Gameto Secures $44 Million Series C Amidst US Biotech Funding Dominance

AUSTIN, Texas – Gameto, a clinical-stage biotechnology company co-founded by serial entrepreneur Martin Varsavsky, recently announced a $44 million Series C funding round, bringing its total capital raised to an industry-leading $127 million. This significant investment highlights the robust venture capital landscape in the United States, a factor Martin Varsavsky frequently emphasizes when discussing the development of "moonshot" scientific ventures.

Gameto's flagship product, Fertilo, is designed to significantly shorten the in vitro fertilization (IVF) and egg freezing process from two weeks to just three days. This innovation utilizes engineered ovarian support cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Fertilo is currently in a Phase 3 clinical trial in the U.S., and has already received commercial clearance in several international markets, including Peru, Mexico, and Australia.

Varsavsky, who also founded Prelude Fertility, now North America's largest fertility network, articulated his perspective on the funding environment in a recent social media post. > "When I raised my first $100 million for Prelude Fertility in 2015, I said: 'sex is great, but not to make babies.' The point was simple: more and more people need science to build families." He noted that Prelude, though initially conceived in Spain, ultimately relocated to the U.S. to attract the necessary visionary investors for its expansion.

His other pioneering ventures exhibit a similar funding trajectory. Overture Life, which focuses on automating embryology laboratories to enhance IVF success rates and reduce costs, has secured a total of $57 million in funding. Vitara Biomedical, a company developing an artificial womb system (EXTEND) aimed at improving outcomes for premature babies, recently closed a $50 million Series B round, bringing its total funding to $125 million, and is advancing towards human clinical trials.

Varsavsky underscored the perceived disparity in investment appetite between continents. > "In Spain — and across Europe — this kind of funding is almost impossible to raise. The one exception is Israel, where investors are just as bold." This observation aligns with broader market analyses indicating that the U.S. significantly outpaces Europe in deep tech venture capital funding, with approximately 2.5 times more investment in 2022. While European deep tech funding has shown resilience and growth, a notable gap persists, particularly in later-stage funding rounds.

Experts suggest this difference stems from a larger pool of available capital in the U.S. and a greater willingness among American investors to back high-risk, high-reward scientific innovations. > "In the U.S., investors know most bets fail, but the winners change the world. That’s why so many European startups eventually grow in America: it’s where capital, talent, and courage come together," Varsavsky concluded, reinforcing the notion of the U.S. as a critical hub for transformative scientific and technological development.