Ventuno Biotech secures €3M Seed financing to advance next generation cancer immunotherapies
Lyon, France – November 26th, 2025 – Ventuno Biotech, a biotechnology company developing breakthrough immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, today announced the completion of a €3 million seed financing round. The operation includes €2 million in equity, led by Octalfa and supported by Relyens Innovation Santé advised by Turenne Santé, with participation from business angels Gilles Alberici and Armand Bensussan. This equity financing is complemented by €1 million in loans from banking partners including Caisse d’Epargne Rhône Alpes and BNP Paribas Innovation.
A pioneer in novel therapeutic strategies to stimulate anti-cancer immunity
Founded in February 2025 by Jeremy Bastid (CEO and biotech entrepreneur), Nathalie Bonnefoy (Director of the Montpellier Cancer Research Institute IRCM) and Octalfa, Ventuno Biotech is pioneering novel therapeutic strategies to stimulate anti-cancer immunity.
The project was incubated at Octalfa for two years prior to the company’s inception, allowing the scientific and entrepreneurial strategies to be structured and refined. The company is headquartered in Lyon, France, with research laboratories located at the prestigious Montpellier Cancer Research Institute (IRCM), providing access to state-of-the-art facilities and groundbreaking scientific environment.
This seed funding will enable Ventuno Biotech to advance its preclinical pipeline of undisclosed first-in-class immuno-oncology assets.
A major milestone with broad private-public support
“In a challenging financing environment for biotechs, this seed round marks a major milestone for Ventuno Biotech. It reflects the confidence of Octalfa, our incoming investors and institutional partners in both our team and our science, as we aim to harness the immune system to tackle cancers resistant to current therapies,” said Jeremy Bastid, CEO of Ventuno Biotech. “I am deeply grateful for the trust and support of our shareholders, and I want to thank our dedicated team whose hard work and commitment are making this journey possible.”
Alongside private investors Octalfa and Relyens Innovation Santé, Ventuno’s public and private banking partners Caisse d’Epargne Rhône Alpes and BNP Paribas Innovation bring strong institutional support, underscoring the company’s ability to mobilize a broad private-public ecosystem around its therapeutic ambitions.
“Octalfa is proud to have incubated the Ventuno Biotech project alongside Jeremy Bastid and Nathalie Bonnefoy, long-standing partners with whom we have already achieved significant successes. The scientific quality and excellence of the Ventuno Biotech teams confirm our initial conviction that this project has the potential to significantly transform the therapeutic approach to cancers that are difficult to treat today,” said Julien Alberici, CEO of Octalfa.
“Relyens is delighted to support Ventuno Biotech in this step. Their pioneering work in next-generation cancer immunotherapies perfectly aligns with the mission of Relyens Innovation Santé: to support and accelerate high-quality solutions that transform and secure the healthcare pathways of tomorrow. This investment reflects our commitment to being a trusted partner for the start-ups shaping the future of health”, said Sandrine Pernette, Investment Director, Relyens.
“We are proud to support entrepreneurs who combine scientific excellence and a clear vision for improving patients’ lives. Our long-standing relationship of trust with Jeremy Bastid and his team reinforces our conviction that Ventuno Biotech has the potential to deliver meaningful innovations for cancer patients. This investment perfectly embodies our mission to foster healthcare breakthroughs that truly make a difference”, said Bervin Bouani, Investment Director, Turenne Santé.
Laying the foundations for the preclinical development of groundbreaking therapies
With this seed financing, Ventuno Biotech will reinforce its discovery and translational research programs to advance its lead immuno-oncology assets. The company aims to generate robust scientific data to support the preclinical package of its products and accelerate their progression to the next stages of development.
For more information about Ventuno Biotech, visit www.ventuno-biotech.com
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Parties involved
Investors: Octalfa – Julien Alberici ; Turenne Santé – Bervin Bouani, Victoire Balay ; Gilles Alberici ; Armand Bensussan
Legal Advisory: Chammas & Marcheteau (Investors) – Jérôme Chapron, Nessrine Berrad ; Sandra Baverel (Founders)
Press contacts
Jeremy Bastid – Ventuno Biotech (CEO)
jeremy.bastid@ventuno-biotech.com
+33 4 37 49 87 20
Julien Alberici – Octalfa
julien.alberici@octalfa.eu
+33 4 37 49 87 20
Jérémie Spay – Relyens
jeremie.spay@relyens.eu
+33 6 45 43 76 45
Delphine Granier – Turenne Groupe
dgranier@turennecapital.com
+33 6 33 05 48 50
About Ventuno Biotech
Ventuno Biotech is a biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative cancer immunotherapies. Based in Lyon with research laboratories located at the Montpellier Cancer Research Institute (IRCM) in France, Ventuno Biotech leverages cutting-edge scientific research and breakthrough technologies to develop novel immunotherapies that harness the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Founded by Jeremy Bastid, CEO, Nathalie Bonnefoy, Director of IRCM, and Octalfa, Ventuno Biotech aims to transform the landscape of cancer immunotherapy.
For more information, visit www.ventuno-biotech.com
About Octalfa
Octalfa is a family-owned holding company that has been creating and supporting innovative businesses since 2007. We have funded 15 companies in life sciences and chemistry and have directly co-founded four groundbreaking ventures alongside visionary entrepreneurs. Today, we operate through three complementary approaches: seed financing, business creation, and company acquisition. Driven by innovation, hard work, and growth, we are patient partners who bring our expertise to new entrepreneurial projects.
Our organization is also housing the Fondation Dominique & Tom Alberici-Octalfa, which supports charity projects dedicated to cancer patients and disabled people.
For more information, visit www.initiative-octalfa.eu
About Relyens Innovation Santé
At Relyens, we are much more than an insurer – we are a Risk Manager. Managing, preventing and insuring risks is the commitment of our 1,200 employees to better protect healthcare and local public sector players across Europe. Alongside them, we act and innovate in favour of safer services of general interest for all.
Created in May 2014, Relyens Innovation Santé is our investment vehicle dedicated to healthcare innovation capital, advised by Turenne Santé. Focused on breakthrough technologies and medical research, Relyens Innovation Santé supports innovative companies in the healthcare sector (medtech, diagnostics, e-health and biotechnology). In line with Relyens’ mission, its investments pave the way for sustainable practices and solutions, contributing to a safe and reliable healthcare system for the benefit of patients.
For more information, visit www.relyens.eu
About Turenne Santé and Turenne Groupe
Turenne Santé represents the healthcare investment activity of Turenne Groupe, France’s leading independent small-cap private equity firm, which has been supporting entrepreneurs for 25 years in their innovation, growth and transmission projects across all regions.
With more than €2 billion in assets under management and over 300 portfolio companies, Turenne Groupe relies on strong sector expertise, with dedicated teams in healthcare, engineering and environmental services. The Group also manages specialised strategies (debt funds and funds with reinforced ESG criteria).
Present across France with 8 regional offices (Paris, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Nantes and Montpellier) and regional funds, Turenne Groupe has 85 employees, half of whom are based in the regions. A mission-driven company since 2023 and 100% owned by its employees, Turenne Groupe actively supports its portfolio companies in their ESG journeys.
The Turenne Santé team comprises 14 investors fully dedicated to healthcare. It manages healthcare funds totalling €500 million and has already completed 51 investments and 24 exits. Turenne Groupe and the Turenne Santé team also finance and support the Fondation Béatrice Denys, which awards grants to medical research projects.
For more information, visit www.turennecapital.com