Bird & Bird advises Biocentis on $19 million investment to advance genetic insect control

Bird & Bird advised Biocentis on its $19 million investment round to advance the company’s work on genetic approaches to insect control. The transaction comprises a $13 million seed equity investment led by The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment and Algebris Investments, with additional participation from Neurone, Corbites, Novaterra and a network of entrepreneurs including the founders of two European technology unicorns. In addition to the equity raise, Biocentis has secured a $6 million award from Wellcome. Biocentis, a spin-out of Imperial College London, develops genetically engineered insects and computational models to make insect control more effective, safe and sustainable. Using a proprietary genome engineering platform, the company creates insects carrying traits designed to reduce fertility within target species; when released, those insects mate with wild populations to reduce their size while leaving non-target species and the wider environment unaffected. Biocentis also applies artificial intelligence to simulate biological performance in real-world conditions, accelerating development and supporting risk anticipation for decision makers. Proceeds will be used to advance initial solutions into field trials across the United States, Brazil and other priority markets, and to extend the company’s technology platform into further applications. Bird & Bird represented client Biocentis with a team composed by: James Baillieu (partner, Corporate), Sarah Bratton-Bishop (senior associate, Corporate), Kimberly Tan (associate, Corporate) and Afra Casiraghi (partner, Corporate, Milan). Specialist advice was provided by: Sarah Ferguson (partner, Employee Incentives & Benefits), Andrew Rink (senior associate, Employee Incentives & Benefits), David Walder (senior associate, Employee Incentives & Benefits), Mario Subramaniam (partner, Intellectual Property) and Charlotte Getz (associate, Intellectual Property).

Bird & Bird advises Biocentis on $19 million investment to advance genetic insect control

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