VAXICAN, a biotechnology spin-off company of the University of Gdańsk originating from the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, developing a modern anti-cancer vaccine platform, has raised PLN 10.5 million from DeepTech Capital Consortium in a seed round. The funds will be used to develop preclinical programmes and bring the first two candidates for therapeutic cancer vaccines to clinical readiness.
VAXICAN is developing a cancer vaccine platform based on its proprietary virus-like particle (eVLP) technology and provides advanced next-generation sequencing (NGS) services.
The formal signing of the agreement took place on 13 November 2025 at the University of Gdańsk. The event was attended by, among others, representatives of the management board of the special purpose vehicle UG Univentum Labs, dr hab. Sylwia Mrozowska, prof. UG, and dr hab. Andrzej Poszewiecki, President of the Management Board of VAXICAN, dr Łukasz Rąbalski, Director of the UG Technology Transfer Centre, Katarzyna Gronowska, and representatives of DeepTech Capital Consortium.
Investors from DeepTech Capital Consortium, which includes iif.vc, Rubicon Partners, Radix VC and a group of individual investors, recognised the potential of the solutions developed by a team of scientists from the Department of Recombinant Vaccines at the IFB UG and the MUG.
The funds raised will be used to develop and validate the eVLP platform, bring two vaccine candidates to clinical readiness, expand the laboratory infrastructure and research team, and develop the Vaxican Genomics department in the area of next-generation sequencing (NGS) services as a certified partner of Oxford Nanopore Technologies.
‘VAXICAN is a project that not only combines scientific knowledge from the University of Gdańsk, but is also supported by the experience of Mateusz Sagan, the Rubicon Partners venture building model, and the expertise of funds that have successfully listed companies on the Warsaw Stock Exchange,’ says dr Łukasz Rąbalski, originator, co-founder and President of the Management Board of VAXICAN Sp. z o.o.
‘From the perspective of the University of Gdańsk, this is an example of the successful commercialisation of scientific research results and effective cooperation between science and business,’ emphasises Vice-Rector for Development and Finance at the University of Gdańsk, dr hab. Paweł Antonowicz, prof. UG.
The University of Gdańsk has been conducting research in the field of medical biotechnology for many years. Scientists from the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG are among the leading experts. Many of them conduct research whose results are protected by Polish, European and international patents.
‘We have been cooperating with VAXICAN for years in the field of knowledge transfer. We license innovative technology that was developed in the laboratories of the University of Gdańsk and is being developed by the company,’ emphasises Katarzyna Gronowska, Director of TTO UG. ‘This is an example of how securing research results and protecting intellectual property at an early stage translates into the safe launch of technology commercialisation and further development of cooperation with the market.’
‘We are delighted that the project developed by our scientists is receiving such strong investment support. From the very beginning, we have participated as a special purpose vehicle of the University of Gdańsk in the development of VAXICAN as its shareholder, actively supporting the implementation of its strategy,’ comments dr hab. Sylwia Mrozowska, prof. UG, President of the Management Board of Univentum Labs Sp z o.o. (a special purpose vehicle of the University of Gdańsk).
The global market for cancer vaccines, valued at over $11 billion in 2025, with an estimated growth to approximately $29 billion in 2034, is growing alongside advances in immunotherapy and personalised medicine. The eVLP technology developed by VAXICAN allows the creation of vaccines with a high safety and efficacy profile, with the possibility of rapid adaptation to different types of cancer. Support for proprietary advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML/AI) models, integration with the company's own next-generation sequencing (NGS) facilities ensure full control over the research and development process and are a key differentiator for the company.
Entities involved
VAXICAN Sp. z o. o.
VAXICAN is a spin-off company of the University of Gdańsk, a biotechnology company developing a modern platform of anti-cancer vaccines based on proprietary eVLP (enveloped virus-like particles) technology and offering advanced next-generation sequencing (NGS) services as a certified partner of Oxford Nanopore Technologies. www.vaxican.com
DeepTech Capital Consortium
An initiative bringing together experienced private and institutional investors, whose goal is to support projects at the intersection of science and business. The DeepTech Capital Consortium comprises Rubicon Partners, iif.vc, Radix Ventures and a group of individual investors associated with the rynkowyrebeliant.pl portal, with a combined capital of approximately PLN 572 million. The Consortium's goal is to support young technology companies, focusing on areas such as deep tech, life science and space tech.
Technology Transfer Office (TTO UG) and Univentum Labs Sp z o.o.
The University of Gdańsk has a Technology Transfer Centre (TTO UG), which supports the commercialisation of scientific research results by connecting the academic community with business, helping to protect intellectual property, create spin-off companies and attract investors.
Univentum Labs Sp z o.o. is a special purpose vehicle of the University of Gdańsk responsible, among other things, for the commercialisation of scientific research and development results. Univentum is also one of the shareholders of VAXiCAN.