Successful exit for HTGF: Miltenyi Biotec acquires biosensor company lino Biotech

March 16, 2023

Zurich, March 16, 2023 – lino Biotech, a leading biosensor company and the world’s only provider of Focal Molography®, announced today it has been acquired by Miltenyi Biotec, a global biotech company based in Germany, on February 22, 2023.

Since its founding in 2020, lino Biotech has made significant advances in developing new biosensors to facilitate quality control in bioprocessing, measuring viral load in cell & gene therapy manufacturing, and testing for off-target responses in living cells to support drug discovery.

Headquartered in Bergisch Gladbach, Miltenyi Biotec has been a global provider of products and services for biomedical research and cellular therapy for more than 30 years.

Under the terms of the transaction, Miltenyi Biotec will acquire 100% of the shares from the investors including Roche Venture Fund and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF). The specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL), acted as the exclusive financial advisor to lino Biotech.

lino´s innovative biosensor platform and Miltenyi’s cell and gene therapy approaches offer exciting synergies to lower the cost and establish a new standard for potency assays.

Dr. Mirko Stange, CEO of lino Biotech

The HTGF is very pleased that lino Biotech AG with its technically demanding project, which the HTGF III has advanced together with the founding team and Roche Venture, find its application within Miltenyi to complement a portfolio of technologies enabling drug discovery and cell therapy.

Dr. Martin Pfister, Principal at High-Tech Gründerfonds

About lino Biotech AG
lino Biotech AG was incorporated as ETH Zurich spin-out in Zürich, Switzerland, in March 2020, and is venture backed by Roche Venture Fund, High-Tech Gründerfonds and several life science family offices. lino Biotech is a life science tools company that develops reagent-free biosensors and readers to measure pharmaceutical relevant biological entities directly from crude samples such as bioprocess reactors solutions. The company’s ability to provide target-specific binding information in a faster, very sensitive and cost-effective manner can lower R&D and production cost for pharma and biotech customers and offers an opportunity to make novel Cell & Gene therapies accessible to more patients.

About Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co.KG
Miltenyi Biotec is a global provider of products and services that empower biomedical discovery and advance cellular therapy. Our innovative tools support research at every level, from basic research to translational research to clinical application. This integrated portfolio enables scientists and clinicians to obtain, analyze, and utilize the cell. Our technologies offer solutions for cellular research, cell therapy, and cell manufacturing. Our more than 30 years of expertise spans research areas including immunology, stem cell biology, neuroscience, cancer, hematology, and graft engineering. In our commitment to the scientific community, we also offer comprehensive scientific support, consultation, and expert training. Today, Miltenyi Biotec has more than 4,500 employees in 28 countries – all dedicated to helping researchers and clinicians around the world make a greater impact on science and health. 

About High-Tech Gründerfonds  
The seed investor High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) finances tech start-ups with growth potential and has supported 700 start-ups since 2005. With the launch of its fourth fund, HTGF now has about 1.4 billion euros under management. Its team of experienced investment managers and start-up experts support young companies with expertise, entrepreneurial spirit and passion. HTGF’s focus is on high-tech start-ups in the fields of digital tech, industrial tech, life sciences, chemistry and related business areas. To date, external investors have injected more than 4.5 billion euros of capital into the HTGF portfolio via more than 2,000 follow-on financing rounds. In addition, HTGF has already successfully sold shares in more than 160 companies. 

Fund investors in this public-private partnership include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, KfW Capital and 45 companies from a wide range of industries. 

www.htgf.de/en 

Media contact 
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH 
Stefanie Grüter, Partner Communications & Relations  
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 188 
s.grueter@htgf.de