Axol raises £2.08m seed to scale iPSC models and expand US operations
This article covers Axol Bioscience, a Cambridge- and Edinburgh-based biotech startup, which has raised £2.08m in a seed funding round led by US life sciences investor BroadOak Capital Partners, with participation from the Roslin Foundation. The funding will support expansion of US operations, development of enhanced disease models, and scaling of cell manufacturing at its Edinburgh site, serving pharmaceutical firms, biotech startups, contract research organisations and academic research groups.
Axol Bioscience, a Cambridge- and Edinburgh-based biotech startup, has raised £2.08m ($2.8m) in a seed funding round led by US life sciences investor BroadOak Capital Partners, with the Roslin Foundation also participating. The money will fund expansion of US operations, development of new disease models, and cell manufacturing scale-up at its Edinburgh site.
Why it matters
The deal highlights continued investor interest in human cell-based models for drug discovery at a time when regulators and pharmaceutical companies are increasingly receptive to alternatives to animal testing. Axol supplies induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cells and services used by pharma, biotech, contract research organisations, and academic groups; demand for those more human-relevant in vitro models is a growing commercial and scientific trend.
Axol’s financing also underscores cross-border flows of capital into UK life sciences, with a US specialist leading the round as the company accelerates its presence in the US market.
Inside the product
Axol produces functional iPSC-derived cells, associated reagents, and specialist services for disease modelling and drug discovery. The company has built a portfolio of physiologically relevant models, including those for neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington’s disease and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS/MND). The new funding will be used to develop enhanced neuroscience, ophthalmology, and cardiovascular models and to scale cell manufacturing at the Roslin Innovation Centre in Edinburgh.
For customers, the relevance is practical: higher-quality human cell models can improve predictive power in preclinical research, potentially reducing late-stage failures and speeding development timelines. Axol’s clients span the pharmaceutical industry, smaller biotech firms, CROs, and university labs, all of which rely on validated cell models and reproducible manufacturing.
Who are the investors?
The round was led by BroadOak Capital Partners, a US life sciences investor, with participation from the Roslin Foundation, Axol’s founding backer. BroadOak’s involvement signals both confidence in Axol’s commercial trajectory and the broader market for cell-based assay platforms.
In the announcement, Daniel Friedman, Managing Director at BroadOak Capital Partners, said:
Axol is a leader in their space and is well positioned as global regulators actively usher in the adoption of cell-based models. We are excited to be partnering with Liam, Oli, and the entire Axol team to support their next phase of growth.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Liam Taylor, CEO of Axol Bioscience, said:
We’re proud to partner with BroadOak, a global leader in life sciences investing. Their expertise and support, alongside our long-term partner Roslin Foundation, reflects confidence in our long-term vision, team, products, and technology as we scale operations and expand internationally.
In the announcement, Oliver Richardson, CFO of Axol Bioscience, said:
Following Axol’s 45% revenue growth in 2025 and 36% in 2024, this funding allows us to strengthen our US operations and expand manufacturing capacity at our Edinburgh site, ensuring we can continue to meet increasing global demand.
These comments point to sustained commercial momentum and explicit plans to convert demand into scalable manufacturing capacity and a deeper US commercial footprint.
The bigger picture
Axol’s raise follows a broader uptick in investment into UK biotech companies focused on human-relevant models and biologics manufacturing. For the UK ecosystem, the deal is a reminder that specialist US life sciences investors continue to look to the UK for technologies that can de-risk early drug discovery work. It also sits within a wider shift toward onshore manufacturing capability for advanced biological materials.
The seed round will be watched for how effectively Axol translates model development into reproducible, scaled manufacturing and deeper partnerships with large pharma clients — a common pressure point for startups in this area.
The funding is another data point in the cross-border financing of UK life sciences, reinforcing the UK’s role in developing lab-based alternatives and supporting the internationalisation ambitions of emerging biotech companies.
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