Cambridge based Valink Therapeutics closes £8.8m led by Redalpine with LongeVC
This article covers a Pre-A financing round on 20 October 2025 for Valink Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing next-generation bispecific antibody-drug conjugates for oncology, founded by Arne Scheu. The company raised £8.79m in the round led by redalpine, with participation from LongeVC.
What does Valink Therapeutics do?
A drug discovery platform and bispecific antibody-drug conjugates for developing targeted cancer therapies. The platform and conjugates are used to develop and deliver targeted cancer medicines to specific tumour cells.
Why is Valink Therapeutics useful?
Problem
Cancer patients face limited efficacy and safety from current antibody-drug conjugates and poor tumour targeting. This restricts precise delivery of toxic payloads and reduces treatment options for many solid tumours.
Solution
Valink Therapeutics explains that it develops bispecific antibody-drug conjugates to improve targeting and payload delivery. Its V-gate platform and protein technologies aim to increase therapeutic precision and reduce off-target toxicity.
How much did Valink Therapeutics raise?
Valink Therapeutics raised £8.8m ($11.8m) in a pre-A financing, led by redalpine with participation from LongeVC, alongside existing backers. This makes it the 16th largest funding round in October 2025 (57 recorded). By size, the round comes in 183rd for 2025 (529 recorded) in the Startupmag database, as of 20 October 2025.
For details on how Startupmag compiles its rankings, view our Methodology.
Who invested in Valink Therapeutics?
These were the key investors in the round:
- redalpine: A pan-European venture capital firm that invests across stages in technology and science companies throughout Europe.
- LongeVC: A venture capital firm focused on investing in life sciences and biotechnology companies developing therapeutic approaches.
- Oxford Science Enterprises: A UK investor that specialises in commercialising deep science and supporting university spin-outs.
- RV Invest: An investor that backs companies in the life sciences and biotechnology sectors.
- p53 Invest: An investment firm concentrating on oncology and biotech ventures.
- Hoxton Ventures: A venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology companies across Europe.
In the funding announcement, Michael Sidler from redalpine said:
At redalpine, we back technologies that reshape paradigms. Valink’s discovery platform and V-gate approach represent a compelling advancement on traditional ADC strategies - unlocking new therapeutic possibilities by fusing programmable biology and a novel framework for target synergy.
If you're researching potential backers in this space:
- Explore our list of biotech venture capital firms in the UK
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Who founded Valink Therapeutics?
Arne Scheu is the founder of Valink Therapeutics.
In the funding announcement, Arne Scheu explained:
We are grateful to redalpine and our syndicate of new and existing investors for their confidence in our vision and strategy. This financing strengthens our position as a leader in next-generation bispecific ADCs and supports the advancement of our oncology pipeline toward key milestones.
The company continued that its V-gate approach and proprietary drug discovery engine expand the frontier of antibody drug conjugates and offer the potential for first-in-class medicines to address areas of high unmet need in oncology and beyond.
Where is Valink Therapeutics based?
Valink Therapeutics is based in London, UK.
What sector is Valink Therapeutics in?
Valink Therapeutics operates in the biotechnology sector. This sector develops medicines and technologies by studying and using living systems. Put simply, it uses cells and molecules to create better treatments.
Key trends and challenges in Biotech:
Growth of multispecific biologics and next-generation modalities
Bispecific antibody-drug conjugates and multispecific antibodies aim to improve targeting and reduce treatment toxicity.
Manufacturing and regulatory complexity
Manufacturing complex biologics, such as cell therapies and multispecific antibodies, raises costs and regulatory hurdles, delaying patient access.
Low clinical success rates in oncology
Oncology biologics face low clinical success rates, often single-digit percentages reach approval, raising development costs and limiting new treatments.
For a deeper look at innovation in this space, see the biotech startups in the UK.
They've invested in Valink Therapeutics
Get to know these biotech investors
| Investor | Sector | Stage | Activity | Team | Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Redalpine | 7 investment(s) investment(s) | 1 contact contact | |||
 LongeVC | 1 investment(s) investment(s) | more info | |||
 Oxford Science Enterprises | 26 investment(s) investment(s) | 1 contact contact | |||
 Hoxton Ventures | 9 investment(s) investment(s) | 3 contacts contacts |
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