Stonebridge Ventures and Lonza Form Strategic Partnership to Support Invested Bio Companies

Stonebridge Ventures announced on the 27th that it has partnered with Swiss biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) company Lonza, becoming the first Korean venture capital to actively support domestic new drug development.

Through this collaboration, Lonza will provide expertise to bio companies invested in by Stonebridge Ventures. Support will be offered for clinical research, as well as the development and manufacturing services of active pharmaceutical ingredients and pharmaceuticals for commercialization. Additionally, evaluation and consulting on candidate substances of investment companies reviewed by Stonebridge Ventures will also be provided.

According to the contract terms, Lonza will offer incentives to Stonebridge Ventures’ portfolio companies to reduce development and manufacturing costs. Due diligence on candidate substances of potential investment companies will be provided to assist Stonebridge Ventures in analyzing and assessing investment risks.

Stonebridge Ventures’ portfolio companies will have easier access to Lonza’s state-of-the-art development and manufacturing and high-quality services for biologics, small molecules, cell, and gene therapies. They will be given opportunities to leverage Lonza’s global network, regulatory expertise, and experience in supporting development and manufacturing projects. Furthermore, Lonza and Stonebridge Ventures will jointly review new bio companies and explore various directions to expand the domestic bio industry.

Through this cooperation, Lonza aims to increase accessibility to the Korean bio venture ecosystem and secure potential CDMO clients, while Stonebridge Ventures plans to advance bio investments in collaboration with Lonza.

Seungwoon Yoo, CEO of Stonebridge Ventures, explained, "As the first domestic venture capital to collaborate with Lonza, this presents an opportunity to significantly enhance Stonebridge Ventures’ bio screening capabilities and infrastructure."

A Lonza representative stated, "We plan to actively seize opportunities in the Korean market and expect that the collaboration with Stonebridge Ventures will serve as an important foothold in the Korean market."