Historical Roots Between Sofinnova Partners and Sofinnova Investments
Sofinnova Partners (Europe) and Sofinnova InvestmentsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → (USA) originated from the same parent firm— Sofinnova , founded in France in 1972 .
Sofinnova (short for Société de Financement en Innovation ), was one of the first venture capital firms in Europe.
Founded with the backing of several French financial institutions including Crédit National and Paribas (now part of BNP Paribas) and other French banks, to foster innovation and early-stage technology ventures in Europe. It was created to channel capital into high-growth sectors like biotechnology, IT, and energy.
The firm later expanded into the U.S. with the creation of a U.S. arm in 1974 , initially known as Sofinnova Ventures (now Sofinnova Investments).
For many years, these two entities operated as sister firms under a shared brand but with independent investment teams and strategies , one based in Paris (Sofinnova Partners) and the other in Menlo Park (Sofinnova Investments). While they shared branding and occasionally co-invested, they evolved into fully independent firms , each with its own focus, capital base, and governance.
Sofinnova Partners operates as a European VC leader, covering seed to growth across biopharma, medtech, and sustainability.
Sofinnova Investments (formerly Sofinnova Ventures) is a U.S.-focused firm investing primarily in late preclinical and clinical-stage biopharma.
Despite their divergence, both continue to specialize in life sciences and maintain cordial relations, sharing legacy brand value and historical lineage in the sector.
D.D.
