Forbion
Amsterdam life sciences VC; 2bn+ euros managed; co-led Tropic Biosciences Series B.
Last refreshed: 13 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why is a Dutch pharma VC firm backing crop gene-editing in Norwich?
Timeline for Forbion
Mentioned in: CellCentric raises Europe's largest 2026 biotech round
UK Startups and InnovationCo-led Tropic Biosciences $105m Series C
UK Startups and Innovation: Tropic Biosciences raises $105m from Norwich- What is Forbion and where is it based?
- Forbion is a European life sciences venture capital firm founded in 2006, based in Naarden and Munich, managing over €2bn across multiple funds with a focus on clinical-stage therapeutics and agri-biotech.Source: Forbion
- What companies has Forbion invested in the UK?
- Forbion co-led the $105m Series B for Tropic Biosciences alongside Corteva Catalyst — a Norwich-based gene-editing company developing disease-resistant banana crops.Source: Lowdown uk-startups-and-innovation U#1
- Why is European VC investing in UK agritech post-Brexit?
- Forbion's co-lead in the Tropic Biosciences round reflects a view that UK post-Brexit gene-editing regulatory flexibility is a competitive advantage, attracting European specialist capital into British agricultural biotech.Source: Lowdown uk-startups-and-innovation U#1
- How much does Forbion manage in assets?
- Forbion manages over €2bn across multiple funds, investing in clinical-stage therapeutics and agri-biotech companies from its Naarden and Munich offices.Source: Forbion
Background
Forbion is a European life sciences venture capital firm that co-led the $105m Series B fundraise for Tropic Biosciences alongside Corteva Catalyst. The Amsterdam-based firm specialises in therapeutics and, more recently, has extended its portfolio into agri-biotech and food technology, reflecting a convergence between pharmaceutical biology techniques and agricultural applications.
Founded in 2006 and managing over 2bn euros across multiple funds, Forbion typically invests in companies at the clinical-stage for therapeutics or commercial-readiness stage for agri-biotech. Its partners have backgrounds in pharmaceutical industry operations and academic research, giving it the scientific diligence capability to evaluate complex gene-editing approaches. The firm has offices in Naarden and Munich.
Forbions co-lead position alongside Corteva Catalyst in the Tropic round is strategically coherent: a financial life sciences specialist paired with an industry strategic provides Tropic with both independent scientific validation and commercial route-to-market expertise. For the UK agri-biotech sector, Forbion represents European specialist capital that is increasingly willing to back British companies, particularly those working in gene editing where UK post-Brexit regulatory flexibility is seen as a competitive advantage.