Major funding milestone for White City Innovation District’s RQ Bio

Pioneering biotech RQ Bio, based at Scale Space in White City Innovation District, has announced an oversubscribed $115M (£85.5M) Series A round – the largest publicly announced UK Series A fundraise by a spinout this year.

The financing round was led by Frazier Life Sciences with participation from new investor EQT Life Sciences, Forbion, Monograph Capital, Wellington Management and founding investor LifeArc Ventures.

RQ Bio was co-founded by Paul Kellam, Professor of Virus Genomics at Imperial College London, and who is also Chief Scientific Officer for the business. The company is developing long-acting monoclonal antibodies (LAAbs) designed to deliver powerful, season-long protection against influenza with a single administration — a potential game changer for immunocompromised and high-risk populations. With this investment, its lead programme RQB01 moves closer to advancing into the clinic, ushering in a new approach to preventing serious respiratory viral disease.

This pivotal financing reflects what makes White City Innovation District a powerful environment for breakthrough science:

• World-leading life sciences cluster – where cutting-edge research meets entrepreneurial ambition
• Deep academic-industry collaboration – anchored by Imperial College London
• A key anchor of WestTech London – a fast-growing ecosystem connecting talent, capital and innovation across West London

This latest biotech funding success within the District also underscores Imperial’s global leadership in tackling emerging health challenges. This was marked earlier this month with the launch of the Biosecurity Network of Excellence. Introduced during London Tech Week, the Network has been established in response to escalating threats across human, animal and plant health.

With trail-blazing companies like RQ Bio, the leadership of Imperial and the support of the wider WestTech London ecosystem, White City Innovation District continues to be a place where deep tech translates into real-world impact – addressing urgent challenges from pandemics to food security and beyond.