About Syncona
Syncona is a venture capital firm founded in 2012. It is primarily based out of London, United Kingdom. As of Jan 2026, Syncona has invested in 24 companies. It primarily invests in Series A round in United Kingdom based startups. Its investments are spread across a wide range of sectors from Life Sciences to High Tech and HealthTech. Most recently it participated in the $***** Series C round of Beacon Therapeutics Overall, Syncona portfolio has seen 2 IPOs and 9 acquisitions including key companies like Autolus, Achilles Therapeutics and Spur Therapeutics. A lot of funds co-invest with Syncona, with names like UCL Technology Fund sharing a substantial percentage of its portfolio. Syncona has team of 32 people including 15 partners.Key Metrics
Team Members
Portfolio Sectors
Portfolio Locations
Rounds of Entry
Series A & Series B
Portfolio IPOs
Portfolio Acquisitions
Portfolio Soonicorns
Deals in last 12 months
Syncona's List of Top Investments
Syncona has a portfolio of 24 companies. Their most notable investments are in Beacon Therapeutics and Quell.Their portfolio spans across United Kingdom, United States and Switzerland. They have invested in Life Sciences, High Tech, HealthTech and 1 other sectors, across stages such as Series A, Series B stages. Here is the list of top investments by Syncona:1. Autolus
Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical provider developing CAR T therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. It leverages advanced immune cell engineering, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology, and proprietary T cell programming platforms to create precise, controlled, and highly active therapeutic products designed to improve patient outcomes. Its technology platform combines innovative cell programming capabilities with proprietary viral vector systems and semi-automated manufacturing processes to engineer patient-derived T cells capable of recognizing and eliminating disease-causing cells.
Key facts about Autolus
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: London (United Kingdom)
- Annual Revenue: $1M - $10M as on Sep 30, 2016
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $181M
- Employee Count: 754 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: Nextech Invest, Google Ventures and 7 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Feb 08, 2024, $*****
- Highlight: Public
2. Quell
Developer of engineered regulatory T cell therapies for immune diseases. This clinical-stage organization focuses on modifying a patient's own regulatory T cells to restore immune balance. These therapies aim to address conditions involving autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, and organ transplant rejection by dampening immune responses and preventing tissue damage. The approach utilizes cellular engineering to regulate immune activity and manage severe inflammatory disorders.
Key facts about Quell
- Founded Year: 2019
- Location: London (United Kingdom)
- Annual Revenue: £10M - £50M as on Dec 31, 2024
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $344M
- Employee Count: 113 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: Janus Henderson Investors, Point72 and 17 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series B, Jan 02, 2023, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
3. Biomodal
Developer of a duet multiomics platform that generates genetic and epigenetic data. It offers a duet multi-omics solution +modC which uses next-generation sequencing and a platform to acquire genetic and epigenetic methylation information. It is used for cancer research, Non-invasive prenatal testing, precision medicine, and others.
Key facts about Biomodal
- Founded Year: 2012
- Location: Cambridge (United Kingdom)
- Annual Revenue: £1M - £10M as on Dec 31, 2024
- Valuation: $*****
- Stage: Series D
- Total Funding till date: $164M
- Employee Count: 97 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: Third Point, Temasek and 23 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series D, Nov 02, 2021, $*****
- Highlight: Editors' Pick
Developer of T-cell therapies for cancer. Its therapeutics will target tumor neo-antigens, unique flags to the immune system present on the surface of every cancer cell. They develop therapeutics for lung cancer, recurrent metastatic melanoma, and head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
Key facts about Achilles Therapeutics
- Founded Year: 2016
- Location: London (United Kingdom)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $242M
- Employee Count: 200 - 499 as on Mar 01, 2026
- Investors: HTIF, Boxer Capital and 41 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), Jul 21, 2022, $*****
- Highlight: Public
Developer of gene therapies for debilitating chronic diseases. The company is enhancing gene expression and targeted delivery to develop the next generation of gene therapy, with a pipeline targeting various diseases, including Parkinson's and Gaucher's.
Key facts about Spur Therapeutics
- Founded Year: 2015
- Location: Stevenage (United Kingdom)
- Stage: Acquired
- Total Funding till date: $274M
- Employee Count: 283 as on Jun 30, 2026
- Investors: Cowen, Novo Holdings and 8 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Aug 14, 2020, $*****
- Highlight: Acquired
Syncona's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
Syncona has invested in 27 companies over the last 12 years, with an average of 1 new investment annually in the last 10 years. As of Jan 2026, it has made 1 investment in this year. Its most recent first time investment was in iOnctura and most recent follow-on round was in Beacon Therapeutics.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2024 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
2023 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
2022 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
2021 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
2020 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
2019 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
2018 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
2017 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Syncona's Investments by Stage
Syncona has made 20 investments in Series A stage with an average round size of $40.1M and 2 investments in Series B stage with an average round size of $63.6M.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Series A | 20 |
Series B | 2 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Syncona's Investments by Sector
Syncona has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Life Sciences, High Tech, HealthTech and Healthcare. Notably, it has invested in 23 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 23 Tech companies, 2 Tech hardware companies and at least 1 company focusing on Consumer (B2C).Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Life Sciences | 21 |
High Tech | 6 |
HealthTech | 1 |
Healthcare | 1 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Syncona's Investments by Geography
Syncona has made most investments in United Kingdom (15), followed by United States where it has made 5 investments.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | 15 |
United States | 5 |
Switzerland | 2 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Syncona's recent investments
Syncona has made 1 investments in 2026 so far - Beacon Therapeutics.Here are the most recent investments by Syncona:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jan 08, 2026 | United States | Series C | 6342 | [+4] | |
Oct 09, 2024 | United Kingdom | Series B | 8691 | [+3] | |
Oct 03, 2024 | United Kingdom | Series B | 7531 | - | |
Jul 03, 2024 | United States | Series B | 2752 | [+4] | |
Jun 20, 2024 | Switzerland | Series B | 1489 | [+7] |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in Syncona's Portfolio
2 of Syncona's portfolio companies have become public. Achilles Therapeutics got listed on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ), in Mar 2021 at marketcap of $731M and Autolus got listed on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) at marketcap of $22.5M.Here are Syncona's portfolio companies that went public:
Company | IPO Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mar 31, 2021 | May 24, 2016 | Series A | 7603 | |
Jun 22, 2018 | Jan 22, 2015 | Series A | 3382 |
Acquired companies in Syncona's Portfolio
9 companies from Syncona's portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was SwanBio Therapeutics in Jun 2024 by Freeline for $*****.Here are Syncona's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jun 17, 2024 | Jan 14, 2018 | Series A | 7613 | |
Apr 12, 2024 | Nov 03, 2021 | Series A | 5110 | |
Nov 22, 2023 | Dec 2015 | Series A | 6468 | |
Nov 29, 2022 | Sep 02, 2020 | Series A | 5029 | |
Dec 22, 2021 | 2016 | Series A | 1972 |
Team profile of Syncona
Syncona has a team of 32 members including 15 Partners and 8 Principals located in United Kingdom and Netherlands. Syncona's team sits on the board of 1 company.Here is a list of top team members in Syncona:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | London | - | - | |
Partner | London | - | - | |
Partner | - | - | - | |
Partner | United Kingdom | - | - | |
Partner | Peterborough | - | ||
Partner | United Kingdom | - | - | |
Partner | Amsterdam | - | - | |
Partner | Amsterdam | - | - | |
Partner | - | - | - | |
Partner | - | - | - |
Co-investors of Syncona
Over the past 12 years, 88 investors have co-invested in Syncona's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before Syncona: VI Partners, Schroders Capital and 11 others have invested in rounds before Syncona. There is 1 company where VI Partners has invested before Syncona and 1 company where Schroders Capital has invested before Syncona.
- Top Co-investors of Syncona: 19 investors entered a company along with Syncona. These include investors like UCL Technology Fund (2 companies).
- Invested after Syncona: A total of 56 investors have invested in Syncona's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include Forbion (5 companies), British Patient Capital (3 companies) and Google Ventures (2 companies).
Recent News related to Syncona
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Syncona invests GBP18 million in Beacon Therapeutics financing roundShareprices•Jan 08, 2026•Beacons AI, Syncona
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Bluebird’s Go-Private Deal Highlights Fraught Life Preserver for Struggling BiotechsBioSpace•Mar 12, 2025•Bluebird Bio, The Carlyle Group, SK Capital, Syncona and 6 others
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Syncona investee Achilles plans liquidation and capital returnShareprices•Feb 05, 2025•Achilles Therapeutics, Syncona
