Forbion has raised €2.3 billion across two new funds, its largest raise to date, to back about 30 life sciences companies. Backers include Eli Lilly, Dutch pension managers MN and PGGM, KfW Capital and the Kauffman Foundation. The money sits in Forbion Growth Opportunities Fund IV and Forbion Ventures Fund VIII, lifting assets under management to about €7.5 billion.
What the company does
Forbion is a life sciences venture capital firm based in Naarden, the Netherlands. It invests in biotech and pharmaceutical companies developing new medicines, backing both young companies built around promising science and more established companies running late-stage clinical trials. It began in 2000 as the venture arm of ABN AMRO, became independent in 2006, and says it has financed 142 companies to date, including 37 it built itself.
Forbion says its portfolio has produced 21 approved medical products that have reached more than 1.6 million patients, according to its own 2025 Impact and ESG report. Alongside human health investments, it also invests in bio-based industry through a separate strategy.
The round
Forbion raised €2.3 billion across two funds: Forbion Growth Opportunities Fund IV and Forbion Ventures Fund VIII. Together the funds can finance about 30 companies, and Forbion says the first investments have already been made. The raise lifts assets under management to about €7.5 billion, up from €5 billion in October 2024. Forbion did not disclose how the €2.3 billion splits between the two funds.
Backers include Dutch pension managers MN and PGGM, KfW Capital (the venture arm of German development bank KfW), the US based Kauffman Foundation, and pharmaceutical group Eli Lilly and Company. Forbion said both existing and new investors took part but did not specify which. Growth Opportunities Fund IV will focus mainly on later-stage biopharma companies in Europe and North America developing treatments for areas of high medical need. Ventures Fund VIII will back therapeutics-focused biotech companies, including existing businesses and new ventures built around promising assets and proven teams, according to Forbion.
Sander Slootweg, Forbion’s managing partner and co-founder, said: “Our successful fundraising gives us significant dry powder in a market characterized by a general shortage of capital. We will continue to focus on building and scaling those companies that develop the most paradigm-shifting treatments, addressing true unmet needs and delivering societal impact.”
Frequently asked questions
What does Forbion do?
Forbion is a life sciences venture capital firm based in Naarden, the Netherlands, that invests in biotech and pharmaceutical companies, from early-stage ventures built around new science to later-stage companies running clinical trials.
Who invested in Forbion’s new funds?
Backers include Dutch pension managers MN and PGGM, KfW Capital, the Kauffman Foundation and pharmaceutical group Eli Lilly and Company, alongside other existing and new investors Forbion did not name individually.
What will Forbion use the €2.3 billion for?
The €2.3 billion will be used through two funds, each with a different focus. Forbion Growth Opportunities Fund IV targets later-stage biopharma companies in Europe and North America, and Forbion Ventures Fund VIII backs earlier-stage therapeutics companies. Together the funds will finance about 30 companies.
