Eccogene Secures Over RMB 100 Million in New Financing to Accelerate Clinical Development of Multiple Innovative Metabolic Drugs

VCBeat (WeChat: vcbeat) has learned that Shanghai Eccogene Inc. (“Eccogene”), a new drug R&D enterprise, recently announced the completion of a new round of financing exceeding RMB 100 million. The round was co-led by Oriza Holdings and KONTIKI Global Investment Fund, with participation from Huagai Capital, Qingsong Capital, and existing shareholder Sinopharm Capital. The proceeds from this financing will be primarily used to support clinical trials, preclinical studies, and the continued advancement of the R&D pipeline for multiple metabolic disease drug candidates.

Dr. Zhou Jingye, Chairman and CEO of Eccogene, stated, “Our core R&D capabilities—guided by clinical needs and differentiated research as a breakthrough point—are the cornerstone of the trust and support Eccogene has received from numerous renowned investment institutions. With the support of this round of financing, Eccogene will transition into a clinical-stage company, accelerate the clinical development of multiple innovative drugs, and deliver innovative solutions to patients at an earlier date.”

Eccogene was founded in 2018. Its founders and senior management team previously held positions at renowned multinational pharmaceutical companies such as Eli Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline, bringing extensive experience in new drug development management and a proven track record of successfully securing FDA approvals for novel therapeutics.

Eccogene focuses on the research and development of small-molecule drugs for metabolic and immune disorders. Grounded in disease biology, medicinal chemistry, and clinical translational medicine, Eccogene has established a novel and differentiated R&D pipeline from a globally leading perspective to address unmet clinical needs in metabolic and immune-related diseases.

Previously, Eccogene completed a financing round worth hundreds of millions of RMB in 2018, with investments from Sinopharm Capital, Taifu Capital, and Mifang Capital.

Oriza Holdings, a member enterprise of Suzhou Yuanhe Holding Co., Ltd., is a market-oriented, specialized early-stage equity investment platform. It focuses primarily on investment opportunities in startups and growth-stage enterprises within the Healthcare and TMT sectors. The platform manages ten funds with a total scale of approximately RMB 3.5 billion, comprising both venture capital (VC) funds and angel funds.

Oriza Holdings maintains an investment style focused on early-stage ventures, with a preference for technology-driven companies and a strong commitment to its promises, earning it a solid reputation among early-stage tech startups. As of December 2020, the firm had invested in and managed over 180 high-quality enterprises, including Ascentage Pharma, CStone Pharmaceuticals, JW Therapeutics, Beiren Robotics, Tztek Technology, Cambricon Technologies, Crystal Cloud, Beikang Medical, Singlera Genomics, Zhizhu Technology, CloudWalk Technology, and Mushroom IoT.

Kontiki Global Investment Fund is an investment firm focused on the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, investing in growth platforms within Greater China and related innovations in the United States, specifically in new drug development and medical devices. Kontiki supports the development of such companies and is committed to creating added value through their collaborative synergies, thereby generating returns. Leveraging its extensive expertise and experience in both Greater China and the United States, Kontiki believes it is well-positioned to facilitate such collaborations. Kontiki Global Investment Fund currently manages two funds, with assets under management exceeding USD 330 million.