Notice of Investment Agreement with AN Venture Partners

OSAKA, Japan, December 4, 2023 - Shionogi & Co., Ltd.  (Head Office: Osaka, Japan; Chief Executive Officer: Isao Teshirogi, Ph.D.; hereafter "Shionogi") announced that we have concluded investment agreement with AN Venture Partners, a global biotech venture capital fund (Location: Tokyo, San Francisco, Managing Partner: Ken Horne; hereafter "ANV”).

ANV is a new venture investment firm focusing on fostering global life science companies, many of which are expected to originate from technology created in Japan, and building companies led by experienced and successful global management teams. AN Ventures has been established by experienced investment professionals from Japan and United States and aims to serve as a bridge between Japan and the world, maximizing the potential and the value of Japan’s scientific and technological capabilities. In addition to its alliance with one of the leading US life science venture investor groups, ARCH Venture Partners, ANV expects to collaborate with other top-tier VCs.

Through this agreement, Shionogi will become a Strategic Partner of AN Ventures, bringing our expert R&D perspective together with AN Ventures’ capabilities in technology and asset assessment and company creation. We expect to expand our view of early-stage opportunities and our global network, broadening our access to potential advisors and collaborators while working with AN Ventures to create new successes and a stronger future for Japan’s biotechnology ecosystem*¹. Furthermore, we will have the opportunity to develop our human resources through an internship program with ANV. Shionogi has invested in the platform with the intent of earning distributions.

*¹ New organizations and social systems that promote the development of biotechnology

Shionogi is committed to “Protect people worldwide from the threat of infectious diseases” and “Improve social productivity and extend healthy lifespan” as our key focus. We are working to achieve total care that goes beyond treating the disease itself to help to bring about a global society characterized by healthy longevity, in which all can enjoy more rewarding lives. Through this agreement, we expect to advance our research and development activities, so that we can develop and provide innovative medicines and other healthcare products to address the unmet needs of patients around the world.

【About AN Venture Partners】

AN Venture Partners is a Tokyo and San Francisco-based venture capital firm investing primarily in biotech. The fund has been established by a group of experienced venture capitalists from Japan and the United States, who have a wealth of experience in founding and growing start-ups, in addition to having an agreed alliance with ARCH Venture Partners. ANV’s investment strategy focuses on company creation and early-stage investments, with a particular but not exclusive focus on science from Japan. ANV also invests in global start-ups and will invest all the way through to sale, merger or IPO. For more information, please visit www.an.vc

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SHIONOGI Website Inquiry Form : https://www.shionogi.com/global/en/contact.html