News
54gene Closes $15M Series A
54gene, the African genomics research, services, and development company has closed a Series A round of $15M, led by Adjuvant Capital, a life sciences fund backed by the International Finance Corporation, Novartis, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The round included participation from Raba Capital, V8 Capital, Ingressive Capital, and follow on investment from Y Combinator, Better Ventures, Fifty Years, KdT Ventures, Aera VC and Pioneer Fund. In July 2019, 54gene secured a Seed round of $4.5M which brings the company’s total VC investment to $19.5M.
The investment secured today will allow the company to scale operations in support of generating novel insights from human genetics research that result in high impact discoveries for improving human health through therapeutic development. The investment will also be used to accelerate discovery capabilities by bolstering operations in genetics, bioinformatics, preclinical, clinical and commercial programs.
54gene was launched in January 2019, to address the significant gap the genomics market currently poses for Africa, and build and use African genetic data sets to make landmark discoveries to support therapeutic development.
As of 2018, less than 3% of the data used in Genome-wide Association Studies [GWAS] were of African ancestry and currently, less than 1% of global drug discovery occurs on the African continent. Located in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria, and in the US, 54gene aims to improve the development, availability and efficacy of medical products that will prove beneficial to Africans and the wider global population.
As part of its next stage of growth, the company will further explore partnerships and opportunities for co-development of drug targets and therapeutics, and expects to partner with pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostic companies for clinical programs in Africa, which will be led by 54gene’s newly appointed Vice President of Clinical & Regulatory Affairs, Kemi Williams, who was formerly Head of Clinical Affairs for Siemens Healthineers US molecular diagnostics business, and previously worked at Roche, Abbott and Medtronic.
In addition to its Series A raise, 54gene is also announcing the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board [SAB]. The SAB is composed of global leaders in clinical genetics, bioinformatics and data science; Michael F. Murray MD, Director of Clinical Operations, Center for Genomic Health Professor Dept of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, Manuel Rivas PhD, Assistant Professor at Stanford University, Greg Hinkle PhD, VP Research Informatics, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Jeff Hammerbacher, Founder and General Partner, Related Sciences.
Speaking on today’s news, Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong, 54gene Founder and CEO, says, “This new partnership marks a significant evolution in the growth of our company. In the coming months we will be focusing on building a genomic resource that we hope will add significantly to global health, while also translating to the health benefits of patients in Africa.
“We will also be expanding our collaborations in Africa with both public and private stakeholders and investing in setting up a state-of-the-art research lab with high-throughput genetic processing and BSL 3 capabilities in Nigeria, and ensuring that we build some of our innovative pipelines on the African continent.”
54gene currently works with 300+ researchers, clinicians and geneticists across the continent, to improve the global collective knowledge of genomic determinants of health and to facilitate translational research. The company has also built an African Biobank, a state-of-the-art biorepository which stores biological samples to provide access to aggregated, de-identified data and bio-specimen mainly for secondary use by researchers, to support both academic and development research.
Jenny Yip, Managing Partner of Adjuvant Capital adds, “There is enormous potential in expanding the reach of global drug and vaccine discovery by including more diverse populations in research efforts. We were impressed by 54gene’s commitment to building a world-class network of African clinicians and geneticists and are excited to work with them as they scale and seek to drive meaningful improvements in global public health.”
Dr. Ene-Obong concludes, “This funding comes at a historically meaningful time, allowing us to deliver global impact through continued investment in research and strategic partnerships with leaders in the biomedical industry. We want to support the crucial work of our partners in Africa while improving global health and are committed to promoting a safe, ethical and beneficial research practice.”
Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has warned Nigerians against transacting with three fake Nigerian firms, citing fraudulent incorporation documents and registration numbers not issued by the commission.
According to the CAC, these companies are using fake certificates of incorporation with two different RC numbers each, none of which exist in the commission’s official records.
The affected companies are SPEF Cooperative Society Ltd with RC Numbers 1265884 and 512862, UPIL Staff Cooperative Society Ltd with RC Numbers 1265837 and 553220, and PREM Staff Cooperative Society Ltd with RC Numbers 1265844 and 545901.
The CAC warns that any Nigerian conducting business with these entities does so at their own risk.
“Anyone that transacts any business with the above-mentioned companies does so at their own risk,” the commission warned.
The commission further advised potential partners and investors to verify registration details directly through its official portal before signing contracts or making payments.
Similarly, the CAC, in a bid to enhance its services, introduced an AI-powered business registration platform on July 3, designed to streamline incorporations.
This new system offers instant name reservations, automated business-name suggestions, and same-day registration using a National Identification Number (NIN).
Additionally, the commission plans to review its service fees starting August 1, aiming to make its services more efficient and cost-effective.
The African Development Bank, in partnership with the International Labour Organization, has launched a transformative system to mainstream youth employment, skills development, and entrepreneurship across its investments.
The approach, called the Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System, is aligned with the Bank’s latest Ten-Year Strategy, which places Africa’s young people at the center of development efforts to maximize the impact of every dollar invested, turning demographics into a dividend.
The Marker System ensures that Bank projects spanning diverse sectors, such as agriculture, transport, energy, water, and education, systematically incorporate components that enhance youth employability, foster entrepreneurship, and build market-relevant skills.
“The Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System is about ensuring Africa’s young people have a real say and active role in building sustainable economies and creating jobs – not as passive recipients of youth programs,” said Dr. Beth Dunford, the Bank’s Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development. “This transformation of Bank practices and systems is a step toward making sure our investments have a positive impact on Africa’s young women and men.”
The integrated system has three focus areas:
Youth: Supporting youth-led micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises through targeted investments and operational integration.
Skills: Expanding access to practical, market-driven training and apprenticeships to enhance career prospects.
Jobs: Ensuring Bank-funded projects create sustainable job opportunities, particularly by developing youth skills for employability and the promotion of youth-led businesses in priority value chains.
Each year, around 10 to 12 million young Africans enter the labor market, which offers only three million formal jobs annually. The Bank will prioritize youth entrepreneurship and mobilize private sector partnerships to strengthen industry-oriented skills training as well as job creation over the coming decade.
“[This initiative] is very important because it allows us to significantly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #8 that includes decent work for all,” said Peter van Rooij, Director of Multilateral Partnerships and Development Cooperation at the International Labour Organization. “It also allows the International Labour Organization to influence the Bank’s work, to support their lending that is more geared toward more job creation and better jobs in a sustainable way.”
The Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System is modeled on the success of the Bank’s Gender Marker System and its online dashboard, which categorize Bank projects based on their contribution to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Similarly, the new system will feature an online platform enabling Bank staff and consultants to access real-time data for preparing country strategy papers, mid-term reviews, annual reports, project supervision, and reporting on youth-related skills, businesses and jobs outcomes.
The Bank has just launched a pilot version of the Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System in readiness for the full implementation in 2026. This system will enhance data tracking, improve estimates of youth skills attainment and employment, strengthen labor market information systems, and support policymakers in making evidence-based decisions that drive meaningful change.
The International Labour Organization provided technical support for the system’s development with financial support from the Bank’s Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund. The Youth, Jobs and Skills Marker System is the first deliberate action of its kind developed by a development finance institution worldwide.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has revealed plans to commence investigation into the activities of an entity operating under FF Tiffany, allegedly running a fraudulent investment scheme that has defrauded citizens.
A statement by the SEC on Tuesday in Abuja said preliminary information revealed that the scheme, which promised investors unusually high and unrealistic returns, had resulted in the loss of several billions of naira.
The SEC said it viewed the activity as a threat to investor confidence and the overall integrity of the financial system.
The commission assured the public that it was working closely with law enforcement agencies and other relevant bodies to bring everyone involved in the unlawful operation to justice.
According to SEC, those found culpable will be prosecuted in accordance with the Investment and Securities Act and regulatory provisions.
SEC reiterated its earlier warnings to the general public to desist from engaging in Ponzi or unregistered investment schemes that promised guaranteed or exaggerated returns.
“These schemes are not registered with the SEC and do not offer investor protection under the law.
“The commission is currently investigating 79 schemes and will make a statement on its findings at the conclusion of the investigation,” the SEC said.
The commission encouraged investors to conduct due diligence and verify the registration status of any investment firm or product by visiting the SEC website or contacting the commission directly through official channels.
SEC said it remained committed to its mandate of protecting investors, ensuring fair practices, and maintaining confidence in Nigeria’s capital market.
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