Sciety Venture Partners – the investor network that supports life science innovations

At Sciety, we believe that the impact of scientific advancements should not be limited to the lab. This is why we support selected, innovative companies in life science and digital health. With deep expertise in life science, we are a long-term partner to prominent growth companies in the industry.

Sciety always invests alongside the investor network Sciety Venture Partners, on the same investment terms. Sciety Venture Partners comprises family offices, private investors, and venture capital firms. Many of the members have extensive experience in the life science field, for example as researchers, entrepreneurs, or investors.

Let’s get to know some of the members of Sciety Venture Partners better and learn why they choose to invest in and support unlisted companies in life science.

Some of the members of Sciety Venture Partners

Bengt Julander, founder of Linc

Bengt Julander has over 40 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He started his career at Astra in 1978 and then moved on to Baxter during the 1980s. As an entrepreneur, Bengt Julander has been involved in the start-up of, among others, Calliditas, Sedana and Linc. Linc has since evolved into a public investment company with public and private life science investments.

Bengt Julander’s experience and commitment to the life science domain have made him a highly regarded and respected figure in the industry. His track record of success speaks to his exceptional business acumen and dedication to fostering growth in the life sciences sector. Bengt Julander is one of Sciety’s Senior Advisors.

Tommi Unkuri, partner/co-founder Summa Equity

Tommi Unkuri has extensive experience in building and developing companies, and investing in unlisted life science companies. He is a partner and co-founder of Summa Equity, a private equity company with a strong impact focus. Summa Equity invests in companies with cutting-edge solutions to global challenges, and Tommi Unkuri has established the company’s investment area Changing Demographics – focused on healthcare and life science. Summa Equity manages assets of approximately EUR 5 billion.

Tommi Unkuri is also responsible for Summa Equity’s acquisition of Olink and the subsequent sale of Olink to Thermo Fischer for USD 3.1 billion. He has previously worked at Nordic Capital and Morgan Stanley.

Tommi Unkuri is active as a board member on several boards, including Olink Holding AB and Sciety.

"I am a private investor in a number of private life science companies in the Nordics, Europe and the US. This is a sector that has strong underlying demand and large underlying markets. It is also a sector that drives innovation, where companies can have a positive impact on healthcare and for patients, and where you can get a good return as an investor, based on these characteristics."

Anna Kälvemark, founder and CEO of Complyit

Anna Kälvemark is a prominent leader and entrepreneur in life science. She is the founder and CEO of Complyit, a leading consulting company in life science, which she has taken from a startup to a profitable operation with a turnover of SEK 120 million. Complyit has received several awards, including DI Gasell by Dagens Industri and Superföretag by Veckans Affärer. Anna Kälvemark also received the Stockholm City Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2023.

Anna Kälvemark has extensive experience in corporate governance and regulatory compliance within pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical technology. She is also a board member of Sciety’s portfolio company Neogap Therapeutics.

"We want to invest in and support this emerging industry which we are a part of ourselves and which, in the long run, will benefit a large part of humanity. Since we are active in life science, in addition to financial contributions, we can contribute with specialist skills and experience from an industry that often requires a high level of expertise and specialization. It is also encouraging to see that Sweden is the home of so many exciting new life science companies and we want to support the progress of these companies.”

Tore Curstedt, Associate Professor in medicinal and physiological chemistry and researcher at Karolinska Institutet

Tore Curstedt is a pioneering researcher in life science. He has worked with research at Karolinska Institutet for over 50 years. Together with Bengt Robertson, Tore Curstedt created the pharmaceutical Curosurf (Curstedt-Robertson-surfactant) – a drug that to date has saved the lives of over one million premature babies worldwide. Every year, around 300-500,000 premature babies are treated with Curosurf globally.

Tore Curstedt has received many prizes and awards for his pioneering work, including the Chiesi Prize for Excellence in Neonatology 2011, the FoUU Prize for Breakthrough in Clinical Research 2016, finalist in the European Inventor Award Lifetime Achievement 2016, the Karolinska Institute’s large silver medal 2017 and H.M. The King’s medal 12th size in high blue ribbon for significant contributions to medical research in 2017.

Tore Curstedt remains active as a researcher, and is working on a new synthetic variant of the drug Curosurf that has the potential to help significantly more children in the future.

"Sciety has very solid knowledge in life science. From a large number of unlisted companies, they select only a few that seem very promising. After studying the scientific output of these companies and listening to the companies' presentations hosted by Sciety, I have a good foundation for my investment decisions."

Mats Nilsson, Professor of biochemistry/molecular diagnostics, researcher and entrepreneur

Mats Nilsson is a distinguished professor of biochemistry/molecular diagnostics at Stockholm University and researcher at SciLifeLab. He is a globally recognised expert in developing breakthrough technologies for disease surveillance and molecular diagnostics. Among other things, he has paved the way for so-called padlock probes and their application in, for example, genomics, cancer, and infection diagnostics.

Mats Nilsson’s research focuses on the development of new technology for analysing genetic material at simple cellular levels. His work in spatial genomics has made him an authority in the field and his research results are widely used both academically and clinically.

Mats Nilsson is also the co-founder of several biotech companies such as Olink, Q-linea, Halo Genomics, EMPE Diagnostics and Cartana. Mats Nilsson is one of Sciety’s Senior Advisors. 

Invest in a healthier future with Sciety Venture Partners

Sciety’s goal is to create a healthier future by investing in innovative companies in life science and digital health. Over the years, we have carried out a series of successful investments together with leading venture capital firms within life science in Europe. Since the start, Sciety together with Sciety Venture Partners has invested over SEK 1 billion in 25 companies, where 8 of these companies have been acquired or listed successfully. Read more about Sciety Venture Partners.

"We invest in companies that have the potential to make a real difference in people's lives, with the philosophy that return and impact should go hand in hand."

As a member of Sciety Venture Partners, you will receive exclusive invitations to our investor events, where you can meet key people within the companies as well as like-minded investors. Join our invitation list to receive information about investment opportunities in the Nordics.

Disclaimer: The information contained in our emails and communications is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute advice or recommendations on any investment. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or suitability of any information provided. Please note that our communications are not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation. In particular, our communications are not intended for persons in the United States or Australia. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of our communications, including but not limited to any investment decisions made based on the information provided. Furthermore, please note that any investment in private companies involves a high degree of risk and is not suitable for all investors. Before making any investments, you must read and accept our general terms and conditions for investments, which can be found at the following link: General Terms and Conditions for Investments.