About Novo Holdings

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Novo Holdings

Novo Holdings

We are a holding and investment company

Novo Holdings is a Danish private limited liability company wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Established in 1999, Novo Holdings is the holding company of the Novo Group and manages the Foundation’s investment assets.

In addition to being the major shareholder in the Novo Group companies, Novo Holdings invests the wealth of the Foundation in two key categories: 1. Life Science Investments, which includes investing in life science companies at all stages of development; and 2. Financial Investments, which manages a diversified portfolio of equity and fixed income securities.

Working out of Copenhagen, with affiliates in San Francisco and Boston, Novo Holdings is a world-leading life science investor with a focus on creating long-term value.

The purpose of the investments of Novo Holdings is both to grow the assets of the Foundation and to deliver a return that the Foundation can distribute for scientific, social and humanitarian purposes to improve the lives of people and the sustainability of society.

Read about the novo group
Holdings Investments
We bring more than capital to life science companies in all stages of development Kasim Kutay, CEO, Novo Holdings

Our values

How we do business

At Novo Holdings, we aspire to a set of values that define the way we work. Our values underpin the Novo Holdings culture of high performance with high responsibility and long-term thinking.

Our ethos
  • We strive to do the right thing in the right way.
  • We maintain our integrity.
  • We shun complacency.
  • We refer to and reinforce our values.
As colleagues
  • We strive for high performance.
  • We value team effort.
  • We value collegiality.
  • We give and receive feedback to improve our performance.
As investors
  • We sustain long-term relationships based on mutual trust and respect.
  • We are agile and aspire to be visionary.
  • We uphold full discretion and confidentiality.
  • We apply the lessons learned from our successes and failures.
As a Novo Group company
  • We uphold our Charter.
  • We leverage our life science expertise as a Group to make better investment decisions.

Leadership

  • Board of Directors

    The Board of Directors comprises six members each with a long and proven track record in investments or the life sciences.

  • Advisory Group

    The Novo Advisory Group is an expert panel that supports Novo Holdings in analysing the opportunities and risks associated with its larger investments.

  • Leadership team

    The leadership team of Novo Holdings comprises the CEO and the heads of the six departments.

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History of Novo Holdings

In 1999, the Novo Nordisk Foundation established a wholly owned subsidiary, Novo A/S, to manage the Foundation’s assets. In 2017, Novo A/S changed its name to Novo Holdings A/S.

December 1999

Novo A/S established (now Novo Holdings A/S)

December 1999

Henrik Gürtler appointed CEO

December 2000

Novo Ventures established

December 2007

Novo Seeds established

January 2011

Principal Investments established

May 2014

Eivind Kolding appointed CEO

June 2016

Kasim Kutay appointed CEO

October 2017

Growth Equity established

News

Novo Seeds expands company formation activities at BiOrigin with seasoned entrepreneurs

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Novo Seeds expands company formation activities at BiOrigin with seasoned entrepreneurs

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Novo Ventures and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Launch Drug Discovery “Greenhouse” to Drive Creation of Innovative New Therapies

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Novo Ventures and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Launch Drug Discovery “Greenhouse” to Drive Creation of Innovative New Therapies

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Nordic Capital, Astorg, and Novo Holdings A/S to invest in ERT for future growth

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Nordic Capital, Astorg, and Novo Holdings A/S to invest in ERT for future growth

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Novo Seeds co-leads €20 Million Series A Financing in STipe Therapeutics

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Novo Seeds co-leads €20 Million Series A Financing in STipe Therapeutics

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Novo Holdings appoints two life science sector leaders to its advisory group

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Novo Holdings

Novo Holdings appoints two life science sector leaders to its advisory group

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Novo Holdings invests $72 million in sustainable products leader LanzaTech

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Novo Holdings

Novo Holdings invests $72 million in sustainable products leader LanzaTech

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Key figures

Investments and transactions

  • € 7.5 bn

    currently invested in the life science sector.

  • 300+

    life science investments since 1999.

Disk Medicine

The Novo Nordisk Foundation

Striving to improve the health and welfare of people

The Novo Nordisk Foundation awards grants for research, humanitarian and social purposes. The history of the Foundation dates back to 1922, when Professor and Nobel Laureate August Krogh and his wife, Marie, took a trip to North America and succeeded in acquiring the necessary knowledge and permission to manufacture insulin in Scandinavia. In return, August Krogh promised that profit from the sale of insulin would be returned to society as support for scientific and humanitarian purposes.

The production of insulin marked the beginning of the development of world-class diabetes medicine and a subsequent Danish business and export venture. It also led to the establishment of several foundations that, many years later, merged into today’s Novo Nordisk Foundation. Since 2010, the Foundation has awarded grants totalling more than DKK 20 billion.

VISIT THE NOVO NORDISK FOUNDATION

Contact

Our location

Novo Holdings A/S
Tuborg Havnevej 19
2900 Hellerup
Denmark
+45 3527 6500
CVR# 24257630

Novo Ventures (US) Inc.*
200 Clarendon Street, Floor 45
Boston, MA 02116
USA

Novo Ventures (US) Inc.*
501 2nd Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94107
USA
+1 (415) 552-6686

Media Relations
Christian Mostrup Scheel
Senior Press Officer
cims@novo.dk
+45 3067 4805

*Novo Ventures (US) Inc. is a separate legal entity that provides certain consultancy services to Novo Holdings A/S, mainly within the areas of identifying, analysing and negotiating various investment opportunities among life science and biotech companies in the US as well as certain follow-up activities related thereto, such as board memberships, financial control and reporting efforts.