OriCiro Genomics Raises ¥800M in Series B Financing
Summary
OriCiro Genomics, a Tokyo, Japan-based pioneer in cell-free synthesis and amplification of genome-scale large DNA for advanced therapy and synthetic biology, raised ¥800m in Series B financing. The round was led by The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners (UTEC) with participation of ITOCHU Technology Ventures. OriCiro has also received a ¥200 million long-term loan from Japan Finance Corporation (JFC), a government-affiliated financial institution, totaling ¥1 billion in this round of financing. This brought accumulated funding raised since inception to ¥1.4 billion. The proceeds from this financing will be used for strategic purposes including: • Establishing a US subsidiary aimed for business growth in the US Launched in December 2018 by Seiji Hirasaki, CEO, OriCiro leverages cell-free cloning technology for large circular DNA to offer OriCiro Cell-Free Cloning System, that enables cell-free amplification of large circular DNA which eliminates the reliance on E. coli cloning, plasmid DNA supply for pharmaceutical use and drug discovery services.