Lingfu Bio Completes RMB 170 Million Series A1 Financing to Accelerate Non-Human Primate Resource Base and Laboratory Infrastructure Development

VCBeat (WeChat: vcbeat) has learned that Beijing Life Biosciences Co., Ltd. (“Life Biosciences”) recently completed an RMB 170 million Series A1 financing round. Investors included Hainan Rongzhi Fund, Sanya Yazhou Bay Venture Capital, Matrix Partners China, Legend Capital, Puhua Capital, CytoMed, and the founding team, which participated in follow-on investment. Probe Capital served as the financial advisor for this financing. Previously, the company had completed a tens-of-millions-yuan angel round and a Pre-A round exceeding RMB 200 million, with investors including China Life Equity Investments, Legend Capital, Changfa Zhan Capital, Puhua Capital, CytoMed, and Probe Capital.

The company’s financing will be primarily allocated to the strategic deployment of non-human primate (NHP) resource bases and the construction of experimental facilities, continuously refining the high-quality industrial chain for laboratory animal resources. This initiative aims to establish a comprehensive closed-loop ecosystem for Life Biosciences’ NHP resources and service capabilities. Meanwhile, the company has completed its strategic integration with Beijing Renyuan Xinsheng, a leading domestic developer of gene-edited animal models, achieving significant breakthroughs in large-fragment gene editing technology and the development of gene-edited animal models. These advancements have further enhanced its innovative technical service capabilities, positioning it at the forefront of the industry.

Life Biosciences is committed to becoming China’s first integrated research service provider, combining three core pillars: the full industrial chain of experimental model resources, the full industrial chain of experimental model technologies, and high-value-added innovative scientific research services. Currently, its subsidiary, Jiangsu Life Zhaoshengyuan, is a leading national provider of laboratory dogs and marmosets; Chengdu Life Shiye specializes in supplying non-human primates with distinct characteristics; Shenzhen Life Top and Beijing Shouke Life serve as professional providers of experimental models and animal-based research services; and Beijing Renyuan Xinsheng operates as an innovation platform based on molecular cell biology and gene editing technologies. The company has initially established a nationwide network of experimental model resource bases, along with a strategic layout of laboratories and animal facilities.

Ms. Zhang Lei, Chairwoman of Life BiosciencesStatement: We extend our heartfelt gratitude to both new and existing investment institutions for their support of Life Biosciences. In 2022, Life Biosciences achieved rapid development, with its resource industry chain beginning to take shape and model and experimental services being carried out in an orderly manner. The company has provided over one hundred model and experimental services to research clients and innovative pharmaceutical enterprises in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and other regions. Notably, its capabilities in developing high-difficulty non-human primate (NHP) brain science models and evaluating the efficacy of drugs on the nervous system have gained customer recognition. Moving forward, the company will continue to solidify its layout across the resource industry chain, steadily enhance standards and production capacity, and build robust infrastructure for the biopharmaceutical sector. Meanwhile, it will actively expand into high-value-added experimental services to empower customer innovation.

Mr. Guo Yansheng, Representative Appointed by the Executive Partner of Hainan Rongzhi FundStatement: The Hainan Rongzhi Talent Fund (hereinafter referred to as the “Rongzhi Fund”) is the first venture capital fund in Hainan Province established since the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council decided to set up the “Hainan Free Trade Port.” It is guided by government fiscal funding, with co-investment from social capital such as Yonyou Network, managed by Rongdao Investment, and operates strictly on a market-oriented basis. The fund primarily invests in education, emerging technologies, and services.

Technological innovation and services in biomedicine fall within the scope of the life sciences industry development and constitute a core area of emerging technologies and services. This sector is not only a key focus for Rongzhi Fund but also one of Hainan Province’s priority industries. As a leading enterprise in China’s experimental animal sector, Life Biosciences is expected to play a significant role in revitalizing the experimental animal industry, which serves as a critical support for China’s biopharmaceutical sector. We sincerely hope that Life Biosciences will leverage Hainan’s unique advantages to strategically position its operations early on, vigorously attract talent to Hainan, and achieve larger industrial scale at an earlier stage, thereby making outstanding contributions to the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port and talent development.

Relevant Person in Charge of Yazhou Bay Venture CapitalStatement: Sanya Yazhou Bay Venture Capital Co., Ltd. undertakes the industrial investment functions of Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City Development and Construction Co., Ltd., focusing on investments in three major industries: Nanfan (seed breeding), deep-sea technology, and life sciences. In line with the national strategic development plan to establish a Global Animal Germplasm Resource Bank in Sanya Yazhou’s Nanfan base, and given the positioning of the biopharmaceutical industry as one of the three strategic emerging industries in the Hainan Free Trade Port, Yazhou Bay Venture Capital recognizes Life Biosciences’ comprehensive layout and team strength in building a full industry chain for experimental animal resources and models. Our investment in Life Biosciences will accelerate and support Hainan’s development and construction in the fields of model organisms and experimental animals.