Munich and London-based fertility technology startup Ovo Labs has raised €4.7 million (£4 million) in seed funding. The investment was led by venture capitalists LocalGlobe and Creator Fund. The capital will be used to accelerate the company's path to clinical trials with IVF clinics.
In addition to LocalGlobe and Creator Fund, Blue Wire Capital, Ahren Innovation Capital and Antonio Pellicer, founder of a global chain of IVF clinics, also participated in the financing round.
Therapeutic technology against age-related fertility problems
Ovo Labs was founded by Melina Schuh, Director at Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, and fertility researcher Dr. Agata Zielinska. The startup's goal is to support women with age-related fertility problems, especially women over 35, whose egg quality declines due to genetic changes. Ovo Labs' therapeutic technology targets aneuploidy – genetic defects in egg cells – and has already shown promising ex vivo results.
The development is based on Schuh's research at the Max Planck Institute and was carried out in collaboration with the Bourn Hall Clinic. The founding team is supported by Dr. Oleksandr Yagensky, a biologist and former strategy consultant at Bain & Company.
Life Science Factory as an important development location
Munich plays a central role in Ovo Labs' product development. Activities take place in the Life Science Factory The Munich Life Science Factory, including fully equipped laboratories, has been in operation since 2024. The facility was originally founded in 2018 by the German pharmaceutical company Sartorius with the goal of promoting startups and scientific progress in the life sciences sector. Startups housed in the Life Science Factory receive industry insights and start-up support, as well as access to valuable contacts and tailored investor matching.
