StoneBridge Ventures recently announced a groundbreaking collaboration with Lonza, a distinguished Swiss-based Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), marking a pioneering move by a South Korean venture capital firm. The alliance, unveiled on December 27, 2023, aims to bolster the growth and commercialization prospects of biotech firms backed by both Lonza and StoneBridge Ventures.

In this strategic alliance, Lonza seeks to expand its foothold in the Korean bio-venture landscape, attracting potential CDMO clients, while StoneBridge Ventures gears up to invest in biotech entities hand in hand with Lonza. Notably, Lonza offers incentives to reduce development and manufacturing costs for companies within StoneBridge Ventures' portfolio. Moreover, they provide comprehensive due diligence for potential investment candidates, facilitating risk assessment for StoneBridge Ventures.

A spokesperson from StoneBridge Ventures affirmed, "This collaboration empowers Lonza to lend its expertise to bio-companies we've invested in, amplifying their capacity for developing and producing pharmaceutical materials essential for clinical research and commercialization."

Expanding on this, they highlighted, "Our portfolio companies gain streamlined access to Lonza's state-of-the-art development and manufacturing facilities for various biomedical products, fostering a bridge to Lonza's global network, specialized regulatory insights, and project support proficiency."

Meanwhile, Lonza had previously sealed deals with South Korean bio-enterprises focusing on bispecific antibodies and Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs). Notably, in April 2023, an R&D agreement with ABL Bio for immune oncology and neurodegenerative disease therapeutics was inked. Furthermore, in December 2022, a technology collaboration pact with Abtis aimed at developing novel drugs in the ADC field utilizing antibody-drug conjugation platforms was established.

Industry experts foresee substantial synergies stemming from the strategic collaboration between StoneBridge Ventures and Lonza. A bio-investment analyst observed, "The alignment between VC and CDMO entities is poised to create significant synergistic effects. There are precedents where major VCs or holdings investing in ventures have leveraged CDMOs, resulting in pharmaceutical supply to hospitals."

An unnamed representative from a bio-venture company, speaking anonymously, commented, "Collaboration with global CDMOs could potentially benefit South Korean bio-businesses in terms of cost efficiencies. However, current challenges in securing investments have led some companies to halt research activities. I envision a future where global CDMOs engage in outsourced research, earning stakes in bio-companies as a consequence."