# NovaQuest

> NovaQuest is a VC fund in Durham backing Biotechnology and Biopharma. See 3 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Durham, United States
- Total investments: 3
- Last investment: Apr 2021
- Lead investor: 0%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/novaquest-capital-management-l.l.c./about/
- Website: http://www.novaquest.com

NovaQuest is a New Castle-based private equity company specializing in mid-sized biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for NovaQuest. Shizune tracks 8 team members at NovaQuest. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/novaquest?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Biotechnology | 3 | 100% |
| Biopharma | 1 | 33% |
| Health Care | 1 | 33% |
| Therapeutics | 1 | 33% |
| Pharmaceutical | 1 | 33% |

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series A | 1 | 33% |
| Series D | 1 | 33% |
| Post-IPO Equity | 1 | 33% |

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | 2 | 67% |
| Switzerland | 1 | 33% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dennis Gillings | Executive Chairman | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/dennis-gillings |
| Derek Winstanly | Chief Customer & Governance Officer | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/derek-winstanly |
| James Erlinger | General Counsel | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/james-erlinger |
| Kevin Gordon | Chief Financial Officer | 0 | — |
| Mike Mortimer | Corporate Administration | 0 | — |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cerevel Therapeutics | Cerevel Therapeutics is dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the brain to treat neuroscience diseases. The company is tackling neuroscience diseases with a differentiated approach that combines expertise in neurocircuitry with a focus on receptor selectivity. Cerevel Therapeutics has a diversified pipeline comprising five clinical-stageinvestigational therapies and several preclinical compounds with the potential to treat a range of neuroscience diseases, including schizophrenia, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and substance use disorder. | $125M | Post-IPO Equity | Apr 13, 2021 |  |
| Arvelle Therapeutics | Arvelle Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company with the mission of bringing innovative solutions to patients suffering from CNS disorders. | $209.8M | Series A | Feb 18, 2019 |  |
| Ambit Biosciences | Ambit Biosciences is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of small molecule kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer, inflammatory disease, and other indications. Ambit's lead compound, AC220, is a novel, potent, highly selective, orally bioavailable FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT3)inhibitor, and is currently under clinical investigation in patients with relapsed or refractory AML. Ambit is developing AC220 in collaboration with Astellas Pharma Inc. as part of a worldwide agreement to jointly develop and commercialize FLT3 kinase inhibitors in oncology and non-oncology indications. In addition to AC220, Ambit's clinical pipeline includes AC480, a pan-HER inhibitor, and AC430, an oral JAK2 inhibitor. Ambit also has a pipeline of preclinical candidates which includes CEP-32496, a BRAF inhibitor licensed to Cephalon. | $49.3M | Series D | Nov 14, 2007 |  |

3 of 3 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Novaquest Capital Management](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/novaquest-capital-management) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Bain Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bain-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [BPV Capital Management](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bpv-capital-management) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Andera Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/edmond-de-rothschild-investment-partners) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Forward Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/forward-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [GeneChem](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/genechem) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## Similar investors

### Similar stage
- [Antler](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/antler-be9c) — VC Fund
- [Alumni Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alumni-ventures-group) — VC Fund
- [General Catalyst](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/general-catalyst-partners) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does NovaQuest invest in?

NovaQuest invests primarily in Biotechnology, Biopharma and Health Care startups, most often at Series A and Series D stage. Most of the 3 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact NovaQuest?

Public channels for NovaQuest include LinkedIn and the website linked on this profile. 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.

### Who are the partners at NovaQuest?

The team at NovaQuest includes Dennis Gillings (Executive Chairman), Derek Winstanly (Chief Customer & Governance Officer) and James Erlinger (General Counsel), among 8 team members tracked by Shizune. The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### 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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