Establishing a digital health hub in Luxembourg: LIH and Expon Capital sign a collaboration agreement

• Press

The LIH and Luxembourg-based venture capital investment firm Expon Capital agreed to enter into a mutual collaboration aiming to identify possible opportunities and synergies in the field of scientific research and technological development in the digital health sector.

Luxembourg boasts a rapidly-evolving and thriving health-tech scene, enabled by the financial support of the Government, national funding agencies such as the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), supranational institutions, as well as the cutting-edge expertise and infrastructure of its research institutes, including the LIH. The country is therefore ideally positioned to attract dynamic and innovative health-tech companies and start-ups, particularly in the digital health area, and establish itself as a leading translational e-health hub. Venture Capital plays an equally key role in catalysing this ambitious vision.

In this context, the LIH, a pioneer in translational medicine and digital health, and Expon Capital, specialised in early and late-stage Venture Capital investment in European tech companies, signed a collaboration agreement in order to pave the way towards the establishment of such an e-health ecosystem.

More specifically, the agreement aims to set the framework for a collaboration focused on the identification, development and possible implementation of a variety of specific projects and activities. These include for instance the provision of support to the LIH in setting up juries for hackathons and competitions, spin-offs and start-ups, as well as assistance related to other science commercialisation activities. Similarly, the LIH will be able to provide advisory and scientific support to Expon Capital and assist in the elaboration of a joint strategy to develop partnerships between digital health companies and the financial and investor community.

We are delighted to have entered into this agreement with a reputable Venture Capitalist with a profound knowledge of the national research and technology landscape. We believe that the numerous opportunities for knowledge transfer arising from this partnership and the availability of Expon’s financial and investment expertise to our researchers will create a bridge between research and its commercialisation. This will ensure that our scientific findings are marketable and can be translated into tangible healthcare solutions, easily accessible by clinicians and patients

states Prof Ulf Nehrbass, Chief Executive Officer of the LIH.

“We are looking forward to setting the basis for a solid and long-lasting strategic cooperation between the complementary worlds of research and finance here in the Grand Duchy, which will contribute to further attracting innovative and disruptive e-health companies, ultimately unlocking the potential of digital health and translational research and improving healthcare and patient outcomes”, concludes Jérôme Wittamer, Managing Partner of Expon Capital.

About the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH)

The Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) is a public biomedical research organization focused on precision health and invested in becoming a leading reference in Europe for the translation of scientific excellence into meaningful benefits for patients.

LIH places the patient at the heart of all its activities, driven by a collective obligation towards society to use knowledge and technology arising from research on patient derived data to have a direct impact on people’s health. Its dedicated teams of multidisciplinary researchers strive for excellence, generating relevant knowledge linked to immune related diseases and cancer.

The institute embraces collaborations, disruptive technology and process innovation as unique opportunities to improve the application of diagnostics and therapeutics with the long-term goal of preventing disease.

About Expon Capital

Expon Capital is an independent Venture Capital firm dedicated to the financing of big ideas with the potential for positive impact & exponential growth. Digital Health firmly fits with the company’s DNA. Based in Luxembourg, the firm invests from an early stage in some of the most promising companies from Europe, the US, and Israel. Expon Capital also manages the Digital Tech Fund, a seed funding investment vehicle for Luxembourg.