Icosavax
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle
- Sectors
- Biotechnology, Vaccines, Biotech
- Stage
- Public
- Total raised
- $129.7M SEC Form D filings Total of this company's SEC Form D filings
- Last round
- $99.7M · Mar 2021 SEC Form D
Nobel Laureate David Baker Drives Protein Design Innovation and Startup Growth at University of Washington
David Baker, Nobel Prize winner and head of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington, is focused on advancing protein design research and entrepreneurship, having helped spawn over 20 startups in Seattle's biotech hub. He plans to continue accelerating scientific innovation in the field, which develops new proteins for therapeutics, vaccines, and materials.
CoMotion Endorses AUTM COVID-19 Licensing Guidelines to Facilitate Access to University Innovations
CoMotion supports rapid access to university COVID-19 innovations by endorsing AUTM's humanitarian licensing guidelines and provides ongoing resources like webinars and podcasts for startups navigating the pandemic.
University of Washington’s David Baker Credits Open-Code Rosetta Commons for Protein Design Startup Success
David Baker, director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design (IPD), emphasizes open code sharing as key to the institute’s success in creating protein design startups. The IPD’s collaborative Rosetta Commons consortium has enabled widespread development of protein design tools, fostering innovation and spinouts in biotech.
AstraZeneca to Acquire UW Spinout Icosavax for Up to $1.1 Billion to Boost Respiratory Vaccine Development
AstraZeneca announced it will acquire Seattle-based biotech spinout Icosavax, founded at the University of Washington, for up to $1.1 billion to accelerate development of vaccines targeting respiratory viruses. Icosavax's shares surged over 40% after the deal, which values the company at a 43% premium and aims to advance its lead RSV and hMPV vaccine candidate.
University of Washington Launches Vilya with $50 Million to Develop Membrane-Permeable Peptide Drugs
University of Washington researchers developed custom peptides that penetrate cell membranes, enabling a new class of drugs with combined benefits of small molecules and protein therapeutics. They founded Vilya, backed by $50 million from Arch Venture Partners, to commercialize this drug platform described in Cell.
David Baker Launches London Biotech Charm Therapeutics with $50M Series A to Advance Deep Learning Drug Discovery
David Baker, leader of the University of Washington Institute for Protein Design, co-founded London-based Charm Therapeutics, which uses deep learning to discover new small molecule therapeutics, and recently secured $50 million in Series A funding. The company's DragonFold platform predicts protein-small molecule interactions to aid drug discovery in cancer and other diseases.
Icosavax COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Shows Weaker Immune Response Than Expected, Stocks Fall Over 60%
Icosavax reported interim phase 1/2 trial results for its COVID-19 vaccine showing immune responses below expectations, causing its stock to drop over 60%. The company plans to investigate causes for the underwhelming data while remaining committed to its VLP vaccine platform.
CBRE: U.S. life-sciences VC tops $30B; Seattle-area firms raise $898M amid scarce lab space
A CBRE report shows U.S. life sciences venture funding topped $30 billion for the 12 months ending September 2021, driving strong demand for lab space and record capital raises in Seattle-area companies that pulled in $898 million during that period. Washington state also saw rising life-science employment and multiple biotech IPOs in 2021, including large offerings from Sana Biotechnology, Absci and Icosavax.
Life Science Washington CEO Leslie Alexandre to retire after leading state’s biotech resurgence as 2021 IPOs raise hundreds of millions
Leslie Alexandre, president and CEO of Life Science Washington, is retiring after five years leading the group during a period of strong growth in Washington state's biotech sector that recovered from a 2016 slump. The region has seen several major biotech IPOs in 2021 (including Sana Biotechnology's $587M, Absci's $200M, and Icosavax's $180M+), growing research strength and recognition as an emerging biotech market.
AI2 Adds Bioengineer Jenny Cronin to Incubator; Icosavax Names Bekiroglu, Russo and Two Board Members; Proprio’s CMO Browd Expands Role
AI2 hired bioengineer Jenny Cronin as a principal for its startup incubator, bringing experience from s2s Public Relations, NanoString, and a UW bioengineering Ph.D.; AI2 has incubated startups like Ozette, Modulus and MajorBoost. Seattle biotech Icosavax named Elizabeth Bekiroglu general counsel, Thomas Russo CFO, and added Heidi Kunz and Ann Veneman to its board; pediatric neurosurgeon Samuel Browd is taking partial leave from UW/Seattle Children’s to expand as CMO of surgical tech startup Proprio.
Cyrus Biotechnology signs protein-engineering deal with Selecta Biosciences worth up to $1.5 billion to develop IL-2/ImmTOR immune therapy
Seattle-based Cyrus Biotechnology struck a protein-engineering collaboration with Boston’s Selecta Biosciences to engineer IL-2 combined with Selecta’s ImmTOR, a deal that could pay Cyrus up to $1.5 billion if milestones are met. Cyrus will use its software and lab testing to enhance IL-2 stability and function, adding to its existing partnerships and commercial sales of Cyrus Bench.
A-Alpha Bio raises $20M Series A led by Madrona to expand Seattle lab and scale protein-discovery platform
University of Washington spinout A-Alpha Bio raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Madrona Venture Group to expand downtown Seattle lab space and grow its machine-learning team for its protein-discovery platform. The company combines computational tools and yeast-based experiments to generate large protein-interaction datasets used to predict therapeutic protein candidates for diseases including COVID-19.
Remitly files S-1 ahead of IPO after 2020 revenue doubles to $257M and $1.5B valuation
Remitly filed an S-1 ahead of a conventional IPO, reporting $257M revenue and a $32.5M net loss for 2020 and $202M revenue with a $9.2M loss in H1 of the current year, with a $1.5B valuation from a July funding round and roughly $16.1B in trailing 12-month send volume.
Icosavax IPO: Seattle biotech raises $180M, stock jumps 200% on first trading day (ICVX)
Seattle biotech Icosavax surged more than 200% on its NASDAQ debut after raising over $180 million by pricing shares at $15; the company develops virus-like particle vaccines and recently began phase 1/2 trials for a COVID-19 vaccine supported by a $10 million Gates Foundation grant.
Icosavax files for IPO after raising $150M and advancing nanoparticle COVID-19 and RSV vaccines
Seattle-based Icosavax, a 2017 spinout from the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design, has filed for an IPO after raising over $150 million and advancing nanoparticle-based COVID-19 and RSV vaccine candidates into early clinical trials with support from a $10 million Gates Foundation grant.
GeekWire Names Five Finalists for 2021 Innovation of the Year; Winners Announced May 20
GeekWire named five finalists for its 2021 Innovation of the Year award, highlighting Seattle-area breakthroughs from battery materials and vaccine tech to clean-energy purchasing, insect-tracking devices, and cloud-management tools. Community voting runs through April 30 and winners will be announced May 20 at the virtual GeekWire Awards presented by Wave Business.
Icosavax, UW IPD Spinout, Raises $100M Series B to Advance Computer-Designed Virus‑Like Particle Vaccines
Seattle biotech Icosavax, a University of Washington Institute for Protein Design spinout, raised $100 million in a Series B to develop computer-designed, virus-like particle vaccines including programs for COVID-19, RSV, and hMPV. The company, backed by investors led by RA Capital and supported by a $10 million Gates Foundation grant, has 17 employees and cites strong preclinical immune responses.
Ensoma launches in Boston with $70M Series A to commercialize Engenious gene‑editing adenoviral vectors developed by Fred Hutch and UW researchers
Boston-based biotech spinout Ensoma launched, announcing a $70 million Series A to commercialize Engenious adenoviral vectors developed by Drs. Hans-Peter Kiem (Fred Hutch) and André Lieber (UW) that aim to deliver single‑injection gene therapies without stem cell harvest or chemotherapy.
