Everbright Biofund, founded by heavyweights from major financial and tech family offices (including the Tsai, Wu, Yeh, and Hung families) alongside the Center for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (CBMI), has announced its initial NT$3 billion investment strategy. Chairman Wei-chao Chen emphasized that while Taiwan yields world-class research, it suffers from a "valuation valley" where technology exists but capital fails to follow. Everbright aims to provide "patient capital" to bridge the gap from lab to market.

Strategic Advantages and Initial Portfolio

Everbright leverages a 20-year database and an expert network from the Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (IBMI), allowing for rigorous technical vetting that traditional VCs often lack. The first wave of investment targets four key pillars:

• AI Drug Discovery (Iambic Therapeutics): As the only Taiwanese investor in Iambic's latest oversubscribed round, Everbright joins a prestigious cap table including NVIDIA, QIA (Qatar), and ARK Venture Fund. Iambic’s AI platform, which outperforms industry benchmarks in speed and precision, moved a HER2 small molecule into Phase I trials in just two years—3x faster than traditional methods.
• Cell Therapy (StemCyte): StemCyte holds the world's largest public umbilical cord blood bank and was the first to obtain FDA approval for a cord blood therapeutic (treating over 80 indications). Its clinical capacity is vital for Taiwan's integration into the global cell therapy supply chain.
• Spatial Biology (Syncell): Developing a disruptive optical platform for protein labeling and discovery, Syncell positions Taiwan in the high-growth market for advanced life science tools.
• Synthetic Vaccine Adjuvants (U-Best): Their lead adjuvant, IAS-01, is a fully synthetic alternative to the plant-derived QS-21. It offers high purity and scalability for anti-infective and oncology vaccines, addressing the chronic supply shortages of natural saponins.

Resource: 永明生技集資助科研產業化 首批投資鎖定AI新藥等4領域