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Abingworth

Abingworth

London, United Kingdom·Founded 1973··abingworth.com

Abingworth is a transatlantic life-sciences investment firm founded in 1973 and one of the longest-established dedicated biotechnology and medical-technology investors in Europe. Headquartered in London with offices in New York and San Francisco, it backs seed- to development-stage biopharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical-technology companies across the United States, Europe and Asia. Over its history the firm has invested in more than 185 life-science companies, generating over 75 public listings and more than 50 trade-sale exits. Abingworth invests through early- and late-stage venture capital, venture investments in public equities, and a Clinical Co-Development strategy that funds late-stage drug trials in exchange for milestone-based returns. The Carlyle Group agreed to acquire Abingworth in April 2022 and completed the transaction in August 2022 for approximately USD 190 million; Abingworth continues to operate under its own brand, investment team and named funds as Carlyle's life-sciences venture platform and manages approximately USD 2 billion. It is regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 453934.

AUM
€1.8B
Funds
6
vintages 2014–2023
Portfolio
26
Exits
14

Abingworth is a London venture capital firm with €1.8B AUM, 26 active companies and 14 exits.

SectorsHealthcare
Key takeaways
  • ·10 exits in the last 5 years · consistent DPI cadence.
  • ·Average hold across 10 realized deals: 4 years.
  • ·Top sector focus: Biotech (85% of portfolio).
  • ·Fund cadence: ~2Y between vintages · last raise 2023.

Sector breakdown

40 companies
Biotech
34 · 85%
Healthcare
3 · 8%
MedTech
2 · 5%
AI/ML
1 · 3%

Geography breakdown

4 geographies
US
32 · 80%
UK
4 · 10%
Australia
2 · 5%
France
2 · 5%

Key facts

HQLondon, United Kingdom
Founded1973

Recent exits

Myricx Bio

Abingworth sold Myricx Bio to Novartis in 2026 after 2 years.

Soleno Therapeutics

Abingworth sold Soleno Therapeutics to Neurocrine Biosciences in 2026 after 8 years.

Abingworth sold HilleVax to XOMA Royalty in 2025 after 4 years.

Scorpion Therapeutics

Abingworth sold Scorpion Therapeutics to Eli Lilly in 2025 after 5 years.

Coverage notes

6 funds tracked, 40 portfolio companies (26 active · 14 realized). Verified weekly from public filings and deal announcements.

Funds & portfolio

Every fund Abingworth has raised, with its portfolio companies. Hand-checked from public filings.

6 funds
Abingworth Bioventures IXActive
VC2023€332M3 assets

Unrealized

3 held
CompanyEntry
Addition Therapeutics
Biotech · US
2025
cAMPfield
Biotech · US
2026
R1 Therapeutics
Biotech · US
2026
Abingworth Clinical Co-Development Co-Investment Fund
Life Sciences VC2023€327M0 assets

No portfolio companies tracked yet.

Abingworth Bioventures 8
Life Sciences VC2021€428M12 assets4 exits

Unrealized

12 held
CompanyEntry
AdvanCell
Biotech · Australia
2025
Antares Therapeutics
Biotech · US
2025
Ascend Gene & Cell Therapies
Biotech · UK
2023
Cytospire Therapeutics
Biotech · UK
2026
Entact Bio
Biotech · US
2022
Glycomine
Biotech · US
2021
Iambic Therapeutics
AI/ML · US
2023
Nido Biosciences
Biotech · US
2023
Pathalys Pharma
Biotech · US
2023
Solve Therapeutics
Biotech · US
2025
Timberlyne Therapeutics
Biotech · US
2025
Wugen
Biotech · US
2021

Realized

4 exits
CompanyEntryExitTypeBuyerMOIC
HilleVax
Healthcare · US
20212025Trade SaleXOMA Royalty–
Myricx Bio
Biotech · UK
20242026Trade SaleNovartis–
OnKure Therapeutics
Biotech · US
20232024IPOReneo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.–
Vera Therapeutics
Biotech · US
20212021IPO––
Abingworth Clinical Co-Development Fund 2
Life Sciences VC2021€535M2 assets

Unrealized

2 held
CompanyEntry
Launch Therapeutics
Biotech · US
2022
Opthea
Biotech · Australia
2022
Abingworth Bioventures VII
Life Sciences VC2018€290M5 assets5 exits

Unrealized

5 held
CompanyEntry
Adicet Bio
Biotech · US
2021
Atsena Therapeutics
Biotech · US
2020
Orbus Therapeutics
Biotech · US
2020
Soteria Biotherapeutics
Biotech · US
2021
Trishula Therapeutics
Biotech · US
2020

Realized

5 exits
CompanyEntryExitTypeBuyerMOIC
Jasper Therapeutics
Biotech · US
20192021IPOAmplitude Healthcare Acquisition Corp.–
Phathom Pharmaceuticals
Healthcare · US
20192019IPO––
Q32 Bio
Biotech · US
20202024IPOHomology Medicines, Inc.–
Scorpion Therapeutics
Biotech · US
20202025Trade SaleEli Lilly–
Spruce Biosciences
Biotech · US
20202020IPO––
Abingworth Bioventures VI
Life Sciences VC2014€345M4 assets5 exits

Unrealized

4 held
CompanyEntry
Exicure
Biotech · US
2019
Median Technologies
MedTech · France
2015
Tizona Therapeutics
Biotech · US
2016
Venatorx Pharmaceuticals
Healthcare · US
2022

Realized

5 exits
CompanyEntryExitTypeBuyerMOIC
Avedro
MedTech · US
20142019Trade SaleGlaukos–
eFFECTOR Therapeutics
Biotech · US
20132021IPOLocust Walk Acquisition Corp.–
GenSight Biologics
Biotech · France
20142016IPO––
Soleno Therapeutics
Biotech · US
20182026Trade SaleNeurocrine Biosciences–
Verona Pharma
Biotech · UK
–2025Trade SaleMerck & Co.–

About Abingworth

Abingworth is a transatlantic life sciences venture capital specialist with more than $2 billion of assets under management as of December 2024 (raised nearly $1 billion across 2021-2024 for life sciences plus a separately advised $1.5 billion Carlyle-backed clinical trials fund), headquartered in London with offices in New York and San Francisco. The firm was founded in 1973 with a 50 plus year life sciences specialist track record covering 185 plus companies, 50 plus M&A transactions and 75 plus IPOs. Abingworth was acquired by The Carlyle Group in August 2022 and operates as an independent unit and LLP affiliate.

Investment thesis

Abingworth deploys capital through 12 plus Abingworth Bioventures funds (ABV VII, ABV 8, plus the Carlyle-Abingworth clinical trials vehicle), targeting transatlantic life sciences venture capital from seed to development stages. The platform combines traditional VC investing with innovative structures including Venture Investments in Public Equities (VIPEs), Clinical Co-Development and royalty-based late-stage clinical trial financing. Sector focus spans biopharma, biotech therapeutics and gene and cell therapy, with geographic deployment across US and UK core plus broader European and Asia-Pacific coverage. The Carlyle balance sheet integration enables clinical co-development and royalty financing structures unavailable to traditional VC platforms.

Recent activity

Recent realised exits include biopharma and respiratory therapeutics (Verona Pharma, 2025) and biotech immunology (Escient Pharmaceuticals, 2024). Recent investments include Solve Therapeutics Series C (November 2025), Addition Therapeutics (gene and cell therapy, 2025) and Iambic Therapeutics follow-on (2025), with 9 investments completed in 2025. The platform continues active deployment across the transatlantic life sciences franchise.

Frequently asked questions

What investment strategy does Abingworth focus on?
Abingworth focuses on VC, Growth strategies in the private equity space.
How many portfolio companies does Abingworth have?
Abingworth has 26 active portfolio companies and 14 completed exits and 6 funds tracked on GP Intel.
Where is Abingworth headquartered?
Abingworth is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
What is Abingworth's assets under management?
Abingworth manages approximately €1.8B in assets under management.
When was Abingworth founded?
Abingworth was founded in 1973.
What sectors does Abingworth invest in?
Abingworth invests across Healthcare.
What are Abingworth's recent exits?
Recent realized exits by Abingworth include: Myricx Bio (2026) to Novartis; Soleno Therapeutics (2026) to Neurocrine Biosciences; HilleVax (2025) to XOMA Royalty; Scorpion Therapeutics (2025) to Eli Lilly; Verona Pharma (2025) to Merck & Co.; OnKure Therapeutics (2024) to Reneo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Q32 Bio (2024) to Homology Medicines, Inc.; Jasper Therapeutics (2021) to Amplitude Healthcare Acquisition Corp..
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Last updated August 2026 · Sourced from public filings · Report an issue