First close of a new fund to accelerate Italian therapeutics startups in the Lazio region Copenhagen/Rome, 02 Jul, 2026

First close of a new fund to accelerate Italian therapeutics startups in the Lazio region


Copenhagen/Rome, 02 07 2026 - A new fund, named BII Catalyst Fund I for Italy, dedicated to advancing early-stage therapeutics startups in Italy has reached its first close, bringing together leading public and private partners to strengthen the Italian life science ecosystem, starting from the Lazio region.
The fund is anchored by Lazio Innova, contributing €20 million through LAZIO Venture 2, the fund the Lazio Region co-financed by 2021-2027 ERDF Programme from EU, alongside Novo Holdings. Panakès Partners will act as fund manager, leveraging its strong track record in life science investments.
As part of the collaboration, the BioInnovation Institute (BII) will play a key role in identifying and sourcing high-potential startups. Selected companies will gain access to BII’s innovation platform, providing tailored support, infrastructure, and expertise to accelerate their development toward key value inflection points.
The initiative aims to bridge the gap between early scientific discovery and later-stage investment readiness, enabling Italian therapeutics startups to mature to a stage where they can attract further international funding.
By combining regional public commitment of Lazio Region, global investment expertise, and a proven innovation platform, the fund is positioned to unlock the potential of Italy’s strong scientific base and translate it into impactful healthcare solutions.
Jens Nielsen, CEO of BII: “Europe holds a wealth of untapped scientific potential, and at BII, we are uniquely positioned to identify and develop it. By combining our scouting capabilities with our innovation platform, we can support Italian therapeutics startups from an early stage and help accelerate their journey toward becoming globally competitive companies.”
Alessio Beverina, Managing Partner of Panakès Partners: “We are pleased to collaborate with BII, by applying its methodology and expertise, in the launching of this fund to build new Italian therapeutics startups, out of the high-quality research realized in Italian universities and labs.”
Roberta Angelilli, Vice President of the Lazio Region and Councilor for Economic Development, Trade, Crafts, Industry, and Internationalization: “We are proud to see the start of our VC strategy – developed through Lazio Innova - becoming real with the start of this first deep tech fund, in collaboration with managers and LPs likePanakès, BII, and Novo Holdings, in a sector like life sciences, where our region is a leader in Italy. We are sure the territory and the young entrepreneurs will benefit from this collaboration with long-term results.”
Andrea Ciampalini, General Manager at Lazio Innova: “Lazio Innova, following the parallel funds launched in 2017, has once again reaffirmed its role as a 'first mover' under the 2021–2027 Regional Program through the launch of funds dedicated to the Lazio region. It is within this framework that the agreement with Panakès takes shape, and we are very pleased also because of its ability to attract major international players on the basis of an investment policy that is closely aligned with the region’s key strengths.”


About the partners:
• Lazio Innova: a Lazio Region company specialized in supporting innovation and economic growth of start-up and SMEs based in Lazio through venture capital, credit, guarantees and grants instrument co-financed by European Union.
• Novo Holdings: Novo Holdings A/S, wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, manages the foundation's assets to improve health and sustainability by generating long-term returns. As the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk A/S and Novonesis A/S, it manages a diverse portfolio including equities, bonds, and real estate, with a strong focus on life sciences
• Panakès Partners: Panakès Partners is a Venture Capital firm, based in Milan, which invests in the most ambitious companies and teams, developing revolutionary technologies and products, in the field of life sciences, aiming to improve the lives of people around the world. Panakès, founded in 2015 by Fabrizio Landi, Alessio Beverina and Diana Saraceni, has EUR 250 million under management. Learn more at www.panakes.it
• BioInnovation Institute (BII): At BII, we accelerate world-class innovation to benefit people and society. Through our programs, Venture Lab, Bio Studio and BII Quantum Lab, we support life science and deep tech start-ups with knowledge, network, infrastructure and funding of up to 3M EUR per project and 1.8 M EUR per start-up. With our expertise, network, funding, and infrastructure, we empower early-stage startups and translational research projects to succeed and believe in the transformative power of innovation. Read more here.




Contatti BioInnovation Institute
Anders Mønsted,
amo@bii.dk
+45 24677947


Ufficio stampa Panakès Partners
Albanesi PR | Communication Advisory
Marco Albanesi
marco@albanesipr.com
+39 329 3987262