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- The EIB has signed €20 million in venture debt financing with Belgian microbiome health company The Akkermansia Company.
- With the venture debt, the company will accelerate the R&D and commercial activities around the Akkermansia muciniphila bacteria, which has been the subject of scientific articles showing the critical role the bacteria can play in reinforcing gut barrier functions.
- The financing was made possible with the support of the InvestEU programme, which aims to trigger over €372 billion in additional investment all over the European Union.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a €20 million venture debt financing agreement with The Akkermansia Company, a Belgian company specialising in microbiome health, backed by the European Commission’s InvestEU initiative.
Started as a spin-off from two universities (UCLouvain in Belgium and Wageningen University in the Netherlands), the company develops Akkermansia muciniphila, an intestinal symbiont with unique properties, whose research is focused on demonstrating the key role thatAkkermansia muciniphila can play in reinforcing gut barrier functions, which are essential to support metabolism. The Akkermansia Company will use the financing to boost its research, development and innovation, and the commercialisation of new products containing pasteurised Akkermansia muciniphila.
“Belgium really has a flourishing life sciences and biotech scene, and I’m proud that the EIB has been able to finance many important and break-through innovations in recent years,” said EIB Vice-President Kris Peeters. “We are happy to support The Akkermansia Company in its research and development, considering that the human microbiome is still poorly understood and under-researched, even though it is so important for maintaining good general health and preventing or treating diseases impacting the daily lives of so many people.”
“The Akkermansia Company is currently continuing its geographic expansion and expects strong growth in its commercial activity while continuing its research and development programme,” said CEO of The Akkermansia Company Michael Oredsson. “We will use the EIB venture debt financing to accelerate our commercial and R&D efforts, amongst others by conducting additional clinical trials aimed at demonstrating the health benefits of pasteurised Akkermansia muciniphila in several areas.”
The operation provides direct, equity-type financing under the EIB's venture debt instrument and by doing so contributes to the European Union’s InvestEU objective on research, development and innovation.