ViroVet wins “Animal Health Start-Up of the Year” award

“Start-up companies like ViroVet are crucial to bring innovation to our sector" Erwin Blomsma, PhD, co-founder and CEO of ViroVet mentions. "We show that there are novel and better ways to treat as well as prevent viral diseases in livestock and we have built our company with that focus. It is very nice to hear that our enthusiasm is shared by the Animal Pharm jury.”

While ViroVet was a previous winner of this award in 2015, the company has snapped up the accolade again. In 2015, the Leuven-based firm's business concept and initial R&D work impressed the judging panel. This time around, the company's expertise in securing a significant series A funding round backed its nomination.

In the last 12 months, ViroVet achieved first and second closing of a series A round. The company raised around €6.8 million ($8.3 million). Among animal health start-ups, especially in Europe, this was no mean feat. ViroVet claims to be the first company to be developing a new generation of vaccines based on plasmid-launched live attenuated viruses, as well as the first firm to develop antiviral medicines for livestock.

Under the guidance of its chief executive, Erwin Blomsma, the company has become a leading voice in the animal health industry with regards to innovation and championing the plight of smaller firms. ViroVet's stature belies its pre-revenue ranking.

Also in 2017, ViroVet extended its vaccine pipeline to the small ruminant sector by collaborating with GALVmed.

Source: Animal Pharm