# Ekaterina Smirnyagina

> Ekaterina Smirnyagina is a Series A investor at Oxford Science Enterprises backing Health Care. See 6 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [Oxford Science Enterprises](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/oxford-sciences-innovation)
- Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
- Total investments: 6
- Last investment: Jun 2024
- Lead investor: 17%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-smirnyagina-765181
- Website: https://www.oxfordscienceenterprises.com/team/katya-smirnyagina

Ekaterina Smirnyagina is a Series A investor at Oxford Science Enterprises in Oxford focused on Health Care and Therapeutics. Ekaterina Smirnyagina is based out of Oxford, Oxfordshire, and is the senior partner and head of life sciences of Oxford Science Enterprises. Ekaterina previously worked at MiroBio as a board member. Ekaterina Smirnyagina attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Health Care | 2 | 33% |
| Therapeutics | 1 | 17% |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 17% |
| Medical Device | 1 | 17% |

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series A | 2 | 33% |
| Series B | 2 | 33% |
| Series C | 2 | 33% |

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Belgium | 1 | 17% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 17% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Beacon Therapeutics | Beacon Therapeutics is an ophthalmic gene therapy company that restores and improves vision and rare retinal diseases that result in blindness. | $170M | Series B | Jun 03, 2024 |  |
| Beacon Therapeutics | Beacon Therapeutics is an ophthalmic gene therapy company that restores and improves vision and rare retinal diseases that result in blindness. | $120.1M | Series A | Jun 12, 2023 |  |
| iSTAR Medical | iSTAR Medical SA was created in 2010 as a spinout of Healionics Corporation with support from Belgium's Region Wallonne government. In 2011, iSTAR expanded to its new eco-friendly R&D and Manufacturing facility in CREALYS Scientific Park near Namur, Belgium.By 2012, iSTAR received ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 Quality SystemsCertifications and achieved CE Mark approval of its first device - STARflo™ Glaucoma Implant. | $43.9M | Series C | Sep 05, 2019 |  |
| iSTAR Medical | iSTAR Medical SA was created in 2010 as a spinout of Healionics Corporation with support from Belgium's Region Wallonne government. In 2011, iSTAR expanded to its new eco-friendly R&D and Manufacturing facility in CREALYS Scientific Park near Namur, Belgium.By 2012, iSTAR received ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 Quality SystemsCertifications and achieved CE Mark approval of its first device - STARflo™ Glaucoma Implant. | $11M | Series B | Apr 12, 2016 |  |
| iSTAR Medical | iSTAR Medical SA was created in 2010 as a spinout of Healionics Corporation with support from Belgium's Region Wallonne government. In 2011, iSTAR expanded to its new eco-friendly R&D and Manufacturing facility in CREALYS Scientific Park near Namur, Belgium.By 2012, iSTAR received ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 Quality SystemsCertifications and achieved CE Mark approval of its first device - STARflo™ Glaucoma Implant. | $4.4M | Series A | Nov 21, 2013 |  |
| Beacon Therapeutics | Beacon Therapeutics is an ophthalmic gene therapy company that restores and improves vision and rare retinal diseases that result in blindness. | $75M | Series C |  |  |

6 of 6 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Syncona Partners LLP](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/syncona-partners-llp) — VC Fund, 6 deals together
- [Forbion Capital Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/forbion-capital-partners) — VC Fund, 4 deals together
- [S.R.I.W.](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/s-r-i-w) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Advent Life Sciences](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/advent-life) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Oxford Science Enterprises](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/oxford-science-enterprises) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [SFPI-FPIM](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/sfpi-fpim) — VC Fund, 2 deals together

## About Oxford Science Enterprises

VC Fund · Oxford, United Kingdom

Oxford Science Enterprises is the university-partnered venture firm. We work with the University of Oxford to build companies that create fundamental technologies: science-based businesses capable of tackling the planet’s toughest problems. We invest in life science, AI and software, healthcare, and deep tech to create companies taking onchallenges like nuclear fusion, quantum computing and developing treatments and cures for infectious diseases. Founded in 2015, we’ve raised over £600M to create a world-class technology ecosystem, and combine our deep experience with a network of investors, entrepreneurs and sector-experts to find co-investment, build businesses, and hire senior management talent.

5 contacts available at Oxford Science Enterprises.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alexis Dormandy | Chief Executive Officer | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alexis-dormandy |
| Alexis Zervoglos | Senior Partner (Technology) | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alexis-zervoglos |
| Claire Brown | Partner ( Life Sciences) | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/claire-brown |
| Ekaterina Smirnyagina | Senior Partner and Head of Life Sciences | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ekaterina-smirnyagina |
| David Norwood | Chairman | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/david-norwood |

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## FAQ

### What does Ekaterina Smirnyagina invest in?

Ekaterina Smirnyagina invests primarily in Health Care, Therapeutics and Manufacturing startups, most often at Series A and Series B stage. Most of the 6 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Belgium. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Ekaterina Smirnyagina last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Ekaterina Smirnyagina closed in Jun 2024. Shizune tracks 6 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 Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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