Axel Polack
Angel Investor @ TVM Capital
Munich, Germany
Axel Polack is a General Partner at the Joint Polish Investment Fund. Before JPIF Dr. Polack was from 2000 to 2014 a key member of the Life Science team at TVM Capital, which raised more than 680m€ in venture capital and accomplished 67 investments, 18 IPOs (“initial public offerings”) and 15 trade sales. Prior to his career in venture capital hewas involved in business management as General Manager and basic biomedical research as Deputy Chairman of a large research institute. He has a proven track record in venture capital and early stage company building.During his time as board member and lead investor representative Genetix Inc. developed into high flying bluebird bio Inc. which attracted 101m$ through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) at NASDAQ in June 2013. Due to break through successes in gene therapy the company reached today a Market Cap of more than 5b$.As long term board member of Alzheimer ’s disease specialist Probiodrug AG (PBD) was instrumental for the preparation of its IPO on Euronext Amsterdam in October 2014. It represents one of the rare and successful IPOs of German biotech in recent years.
- Total investments:
- 12
- Last investment:
- Lead investor:
- 25%
Last updated:
For AI agents: llms.txt
Industries Axel Polack invests in
Stages Axel Polack invests in
Countries Axel Polack invests in
Contacts
| Type | Contact | Validation |
|---|---|---|
| Work email | ||
| Personal email | ||
| Work phone | ||
| Personal phone | ||
| Socials |
Investment Focus
Industry
- Biotechnology 4 (33%)
- Health Care 3 (25%)
- Pharmaceutical 3 (25%)
- Biopharma 2 (17%)
- Medical Device 2 (17%)
Stage
- Seed 2 (17%)
- Series A 2 (17%)
- Series B 2 (17%)
- Series C 2 (17%)
- Series D 2 (17%)
Country
- Poland 2 (17%)
- Germany 2 (17%)
- United States 1 (8%)
- United Kingdom 1 (8%)
Investments
| Company | Description | Round | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| MySpiroo by Healthup - Ultraportable spirometer The MySpiroo is a spirometer, a device which helps to control asthma, reduces the number of exacerbations and protects from life-threatening attacks. | $1.1M / Seed / Feb 03, 2016 | ||
| F-Star Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing novel bispecific antibody products that provide a significant improvement over the current standard of care. Given its strong patent position, it is the only biopharmaceutical company with the ability to create and develop Fcab:tm: antibody fragments, and bispecificantibodies, by modifying the constant region of an antibody. In particular, F-star’s Modular Antibody Technology:tm: enables rapid discovery and development of bispecific antibodies by introducing additional binding sites to the constant region of an antibody and offers unprecedented ease in the development and manufacturing of bispecific monoclonal antibodies. Using the Modular Antibody Technology, F-star generates bispecific antibodies (mAb2:tm:) that possess the favourable characteristics of traditional monoclonal antibodies, without the production challenges often associated with other antibody formats. F-star is now applying its proprietary technology to the development of a pipeline of product candidates. Since its founding in 2006 the company has secured funding and support from leading VC investors: Aescap Venture, Atlas Venture, Novo Ventures and TVM Capital; as well as from renowned strategic corporate investors: Merck Serono Ventures, MP Healthcare Venture Management and SR One. In 2013, F-star established an asset-centric vehicle structure through the formation of F-star Alpha Ltd., which included out-licensing of FS102 from F-star to F-star Alpha Ltd. In October 2014 Bristol-Myers Squibb obtained an exclusive option to buy F-star Alpha. In addition the company has alliances with Boehringer Ingelheim and Merck Serono, each covering multiple targets. In 2011, F-star was selected by FierceBiotech as one of the Fierce 15 winners. F-star currently employs over 35 people at its research site in Cambridge, UK. | $9.4M / Series A / Oct 23, 2013 | ||
| bluebird bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops gene therapies for severe genetic and rare diseases. The company's gene therapy procedures aim to genetically modify a patient's cells to fundamentally correct or address the genetic basis underlying a disease. Bluebird's revenue is derived from collaborationarrangements, research fees, license fees, and grant revenue. The company works with industry peers, strategic partners, and nonprofit organizations for the development and commercialization of its product candidates. | $60M / Series D / Jul 25, 2012 | ||
| Vivoryon Therapeutics is a Germany based biopharmaceutical company engaged in the activities of research and development, preclinical and clinical trials. It is focused on the development of therapeutic products for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and cancer. The company's pipeline products includes PQ912, PQ1565 and PQ-family. | $16.5M / Jan 04, 2012 | ||
| bluebird bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops gene therapies for severe genetic and rare diseases. The company's gene therapy procedures aim to genetically modify a patient's cells to fundamentally correct or address the genetic basis underlying a disease. Bluebird's revenue is derived from collaborationarrangements, research fees, license fees, and grant revenue. The company works with industry peers, strategic partners, and nonprofit organizations for the development and commercialization of its product candidates. | $30M / Series C / Apr 20, 2011 | ||
| F-Star Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing novel bispecific antibody products that provide a significant improvement over the current standard of care. Given its strong patent position, it is the only biopharmaceutical company with the ability to create and develop Fcab:tm: antibody fragments, and bispecificantibodies, by modifying the constant region of an antibody. In particular, F-star’s Modular Antibody Technology:tm: enables rapid discovery and development of bispecific antibodies by introducing additional binding sites to the constant region of an antibody and offers unprecedented ease in the development and manufacturing of bispecific monoclonal antibodies. Using the Modular Antibody Technology, F-star generates bispecific antibodies (mAb2:tm:) that possess the favourable characteristics of traditional monoclonal antibodies, without the production challenges often associated with other antibody formats. F-star is now applying its proprietary technology to the development of a pipeline of product candidates. Since its founding in 2006 the company has secured funding and support from leading VC investors: Aescap Venture, Atlas Venture, Novo Ventures and TVM Capital; as well as from renowned strategic corporate investors: Merck Serono Ventures, MP Healthcare Venture Management and SR One. In 2013, F-star established an asset-centric vehicle structure through the formation of F-star Alpha Ltd., which included out-licensing of FS102 from F-star to F-star Alpha Ltd. In October 2014 Bristol-Myers Squibb obtained an exclusive option to buy F-star Alpha. In addition the company has alliances with Boehringer Ingelheim and Merck Serono, each covering multiple targets. In 2011, F-star was selected by FierceBiotech as one of the Fierce 15 winners. F-star currently employs over 35 people at its research site in Cambridge, UK. | $15.9M / Apr 13, 2011 | ||
| NOXXON Pharma AG, a biopharmaceutical company, develops biostable aptamers and substances based on mirror image nucleic acids. Its Spiegelmer is a mirror image oligonucleotide therapeutic for the pharmacologically relevant target. The company has a strategic alliance with Pfizer, Inc. NOXXON Pharma AG was founded in 1997 and is based in Berlin,Germany. | $36.2M / Series D / May 27, 2010 | ||
| bluebird bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops gene therapies for severe genetic and rare diseases. The company's gene therapy procedures aim to genetically modify a patient's cells to fundamentally correct or address the genetic basis underlying a disease. Bluebird's revenue is derived from collaborationarrangements, research fees, license fees, and grant revenue. The company works with industry peers, strategic partners, and nonprofit organizations for the development and commercialization of its product candidates. | $35M / Series B / Mar 12, 2010 | ||
| Vivoryon Therapeutics is a Germany based biopharmaceutical company engaged in the activities of research and development, preclinical and clinical trials. It is focused on the development of therapeutic products for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and cancer. The company's pipeline products includes PQ912, PQ1565 and PQ-family. | $54M / Series B / Nov 02, 2009 | ||
| NOXXON Pharma AG, a biopharmaceutical company, develops biostable aptamers and substances based on mirror image nucleic acids. Its Spiegelmer is a mirror image oligonucleotide therapeutic for the pharmacologically relevant target. The company has a strategic alliance with Pfizer, Inc. NOXXON Pharma AG was founded in 1997 and is based in Berlin,Germany. | $40.6M / Series C / May 03, 2007 | ||
| See all 12 investments → | |||
Co-Investors
About TVM Capital
TVM Capital is a global venture and growth capital firm that aims to finance select biopharmaceutical and medical device companies. TVM Capital was founded in 1983 and is based Munich, Bavaria.
TVM Capital Contacts
| Name | Phone | Socials | |
|---|---|---|---|
Hubert Birner
General Partner
|
|||
Luc Marengere
Managing Partner
|
|||
|
Christoph Schröder
General Partner
|
|||
|
Friedrich Bornikoel
Managing Director
|
|||
Marc Riviere
General Partner
|
Access 48,091 investors
822 industries, 177 countries. Updated daily. Emails and phones included.
Browse database — It's Free!
Find investors for your startup
Search 48,091 investors by industry and country. Emails and phones included.
Similar Investors
Recommended lists
FAQ
What does Axel Polack invest in?
Axel Polack invests primarily in Biotechnology, Health Care and Pharmaceutical startups, most often at Seed and Series A stage. Most of the 12 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Poland. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.
How do I contact Axel Polack?
Public channels for Axel Polack include LinkedIn. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.
When did Axel Polack last invest?
The most recent investment recorded for Axel Polack closed in Feb 2016. Shizune tracks 12 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.
Is Shizune's investor data accurate?
Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Sep 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.
Contact your first 100 investors today
Find who invests in your industry, stage, and country. Download investor list with emails in 5 minutes.
Find investors — It's Free!
Continue with Google
Continue with LinkedIn
