CE-Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of UAE-based Crescent Enterprises, has participated in a $55 million Series A funding round for US biotech company Think Bioscience. The investment signals a continued focus from MENA-based VCs on globally competitive deep-tech and life sciences ventures.
The oversubscribed round was led by Regeneron Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, and Janus Henderson Investors. Additional participation came from MBX Capital, T.A. Springer, and YK Bioventures, alongside returning investors.
Tackling Undruggable Targets
Think Bioscience is at the forefront of drug discovery, utilising a synthetic biology-enabled platform to design small-molecule therapies for disease targets that have been historically considered “undruggable.” The company’s technology works to uncover previously hidden pockets on proteins, creating new opportunities for medicinal chemists to develop effective drugs.
The company’s lead programme is focused on developing treatments for Noonan syndrome, a genetic condition that affects approximately 1 in 2,500 births worldwide. The condition is associated with serious health complications, and there are currently no approved therapies that directly address its underlying biology.
Dr. Jerome Fox, co-founder and CEO at Think Bioscience, commented, “Our lead program has the potential to give a broad set of Noonan patients a normal life. We are grateful to our investors for supporting our vision to develop life-changing therapies for patients in need.”
A Strategic Bet on Deep-Tech
The new capital will be used to advance Think Bioscience’s pipeline of first-in-class small-molecule programmes and further develop its proprietary discovery platform. For CE-Ventures, this investment aligns with its strategy of backing R&D-led, asset-light businesses with global potential.
“Think Bioscience is building a differentiated platform at the frontier of synthetic biology and drug discovery, with the potential to expand what is pharmaceutically possible for patients with high unmet need,” said Tushar Singhvi, Deputy CEO and Head of Investments at Crescent Enterprises. “Our investment reflects strong conviction in Think Bio’s approach and the opportunity to build a leading biotech company that can benefit patients worldwide.”
As part of the investment, Damir Illich, Manager of Life Sciences at CE-Ventures, will join the Think Bioscience board as an observer.
“Think Bioscience is addressing one of drug discovery’s most critical bottlenecks by enabling small-molecule drugs against historically undruggable targets. Their Noonan syndrome program highlights the platform’s potential where no approved therapies exist,” said Illich.
About CE-Ventures
CE-Ventures is the corporate venture capital platform of Crescent Enterprises, a multinational company based in the United Arab Emirates. It invests in transformative businesses across various industries, including consumer, deep-tech, and biotech. CE-Ventures supports visionary entrepreneurs by providing capital, strategic resources, and access to a global network to build and scale businesses that drive long-term value.
About Think Bioscience
Think Bioscience is a biotechnology company developing small molecule drugs for historically challenging drug targets by combining synthetic biology with cutting-edge medicinal chemistry. The company is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, and is advancing a pipeline of first-in-class programs, including a lead asset targeting the genetic drivers of Noonan syndrome.
Source: Wamda
