Successful Exit for HTGF: FARCO-PHARMA acquires MedTech Startup Purenum GmbH

June 14, 2023

Cologne, 14 June 2023: FARCO-PHARMA, a company of the Klosterfrau Healthcare Group, is acquiring Purenum GmbH, which was founded in 2017. The MedTech start-up will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of FARCO-PHARMA and will continue to drive forward its work in the area of research & development. The seed investor High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), the investment company of BAB – Die Förderbank and FRIBA Investment have closely supported Purenum GmbH since 2018 and are selling their shares as part of the acquisition.

Purenum develops and researches new adhesives and hydrogel systems for applications in the medical environment. Purenum GmbH is a spin-off of the Bremen Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials Research (IFAM), where the two founders Dipl.-Ing. (MBA) Manfred Peschka and Prof. Dr. Ingo Grunwald had previously worked and researched in the field of bioadhesives for many years.

mediNiK®, the first certified medical product from Purenum GmbH, represents a significant advance in the endoscopic removal of kidney stones. The medical hydrogel does not adhere to surgical instruments or the sensitive renal mucosa, is biocompatible and makes it possible to remove even the smallest remnants of kidney stones endoscopically.

Thus mediNiK^® fulfils a long overdue medical need. Because often smaller kidney stone fragments remain in the kidney after an operation because they are too small for the gripping instruments (< 1 millimetre). For the body, however, these can continue to be a burden, as larger stones can form again, which can lead to renewed complaints. In Germany, three to five percent of the population suffer from kidney stones.¹

HTGF has closely supported Purenum GmbH over the past five years. In addition to HTGF, BAB – Förderbank für Bremen und Bremerhaven and FRIBA Investment have invested in the start-up. The project was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the GO-Bio initiative.

mediNiK^® as a product and thus also the development performance of the Purenum team have impressed and convinced us so much that we are very pleased to be able to develop and offer the helpful product mediNiK^® worldwide as FARCO-PHARMA together with Purenum. We look forward to investing further in research together with the Purenum team and thus working consistently on optimising patient care.

Dr Marc Vollenbröker, Managing Director of FARCO-PHARMA GmbH

Thanks to many years of experience in the field of urological gels and the resulting trust of specialists, FARCO-PHARMA is the ideal partner for Purenum.

Manfred Peschka, Managing Director of Purenum GmbH

FARCO-PHARMA is an excellent fit as a strategic partner due to their market-leading position and special expertise in urology. Purenum founders Manfred Peschka and Ingo Grunwald deserve great recognition for driving the development forward with tireless commitment. We wish them much success on their common path!

Dr. Anke Caßing, Principal at HTGF

We are pleased that the founders Manfred Peschka and Ingo Grunwald have succeeded in developing their product and building up their company in such a positive. We wish them every success for their further development and their new path together. We are excited to see how the success story will continue.

Managing Director of BAB’s investment company

About FARCO-PHARMA
FARCO-PHARMA has been a reliable partner in urology for almost 60 years. The company’s product portfolio includes high-quality lubricating gels and instillation solutions for urological use.

Contact
FARCO-PHARMA GmbH
Susanne Pouwels
E-Mail: Susanne.Pouwels@farco-pharma.de
Tel.: +49 221 594 061  
Web: www.farco.de    

About High-Tech Gründerfonds   
The seed investor High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) finances tech start-ups with growth potential and has supported more than 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. 

Media contact
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH 
Tobias Jacob, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager  
T.: +49 228 – 82300 – 121 
t.jacob@htgf.de

* Klein S, Nierensteine. As of 2019. Online: https://.gelbe-liste.de Access date: 14.06.2023