Lonza Partners with Prolog Ventures to Establish VC Fund to Invest in Consumer Health and Wellness Startups
Basel, Switzerland, 7 February 2018 - Lonza, one of the world's leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical, biotech and specialty ingredients industries, announced today that it has launched a venture capital fund to back emerging consumer-health companies in North America.
The Prolog Lonza Consumer Fund will focus on products, technologies and innovative business models related to fast-moving consumer goods markets, such as personal care, functional food and beverages, medical food, dietary supplements and home care. The emphasis will be on products that maintain, protect or preserve the health and well-being of people and companion animals around the world through proprietary ingredients, formulations and delivery technologies.
U.S.-based Prolog Ventures has been named the fund’s manager for investments in innovative early-stage, fast-growing consumer health and wellness startups in North America.
The newly created fund offers value well beyond financial support by leveraging Lonza’s global resources and expertise to accelerate the growth of its portfolio companies. It is expected that the fund will invest annually into two or three startups on average in the mid-single-digit million-dollar range.
"This investment demonstrates Lonza's commitment to innovating along the value chain and to creating additional value for our customers with new technologies and integrated solutions," said Sven Abend, COO of Lonza's Specialty Ingredients segment.
About Lonza
Lonza is one of the world’s leading and most-trusted suppliers to the pharmaceutical, biotech and specialty ingredients markets. As an integrated solutions provider, Lonza is boosting its value creation along and beyond the healthcare continuum with a strong focus on patient healthcare, consumer preventive healthcare and consumer's healthy environment.
Lonza harnesses science and technology to create products that support safer and healthier living and that enhance the overall quality of life. With the recent Capsugel acquisition, Lonza now offers products and services from the custom development and manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients to innovative dosage forms for the pharma and consumer health and nutrition industries.
Benefiting from its regulatory expertise, Lonza is able to transfer its know-how from pharma to hygiene and fast-moving consumer goods all the way to coatings and composites and the preservation and protection of agricultural goods and other natural resources.
Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, Lonza today is a well-respected global company with more than 100 sites and offices and approximately 14,500 full-time employees worldwide. The company generated sales of CHF 5.1 billion in 2017 with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 1.3 billion. Further information can be found at www.lonza.com.
About Prolog
Prolog Ventures was one of the first venture capital firms to target early-stage investment in health and wellness companies. The San Francisco and St. Louis-based firm currently manages two other successful funds in that space, Prolog Healthy Living Fund and Prolog Healthy Living Fund II.
Prolog is recognized for its engaged and supportive investor model, partnering with early-stage companies for fast growth and increased founder and shareholder value. Recent portfolio companies include nationally known brands like Plum Organics, a leader in organic foods for children (acquired by Campbell Soup 2014); Zeel, the largest on-demand massage company in the world; and Spindrift, the first flavored sparkling water made with real squeezed fruit.
Prolog Lonza Consumer Fund will be led by managing directors Ilya Nykin and Teddy Shalon, both accomplished investors and entrepreneurs. www.prologventures.com.
