VectorBuilder Biosciences Secures RMB 410 Million Series C Funding to Accelerate Global Life Sciences and Gene Therapy Development

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that VectorBuilder, a leader in gene delivery technologies, recently announced the completion of its C-round financing, raising RMB 410 million. The round was led by Legend Capital, Suikai Investment, and Guangzhou YUEXIU Industrial Investment Fund, with participation from C&D Emerging Investment, Wanlian Securities, Guangzhou Industrial Investment Capital, and Jingtingshan Venture Capital. Following this financing, VectorBuilder will continue to upgrade its R&D and production technology platforms for gene delivery, expand production capacity, intensify brand communication and marketing efforts, further accelerate its global business layout, and support the worldwide development of life sciences and gene therapies.

VectorBuilder, a leading enterprise in gene delivery, was founded by Dr. Tian Lan, a world-renowned molecular biologist who formerly served as a tenured professor at the University of Chicago and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The company provides services including CRO for research and clinical vectors, CDMO for gene therapies, and licensing of gene delivery intellectual property, with its business covering the entire life sciences and gene medicine sectors. VectorBuilder operates more than 10 branches and offices worldwide, with 90% of its revenue derived from overseas markets across more than 80 countries and regions. To date, it has delivered over 1.2 million gene delivery solutions to more than 4,000 research institutions and pharmaceutical companies globally, with its gene therapy CRO and CDMO projects spanning North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and other regions.

To address the challenges of low efficiency, long turnaround times, and high costs in vector construction faced by hundreds of thousands of life science laboratories worldwide, VectorBuilder pioneered the world’s first online intelligent vector design platform, “VectorBuilder,” which, combined with its offline high-throughput smart production management platform, has enabled the scaled, standardized industrial manufacturing of highly personalized vectors, significantly improving efficiency and reducing costs. VectorBuilder’s zero-to-one innovation has ushered in the era of commercialized personalized gene vectors, contributing substantial value to accelerating life science research globally.

Gene delivery is a critical component of gene therapy development. As the global gene therapy industry remains in its early stages, this presents China with a significant opportunity and strategic pathway to achieve leapfrog advancement in the biopharmaceutical sector. VectorBuilder leverages its core R&D and manufacturing capabilities in clinical vector CRO and gene therapy CDMO services to help gene therapy companies accelerate drug development timelines, thereby empowering the research, development, and clinical application of gene therapies.

Dr. Lan Tian, Founder and Chief Scientist of VectorBuilder

Dr. Lan Tian, Founder and Chief Scientist of VectorBuilderStatement: We extend our sincere gratitude to the investors for their support of VectorBuilder. With robust technological expertise and a strong business model in the gene delivery industry, we have secured the largest share of the global research market for gene vectors. In April this year, we commenced construction of a 45,000 m² R&D and production base for gene delivery in the Guangzhou Development District. Leveraging this round of financing, we aim to further accelerate the comprehensive upgrade and optimization of our technology platform, expand production capacity, and enhance our global footprint. Our goal is to empower basic scientific research, expedite the clinical application of gene therapies, and establish VectorBuilder as the leading enterprise across the entire gene delivery industry chain. In the future, VectorBuilder will enter countless life science laboratories worldwide, becoming a household name in the life sciences sector. By empowering the gene therapy industry with our core technologies, we will help China achieve a "leapfrog" advantage in the gene therapy race. Meanwhile, we are committed to conquering genetic diseases and improving human health, delivering irreplaceable value to the industry and the world.

Rendering of VectorBuilder's Gene Delivery R&D and Production Base

Wang Jianfei, Managing Director at Legend CapitalStatement: VectorBuilder is a globally leading gene delivery company, offering end-to-end solutions for gene delivery from basic research to clinical applications. We are honored to participate in the company’s future development. Dr. Lan Tian, Founder and Chief Scientist, is an expert in the field of biotechnological innovation. We are optimistic about the comprehensive, ecosystem-style service platform for life sciences and biopharmaceutical gene delivery needs that Dr. Lan is building at VectorBuilder. The company has developed the world’s first integrated system for online design and offline production of vector construction and downstream application services, serving thousands of top-tier biopharmaceutical companies and research institutions. With the growth of the gene therapy industry, VectorBuilder has a promising future.

Zhang Xiaozhong, Chairman of Guangzhou Development District Investment GroupStatement: VectorBuilder has pioneered the commercialization era of customized gene vectors. Under the leadership of Dr. Lan Tian, the company has achieved rapid global growth. Furthermore, the synergistic innovation in R&D and business models has endowed the company with a rare and difficult-to-replicate competitive edge in the highly promising field of gene therapy. Kaifeng Group has long been a steadfast partner in VectorBuilder’s growth and development. As the lead investor in this round once again, we eagerly anticipate that VectorBuilder will drive initiatives to strengthen and complete the gene therapy industry chain within the Guangzhou Development District, thereby helping China achieve “overtaking on the bend” in the gene drug sector and fostering the emergence of a global industry leader.

Lu Rong, Managing Partner and President of Yuexiu Industrial FundStatement: The global cell and gene therapy sector is developing rapidly and is expected to become the third major pillar of the biopharmaceutical industry, following small-molecule targeted drugs and large-molecule biologics. VectorBuilder, a globally leading gene delivery service provider, enters the market as a “Vector Specialist,” offering end-to-end gene delivery solutions for customers ranging from basic research to clinical applications. Its founder, Dr. Lan Tian, is an internationally renowned geneticist with over 30 years of experience in the field of genetics. We are pleased to lead the investment in VectorBuilder and believe that, under Dr. Lan’s leadership, the company will continue its rapid growth. Furthermore, we are confident that, with VectorBuilder’s collaboration, Guangzhou will gradually become a hub for cell and gene therapy companies, fostering an industrial ecosystem that contributes to building Guangzhou into a world-class biopharmaceutical industry cluster.

Legend Capital, established in April 2001, is a fund management company under Legend Holdings Corporation, specializing in early-stage venture capital and growth-stage private equity investment. Over the past two decades, Legend Capital has adhered to international standards and created best practices in fund operations and management. Through its proactive value-added service system, Legend Capital drives innovative corporate growth, consistently delivering strong investment returns across multiple sectors while promoting industrial advancement and social development in China. With the vision of “becoming an investment firm with global influence,” Legend Capital upholds the core value of “Prosperity with Integrity” and actively fulfills its social responsibilities.

Guangzhou Suikai Equity Investment Co., Ltd. was established in December 2017 as a wholly-owned private equity fund subsidiary of Guangzhou Development District Investment Group Co., Ltd. Leveraging the robust resources of its parent company, Suikai Investment has deepened its presence in the Guangzhou Development District. Adopting a dual-drive strategy of “direct investment + funds,” it has identified, invested in, and empowered numerous star enterprises and unicorns, including Lushan New Materials (Stock Code: 603051), Narui Radar, Xinde Technology, Guanghe Technology, Guodi Technology, Daoyuan Electronics, VectorBuilder, Lijing Innovation, Guanggang Gas, Juwan Technology Research Institute, and Guangxin Microelectronics. Committed to being rooted in Huangpu and serving industrial development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the firm strives to become a boutique state-owned industrial investment institution with distinct local characteristics and profound industrial advantages.

Guangzhou YUEXIU Industrial Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yuexiu Industrial Fund”) was established in 2011. As a private equity investment management platform under Yuexiu Financial Holdings, it has managed cumulative fund assets exceeding RMB 100 billion to date. Through years of market-oriented and professional development, the company has formed a business layout featuring “one core” (fund-of-funds investment) and “two wings” (equity investment and mezzanine investment), growing into a leading industrial capital operator in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In the biopharmaceutical sector, the company adopts a research-driven investment approach, continuously integrating industry resources to empower portfolio companies and foster a robust biopharmaceutical ecosystem. To date, it has invested in more than 50 biopharmaceutical enterprises, including high-quality companies across various sub-sectors such as Sirnaomics (2257.HK), which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, as well as Hope Medicine, Hankang Biotech, Junshintai, TransOcean Pharma, MoonBiome, Yinghang Biotechnology, Jiayue Pharma, and Xukang Medical.

VectorBuilderFounded in 2014 by Dr. Tian Lan, a world-renowned molecular biologist, VectorBuilder is a leading enterprise in gene delivery with more than 10 branches and offices worldwide. VectorBuilder pioneered the “VectorBuilder” platform, ushering in the era of commercialized custom gene vectors. As the world’s largest provider of research-grade gene vectors, it has delivered over 1.2 million gene delivery solutions to more than 4,000 research institutions and pharmaceutical companies globally. With over 300,000 projects entering production annually, its contributions have been widely cited in top-tier scientific journals such as Science, Nature, and Cell.

VectorBuilder’s GMP-grade lentiviral vectors have received formal IND approval from the U.S. FDA for use in multicenter TCR-T clinical trials in the United States, and have successfully supported nearly 100 projects worldwide in conducting IIT or IND studies. The company’s gene therapy CRO and CDMO projects span multiple countries and regions, including North America, Europe, and Japan.

VectorBuilder leverages its robust original research capabilities to systematically overcome key technical bottlenecks in the gene delivery industry, empowering basic scientific research, accelerating the clinical application of gene therapies, improving human health, and creating irreplaceable value for the world.