Landmark fundraise strengthens Forbion’s capacity to back life sciences innovation amid Europe’s funding gap
The Wall Street Journal’s article “Forbion Raises $2.6 Billion in Boost to European Biotech Industry” reports on Forbion’s €2.3 billion ($2.6 billion) fundraise across two new funds—the largest European life sciences venture raise of 2026.
The article notes that approximately 60% of the capital came from European investors and 40% from North American investors, with backers including Dutch pension managers MN and PGGM, Germany’s KfW Capital and Eli Lilly and Company. The raise brings Forbion’s assets under management to approximately €7.5 billion, an increase of 50% in two years.
Forbion Managing Partner and Co-Founder Sander Slootweg, is featured in the article discussing the significance of the raise for Europe’s life sciences ecosystem. Against a backdrop of declining European participation in global pharmaceutical R&D and a persistent venture capital gap with the United States, Slootweg describes the fundraise as an early sign that more capital is becoming available to support European biotech innovation. The article positions Forbion’s successful raise as an important boost for a sector seeking the scale of investment required to translate world-class science into globally competitive companies.