Apollo Health Ventures announces the final closing of its second venture fund to build a portfolio of data-driven biotechnology and health tech ventures aimed at extending human healthspan. The oversubscribed Apollo Health Ventures Fund II successfully raised US $ 180 million (€157.5 million) to invest in both venture creation as well as externally sourced deals. The new fund is supported by Apollo’s existing international investor base as well as new notable and experienced investors.

“The healthcare sector is experiencing a paradigm shift from treating age-related diseases long after first symptoms have developed to targeting the root causes at earlier stages in the disease pathology,” said Nils Regge, Co-founder and Partner of Apollo Health Ventures. “The successful closing of this fund is not only a recognition of the importance of age-related diseases and their burden to healthcare systems globally, but also of our systematic approach in catalyzing and building transformational companies with breakthrough technologies in an exciting therapeutic landscape with tremendous upside potential.”

Advances in understanding the biology of aging coupled with emerging technologies have significantly increased pre-symptomatic detection of age-related damage and dysfunction, paving the way for novel interventions. Apollo Health Ventures’ investments focus on companies targeting well-validated aging pathways with the aim of, for example, maintaining overall cellular health and fitness, reducing tissue damage caused by chronic inflammation, or restoring a healthy immune system to provide more resilience and protection against diseases. Covid-19 is a current prominent example of the impact aging can have on mortality and morbidity risk caused by a less effective and more vulnerable immune system.

Apollo Health’s predecessor fund has successfully built and invested in companies developing differentiated therapeutics against age-related disorders demonstrating the firm’s leadership and understanding of this therapeutic area. Portfolio companies from the fund include Aeovian Pharmaceuticals, a company developing a safer version of rapamycin, a drug which has been shown to extend healthspan as well as lifespan in several animal models. Apollo has also co-founded Samsara Therapeutics, the world‘s largest discovery platform developing autophagy-enhancing molecules covering a broad range of therapeutic indications.