enhanced by backgrounds in technology and start-ups, leveraging their expertise and networks to maximise the success potential of start-ups.

About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds

HTGF is one of the leading and most active early-stage investors in Germany and Europe, financing start-ups in the fields of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Deep Tech, Industrial Tech, Climate Tech and Digital Tech. With its experienced investment team, HTGF supports start-ups in all phases of their development into international market leaders. HTGF invests in pre-seed and seed phases and can participate significantly in later-stage financing rounds. Across its funds, HTGF has over 2 billion euros under management. Since its inception in 2005, HTGF has financed more than 770 start-ups and achieved almost 200 successful exits.

Fund investors in the public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital as well as 45 companies and family offices.

For more information, please visit HTGF.de or follow us on LinkedIn.

About LDC

Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC) was established in 2008 by the technology transfer organization Max Planck Innovation, as a novel approach to capitalize on the potential of excellent basic research for the discovery of new therapies for diseases with high medical need. LDC takes on promising early-stage projects from academia and transforms them into innovative pharmaceutical leads and antibodies that reach initial proof-of-concept in animals as well as candidate nomination. In close collaboration with high-profile partners from research and industry, LDC is building a strong and growing portfolio of small molecule and antibody leads with exceptional medical and commercial potential.

LDC sustains a long-term partnership with the Max Planck Society and its institutes as well as with KHAN-I and KHAN-II, and has formed alliances with AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck KGaA, Daiichi Sankyo, Qurient, InvIOS, Novo Nordisk, Cumulus Oncology, Nodus Oncology, JT Pharmaceuticals, KinSea Lead Discovery AS, HLB Pharma, the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, e.g. In addition, LDC also works with leading translational drug discovery centers and with various investors to provide its assets for company creation.

Further information at: www.lead-discovery.de

Contact: pr@lead-discovery.de

About KHAN-I

KHAN Technology Transfer Fund I GmbH & Co KG (KHAN-I) is an early-stage life sciences venture fund with € 70 million under management. Their mission is to create value through cooperative drug development partnerships with academic innovators in Europe. KHAN-I received an investment from the European Investment Fund (EIF) with the support of InnovFin Equity, and with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) under the Investment Plan for Europe. KHAN-I is also supported by Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH Max Planck Foundation, and Thyssen’sche Handelsgesellschaft mbH. In addition, KHAN-I sustains a preferred partnership with the Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft e.V.).

Further information at: www.khanu.de