The Novo Holdings investment strategy is underpinned by a belief that we can generate the most attractive returns by focusing on the life science sector, where we can leverage our deep-rooted insights. Our key strategic goal is to build on and enhance our leadership position as a life science investor.
Novo Holdings will increase its investments significantly in the life science sector in the coming years. We primarily focus on investing in Europe, the United States and Asia, and we think about the life science sector as a group of diversified subsectors, including biotechnology, medical technology, healthcare IT, pharmaceuticals, healthcare services, bioindustrials and payers & providers.
We invest along the continuum of the life science investment classes and specifically endeavour to:
- invest in established private and public life science companies with a strong long-term potential, as executed by Principal Investments
- invest in private and public growth companies requiring expansion capital, as executed by Novo Growth;
- invest in private and public venture companies, as executed by Novo Ventures;
- create and build life science companies in Scandinavia, as executed by Novo Seeds; and
- allocate a portion of our funds to investments outside life science as a means of diversification, as executed by Novo Capital Investors
We have a long-term and flexible investment style. We can invest in private and public companies, take majority and minority positions and we can hold equity and debt. Furthermore, we aspire to bring more than capital to our investments by leveraging our deep-rooted life-science expertise and network.
Novo Holdings realised record Income and Investment Returns of DKK 37 billion in 2021, up from DKK 29 billion in 2020. This result is well balanced and based on a strong performance from both the Novo Group companies and our Investment Portfolio, with the latter generating a very satisfactory return of 15% for the year. Novo Holdings closed the year with a record DKK 697 billion in total assets, up from DKK 457 billion in 2020, with the Investment Portfolio alone increasing to a record DKK 182 billion, up from DKK 150 billion in 2020.
