Zurich-based BC Platforms raises $15 million Series C to extend data analytics in genomics

BC Platforms, the Zurich-based company in genomic data management and analytics, has announced a $15 million Series C round and a new commercial collaboration with IQVIA. The round was led by IQVIA along with Debiopharm Innovation Fund and Tesi, a Finnish venture capital and private equity company. Founded in 1997 in Helsinki, BC Platforms’ vision is to build the world’s leading analytics platform for healthcare and industry by 2020, providing access to diverse genomic and clinical data and samples from more than 5 million subjects from a global network of biobanks. To date, the company has partnered with about 100 enterprise level healthcare systems and biobanks, located in 25 countries, and has recently opened a base in Singapore to lead its growing activities in Asia. Both BC Platforms and IQVIA want to aid the pharmaceutical industry’s advancement of precision medicine, improving drug development and patient outcomes. As part of the collaboration, IQVIA and BC Platforms will launch new technologies to benefit research, integrating clinical and genomic data. Joining with IQVIA’s E360 Genomics database will allow the Swiss company “to build data access without compromising data privacy and security,” explained Tero Silvola, CEO of BC Platforms. Rob Kotchie of IQVIA, said: “Drawing insights from integrated clinical-genomics data is a growing need of our life science and healthcare customers. Through the combination of BC Platforms technologies – which automates the workflow from genomic instruments to actionable insights – with IQVIA’s leading real-world technologies platform, we can enable customers to conduct novel research and discover new insights to advance healthcare.”

Commenting on the Series C, director at Debiopharm Tom Gibbs said: "We are dedicated supporters of innovation and believe that digital health and data accessibility are going to be key drivers of future healthcare research and development. We are delighted to be supporting BC Platforms, a leader in the field of genomic data management, in the next stage of their expansion and are excited by the potential of this collaboration with IQVIA."