Milestones from the people I have spoken with on Beginner’s Mind, newest first: financings, deals, trial starts, approvals, awards and books. Every item links to the original announcement. This first edition covers the last twelve months; from now on a new edition appears every Saturday.
Biopharma · DMC / Sofinnova Partners · 26 Oct 2026
DMC raises $18 million in a round co-led by Sofinnova
DMC, which makes health ingredients by precision fermentation, raised $18 million in a round co-led by Inceptional Partners and Sofinnova. Joško Bobanović is Sofinnova's deal lead and a DMC board member.
Source: Sofinnova Partners · Guest: Joško Bobanović
AI · Insilico Medicine · 20 Oct 2026
Insilico reaches its first Servier milestone and its first profitable half-year
Insilico reached the first milestone in its oncology collaboration with Servier, which triggers a payment, and two programmes are now under way. The same release reports first-half 2026 revenue of about US$106 million and the first profitable half-year since the Hong Kong listing.
Source: Insilico Medicine · The conversation with Alex Zhavoronkov
Biopharma · Ori Biotech · 9 Oct 2026
Catalent makes its New Jersey site a centre of excellence for Ori's platform
Catalent joined Ori's preferred partner network, and its Princeton site becomes a centre for the IRO platform. Ori's customers gain preferred access for cell therapy development and GMP manufacturing.
Source: Pharma Manufacturing · Guest: Jason Foster
Energy, planet & space · Last Energy · 7 Oct 2026
US Energy Department approves the final safety analysis for Last Energy's pilot reactor
The Department of Energy approved the Documented Safety Analysis for Last Energy's PWR-5 pilot reactor at Texas A&M-RELLIS, the final safety analysis in its authorisation process. The pilot is the step toward the company's 20-megawatt PWR-20 commercial reactor.
Source: Last Energy · Guest: Bret Kugelmass
Company building · European Investment Bank · 22 Sep 2026
EU and EIB launch an investors pact for European tech scale-ups
Thirteen institutional investors signalled their intent to invest in tech scale-ups under the new European Institutional Investors Pact. It links to the EUR 15 billion ETCI 2.0 and the EUR 5 billion Scaleup Europe Fund, and Karl Nehammer speaks for the EIB.
Source: EIB · The conversation with Karl Nehammer
Biopharma · Ori Biotech · 15 Sep 2026
Ori Biotech signs a ten-year partnership worth up to $120 million
Ori agreed a ten-year partnership with a biopharma company, whose name is kept confidential, to use its IRO platform in commercial manufacturing of an autologous cell therapy. The deal is worth up to $120 million and brings Ori to 23 partners since its 2024 launch.
Source: Ori Biotech via Business Wire · Guest: Jason Foster
AI · Sycai Medical / Ship2B Ventures · 8 Sep 2026
Ship2B portfolio company Sycai wins the CE mark for its AI liver tool
Sycai's AI tool for liver lesions, LIRVEA, received CE marking under the EU MDR in July 2026 as a Class IIb device. Ship2B co-led Sycai's EUR 3 million round, and the company is preparing to enter the US.
Source: Ship2B Ventures · Guest: Jordi Ferrer Rendé
AI · European Investment Bank · 31 Jul 2026
EIB lends EUR 20 million to AI pathology company Aiforia
The EIB granted Finnish company Aiforia EUR 20 million in venture debt under InvestEU, paid in three tranches. The money funds AI software that helps pathologists detect cancer.
Source: EIB · The conversation with Karl Nehammer
Company building · LMU Munich · 15 Jul 2026
LMU Innovation Incubator wins second prize at the MöglichMacher award
The incubator, part of Philipp Baaske's vice-presidency at LMU, took joint second prize in the 2026 Bavarian award for university entrepreneurship. It has supported 45 teams, 25 of which moved on to programmes such as EXIST and EIC Transition.
AI · Insilico Medicine · 2 Jul 2026
Insilico and Takeda sign a drug discovery deal worth up to $600 million
Takeda will use Insilico's AI platform and gains worldwide rights to the candidates it selects. The deal is worth up to about US$600 million plus royalties.
Source: Insilico Medicine · The conversation with Alex Zhavoronkov
Biopharma · Insilico Medicine · 16 Jun 2026
First person dosed with Insilico's brain-penetrant NLRP3 inhibitor
Insilico dosed the first participant in an Australian Phase I trial of ISM8969, co-developed with Hygtia. The trial plans 80 healthy volunteers and 20 obese adults at cardiovascular risk.
Source: Insilico Medicine · The conversation with Alex Zhavoronkov
Energy, planet & space · Last Energy · 28 May 2026
DOE approves the preliminary safety analysis for Last Energy's pilot reactor
The Department of Energy approved the preliminary safety analysis for the PWR-5 pilot in Texas, after selecting Last Energy for its Reactor Pilot Program. Construction started in 2026 and the fuel has been made.
Source: Last Energy · Guest: Bret Kugelmass
Biopharma · Ori Biotech · 27 May 2026
First patient dosed with a TCR-T therapy made on Ori's platform
ImmuXell dosed the first patient in a trial of its TCR-T therapy for KRAS G12V solid tumours, made on Ori's IRO platform. It took four months from installing the platform to the first dose.
Source: Ori Biotech and ImmuXell via Business Wire · Guest: Jason Foster
Company building · Long-Term Stock Exchange · 26 May 2026
Eric Ries publishes Incorruptible, on why good companies go bad
Simon & Schuster and Authors Equity published Incorruptible on 26 May 2026. The book treats mission drift as a design problem and proposes governance that locks a company's mission in place.
Biopharma · Insilico Medicine · 28 Apr 2026
China clears a trial of inhaled rentosertib for lung fibrosis
China's regulator cleared the IND for an inhaled form of rentosertib delivered straight to the lung. The Phase I study plans about 80 participants.
Source: Insilico Medicine · The conversation with Alex Zhavoronkov
AI · Insilico Medicine · 29 Mar 2026
Insilico and Eli Lilly agree a deal worth up to $2.75 billion
Lilly pays US$115 million upfront for a worldwide licence to preclinical oral candidates and joint programmes on targets it picks. The total value reaches about US$2.75 billion plus royalties.
Source: Insilico Medicine · The conversation with Alex Zhavoronkov
Biopharma · European Investment Bank · 18 Mar 2026
EIB signs its first pre-IPO support deal, with Anocca
The EIB signed its first pre-IPO advisory agreement with Swedish T-cell immunotherapy company Anocca. The aim is to help European growth companies reach public markets.
Source: EIB · The conversation with Karl Nehammer
Biopharma · Insilico Medicine · 6 Mar 2026
TaiGen doses the first subject with Insilico's licensed anemia drug
Licensee TaiGen started a Phase I trial of ISM4808 for anemia of chronic kidney disease. It tests single and multiple ascending doses in healthy adults.
Source: Insilico Medicine · The conversation with Alex Zhavoronkov
Biopharma · Immunic · 13 Feb 2026
Immunic raises up to $400 million ahead of its Phase 3 MS data
An oversubscribed private placement of up to US$400 million, led by BVF Partners with OrbiMed and RA Capital, funds the Phase 3 ENSURE trials and commercial preparation. Cash runway reaches late 2027.
Source: Immunic · Guest: Daniel Vitt
AI · Insilico Medicine · 27 Jan 2026
Insilico and Qilu agree a cardiometabolic deal worth close to $120 million
Qilu will develop and sell AI-designed cardiometabolic molecules from Insilico, which receives milestones plus royalties.
Source: Insilico Medicine · The conversation with Alex Zhavoronkov
Biopharma · Insilico Medicine · 20 Jan 2026
Hygtia takes half of the global rights to Insilico's NLRP3 drug
Hygtia gained 50 percent of worldwide rights to ISM8969 for diseases of the central nervous system. Insilico can receive up to US$66 million.
Source: Insilico Medicine · The conversation with Alex Zhavoronkov
Biopharma · Insilico Medicine · 11 Jan 2026
First patient dosed in Insilico's Phase IIa ulcerative colitis trial
The BETHESDA trial tests the gut-restricted PHD inhibitor garutadustat against placebo in about 80 patients.
Source: Insilico Medicine · The conversation with Alex Zhavoronkov
AI · Insilico Medicine · 4 Jan 2026
Insilico and Servier agree an oncology deal worth up to $888 million
Servier signed a multi-year oncology research deal with up to US$32 million upfront and near term. Servier shares research costs and leads development and global sales.
Source: Insilico Medicine · The conversation with Alex Zhavoronkov
Energy, planet & space · Last Energy · 16 Dec 2025
Last Energy closes a $100 million Series C for microreactors
The oversubscribed round, led by the Astera Institute, funds the DOE pilot, PWR-20 commercialisation and more manufacturing in Texas.
Source: Last Energy · Guest: Bret Kugelmass
Biopharma · Insilico Medicine · 12 Dec 2025
TaiGen licenses Insilico's anemia drug for Greater China
TaiGen gained exclusive Greater China rights to ISM4808. Insilico receives an upfront payment, milestones and royalties in the tens of millions of dollars.
Source: Insilico Medicine · The conversation with Alex Zhavoronkov
Biopharma · Etheros Pharmaceuticals · 5 Dec 2025
Longevity fund Immortal Dragons invests in Etheros
The Singapore fund made a strategic investment; the amount was not disclosed. Etheros develops catalytic antioxidants for diseases of ageing and plans IND-enabling studies next.
Source: Immortal Dragons via ACN Newswire · Guest: Jack Scannell
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