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Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more

Funding boost for spin-out developing new medicines for life-threatening diseases
Jul 29 2022

Cambridge, UK, 29 July 2022: A University of Nottingham spin-out company has received investment to further develop research into creating safe and effective medicines for patients with life-threatening diseases.

o2h Ventures has announced SEIS and EIS investment, alongside co-investment from the University of Nottingham’s Invention Fund, into spin-out company Alevin Therapeutics to develop a platform of novel small molecule RGD integrin inhibitors with superior drug-like qualities. The discovery-stage compounds have broad therapeutic applications in areas of high unmet clinical need – fibrosis, kidney disease and cancer – with the most advanced asset being an inhaled drug for the treatment of lung fibrosis. The investment provides the company with funding of close to £1M to progress and de-risk its pipeline assets.

Alevin Therapeutics has arisen from research driven by the Business Partnership Unit and School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham. Originally the subject of a long-standing collaboration between academia and big pharma, scientists developed the platform of novel compounds with the aim of treating life-threatening conditions by limiting the activity of a key signaling pathway that is targeted by integrin inhibitors.  

The founders of Alevin Therapeutics are leading scientists in the RGD integrin field, with substantial industry experience and a proven track record of clinical candidate delivery.

o2h Ventures led the investment having previously made a pre-seed investment into the company. o2h Ventures has worked with Nottingham Technology Ventures (NTV) Ltd to develop the business plan, and execution and seek further collaborations. This is the second investment that o2h Ventures have made into a spinout from the University of Nottingham having earlier invested into Exonate Ltd, which now has a significant collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

Sunil Shah, CEO of o2h Ventures, said: “We are very excited to be leading the investment on our second spin-out from the University of Nottingham.  Their team at both the academic and tech transfer groups are both smart and very easy to work with.  There has been a huge amount of prior work done on these integrin targets prior to our investment and we seek to advance these assets quickly into the clinic and develop strategic collaborations within the industry”

Alice MacGowan, Life Sciences Executive at NTV Ltd, said: “We are delighted to add Alevin Therapeutics to the University portfolio and to have received further investment from o2h into one of our spin-outs. This is a fantastic and experienced team, seeking to address an area of significant clinical need. In addition to the University’s current investment, the underpinning research was supported through its translational phase by the University’s internal impact funding, demonstrating the potential benefit that can be brought about by Nottingham’s commitment to investing in highly impactful opportunities.

About o2h Ventures

The o2h Ventures ‘Human Health’ SEIS and Knowledge Intensive (KI) funds make tax-efficient investments in Pre-Seed and Seed stage companies that address human disease.  The main focus of the investments is into the development of novel therapeutic treatments with a clear path to the clinic.

The o2h team are leaders in the biotech community and have been actively involved as investors, holding various board/industry positions as well as being engaged in grassroots scientific activity for over 20 years. o2h Ventures operates from their proprietary 2.7 acre Mill SciTech Park where they are developing a unique model for incubating small life science companies.  For more information or to invest in the fund, please visit www.o2hventures.com.

About Nottingham Technology Ventures

Nottingham Technology Ventures is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the University of Nottingham that manages the University’s spin-out portfolio of 28 companies. Based in the Ingenuity Centre within the University of Nottingham Innovation Park (UNIP), Nottingham Technology Ventures also manages the University’s Invention Fund and Pathfinder Fund dedicated to investing in University spin-out companies to accelerate their development and growth. For more information, please visit www.nottinghamtechventures.com 

About Alevin Therapeutics

Alevin Therapeutics Ltd was founded in March 2022 with the aim of developing safe and effective medicines for patients with life-threatening diseases. Alevin is developing a proprietary platform of novel inhibitors of RGD integrins for the treatment of fibrosis, kidney disease and cancer. For more information, please visit www.alevintherapeutics.com.

Media Contact:

Juhi Shah

Marketing Executive

juhi.shah@o2h.com

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Please refer to the relevant fund’s full risk warnings contained in their Information Memorandums.
Your capital is at risk. Investing in early stage businesses involves risks, including illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution, and it should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio. o2h Ventures’ funds are targeted exclusively at sophisticated or high net worth investors who understand these risks and make their own investment decisions. Tax relief depends on an individual’s circumstances and may change in the future. In addition, the availability of tax relief depends on the company invested in maintaining its qualifying status. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. You should not rely on any past performance as a guarantee of future investment performance.
o2h ventures Limited is regulated and authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 812245). Capital at risk, only suitable for high net worth and sophisticated investors
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Risk Information

Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk

What are the key risks?

1 – You could lose all the money you invest

• If the business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invest. Most start-up businesses fail.

2 – You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong

• Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker here. (https://www.fscs.org.uk/check/investment-protection-checker)

• Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here. (https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers)

3 – You won’t get your money back quickly

• Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back. You are unlikely to be able to sell your investment early.

• The most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or lists its shares on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. These events are not common.

• If you are investing in a start-up business, you should not expect to get your money back through dividends. Start-up businesses rarely pay these.

4 – Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

• Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.

• A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments (https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest)

5 – The value of your investment can be reduced

• The percentage of the business that you own will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares.

• These new shares could have addition rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment.

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here (https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart)