Gameto, a biotech firm dedicated to women’s health, has announced the successful closure of a $33 million Series B financing round. This round, which exceeded initial targets, was led by Two Sigma Ventures and RA Capital, with participation from existing investors such as Insight Partners, Future Ventures, and BOLD Capital Partners. New investors include Olivia Walton’s Ingeborg Investments, Stacey Bendet Eisner, and Chelsea Hirschhorn. To date, Gameto has raised $73 million.
The fresh capital will primarily support the clinical development of Fertilo, an investigational in vitro maturation (IVM) solution that utilizes engineered ovarian support cells (OSCs) to mature eggs outside the body. This innovative approach aims to replace traditional hormonal injections, reducing the in vitro fertilization (IVF) and egg-freezing process from 10-14 days to just 2-3 days.
Gameto has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to proceed to Phase 3 trials, pending the completion of certain assay and manufacturing requirements. The funding will also support Fertilo’s commercial launch in Australia and Latin America, where it is already being used clinically.
“I am proud of the strong scientific foundation, driven and high performing team, innovative pipeline and encouraging data that we have cultivated at Gameto, and I am incredibly excited to amplify and build upon this momentum with the addition of leading investors with extensive expertise in reproductive medicine,” said Dr. Dina Radenkovic, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Gameto. “These funds will support our late stage clinical development in the U.S., post-market surveillance outside the U.S. and the creation of a commercial operations function. We are honored to have added the teams at Two Sigma, RA Capital, and others to our stellar investor base, and we’re pleased to see increased investor confidence in our platform technology and a recognition of the pressing need for modern treatments in the historically underfunded women’s health space, despite a challenging market. I believe that each small step we take in investing in women’s health can lead to a giant leap in medical breakthroughs and innovation.”
Gameto’s novel technology leverages cellular engineering to create a pure population of highly potent OSCs from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC), aiming to recreate the dynamic follicular environment in a lab setting. This approach is designed to streamline and enhance the IVF process, potentially transforming how fertility treatments are administered.
Dusan Perovic, Partner at Two Sigma Ventures, highlighted the potential global impact of Gameto’s approach to IVF, emphasizing its ability to make fertility treatments easier and more accessible. Laura Stoppel, Principal at RA Capital Management, praised Gameto for pioneering much-needed advancements in the women’s health industry, particularly in the realm of IVF.
Peter Kolchinsky, Managing Partner of RA Capital Management, added a personal note, emphasizing the significant societal impact of easing the burden of fertility treatments. “To contemplate the importance of easing that burden, of expanding the freedom of many to have children when they are ready, it’s hard to overestimate the potential impact of such an advance on humanity.”
The company is backed by a robust group of investors, including Anne Wojcicki of 23andMe, Bob Nelsen of ARCH Venture Partners, and several others committed to advancing women’s health.
