DVC invests approx. 6.8 million Euro as lead- and co-investor in European high tech companies and enlarges its advisory board and management team

Munich, Germany, 4^th February 2004   DVC Deutsche Venture Capital, one of the leading European venture capital companies based in Munich, invests in the fourth quarter of 2003 approx. 6.8 million Euro as lead investor in the innovative high tech companies Apertio Limited and KLOTZ DIGITAL AG and as co-investor in GLYCART Biotechnology AG. In January 2004, Thomas P. Limberger, CEO GE Germany, Austria, Switzerland joins the advisory board of DVC and Dr. Jan zur Hausen is appointed Partner of the life sciences team.

In the wake of a venture capital market that, given the moderate rise in early-stage and expansion financing up until the third quarter, was gradually re-stabilizing, DVC increased its investment volume to 23.7 million Euro in 2003, an increase of around 72 % by comparison to the previous year. Four new investments were entered into and follow-up investments in seven companies were effected. An additional 2.7 million Euro were disbursed due to prior commitments. In a first round financing DVC invested around 9.3 million Euro in the innovative high tech companies SIGMA-C GmbH, Apertio Limited, KLOTZ DIGITAL AG and GLYCART Biotechnology AG.

The Munich based company SIGMA-C GmbH is a leading provider of applied simulation software for the semiconductor industry. (www.sigma-c.com)

Apertio Limited, based in UK, is the world’s leading innovator in next-generation mobile infrastructure software offering mobile network operators immense improvements in performance, resilience, scalability and economy and providing its customers with fast and efficient access to new services. Orange, Vodaphone, AIS Thailand and Meteor Ireland, among others, already deploy Apertio’s integrated development solutions. Distributive cooperation agreements exist with e.g. Motorola and Lucent. (www.apertio.co.uk)

The Munich based company KLOTZ DIGITAL AG manufactures and distributes hardware components and control software for Audio/Media producers. More than 1000 of its systems have been successfully installed worldwide in broadcasting stations, stadiums, production studios, amusement parks and theatres. KLOTZ DIGITAL’s first all-digital public address system equips locations and buildings managing a large public (e.g. airports, hotels, fair grounds, congress and shopping centres) with appropriate audio content, ie. highly-focused paging, regionally differentiated evacuation procedures and microcasting of audio programmes.

The Swiss company GLYCART Biotechnology AG, a spin-off from the ETH Zurich, leverages a novel technology to enhance the activity of therapeutic antibodies in the treatment of cancer and auto-immune diseases. Glycart currently has several next-generation therapeutic antibody programmes at various stages of preclinical development. At the moment, the market value of these therapeutic programmes is estimated at approx. $ 5 billion US. An above average growth is expected. (www.glycart.com)

„DVC has further enlarged its position in the European venture capital market by new and follow-up investments in the field of information, telecommunication, semiconductor and industrial technologies as well as life sciences in the past year,” says Jürgen Gerlach, Managing Partner at DVC.

Since the beginning of 2004, Thomas P. Limberger, CEO GE Germany, Austria, and Switzerland reinforces and strengthens the expertise of DVC’s advisory board, amongst the members of which rank the following: Prof. Dr. Rolf Krebs, formerly Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors of Boehringer Ingelheim, Prof. Dr. Peter Gruss, President of the Max-Planck-Society, Prof. Dr. Hans Günter Gassen, Director of the Insitute of Biochemistry at Darmstadt University of Technology, and the Nobel Prize Winner Prof. Dr. Hartmut Michel, Director of the Max-Planck-Institute in Frankfurt.

At the beginning of 2004 Dr. Jan zur Hausen joined the life sciences team of DVC as a Partner. He has considerable international and operational experience in the fields of venture capital and M&A, as well as in the pharmaceutical industry.

„The top-class enhancement of the advisory board and management team serves to increase the attractiveness and competence of DVC as a partner and investor”, adds Dr. Jörg Neermann, Managing Partner at DVC.

DVC Deutsche Venture Capital is a venture capital fund based in Munich, which focuses on European information, telecommunication, semiconductor and industrial technologies as well as life sciences. In the area of life sciences, DVC is particularly interested in opportunities in therapeutic and diagnostic product development as well as in platform technologies and medical devices. DVC manages 300 million Euro capital. In terms of investments in private companies, DVC invests approximately 1 - 10 million Euro as a lead or co-lead-investor also in larger rounds. DVC is a “value-added” financial investor. Each sector team consists of experienced investment managers with relevant backgrounds. Since its formation in 1998 DVC has invested in approximately 50 companies.

Further information is available at http://www.dvcg.de

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Heidrun Moll
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