Dr. Bernard Coupal recently joined the Investment Committee of AmorChem LP, a venture capital fund which invests in promising life science projects originating from Québec‐based universities and research centres. In the 1990s, Dr. Coupal helped establish BioCapital and T2C2 Capital, which were among the first life sciences-focused venture capital firms in Canada and Québec.  AmorChem, closed in 2011, is the fourth partnership of the Montréal-based GeneChem.

PRESS RELEASE

Dr. Bernard Coupal joins the Investment Committee of AmorChem

Montreal, Quebec –February 22, 2013 – AmorChem is proud to announce that Dr. Bernard Coupal has joined its Investment Committee.

Dr. Coupal is a pioneer of technology transfer and of the so‐called “knowledge economy” in the province of Quebec. Holder of numerous patents and an established researcher, Dr. Coupal became interested very early in the financing of innovation. Following a fruitful engineering career, he became the first Director General of the Biotechnology Research Institute, an organisation which was created by the National Research Centre of Canada and rapidly became the principal Canadian biotechnology research centre. In 1990, he joined forces with Mr. Normand Balthazar to start the BioCapital fund, one of the first focused biotechnology investment funds in the province. Following this, in 1992, he became the first Director General of Société Innovatech du Grand Montréal, a government‐backed high tech investment fund. In 1997, remaining focused on the goal of helping to foster innovation in academic institutions by investing in promising early‐stage technologies, Dr. Coupal, together with Bertrand Cayrol and André Duquenne, raised T2C2/Bio and T2C2/Info. In 2001, he added T2C2/Bio 2000 to his fund portfolio.

Throughout his career, he has been asked to sit on the investment committees of various organizations such as CDP Capital‐Technologies, MDS/Fonds de solidarité FTQ Fund (Lumira Capital) and Vimac Lifesciences Fund. He has also been a member of many boards of directors such as those of Hydro‐Quebec Capitech and Hydro‐Quebec IndusTech. His significant contributions to both the investment and high tech sectors have been recognized through numerous prizes and honorary titles, most notably, the Ordre national du Québec.

“We are honoured to welcome Dr. Coupal to our Investment Committee. His indisputable experience in both earlystage biotechnology investing and technology transfer will undoubtedly make him a valuable member of our team” said Elizabeth Douville, General Partner at AmorChem. “Our Investment Committee is a key player in our success and Dr. Coupal will certainly have an important role to
play”, said Inès Holzbaur, General Partner at AmorChem.

He will join a committee composed of Dr. Brian White‐Guay, Dr. Steve Xanthoudakis, Mr. André Monette and Dr.Martin Godbout, its interim chairman.

ABOUT AMORCHEM L.P.
AmorChem L.P. (www.amorchem.com) is a venture capital fund located in Montreal focused on investing in promising life science projects originating from Quebec‐based universities and research centres. The principal limited partners of this fund are Investissement‐Québec, FIER Partenaires, Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Merck & Co. This fund is the latest addition to the GeneChem portfolio of funds, a fund manager in existence since 1997. AmorChem’s innovative business model involves financing research‐stage projects to enable them to reach preclinical proof‐of‐concept (“POC”) in a semi‐virtual mode within 18‐24 months. The fund seeks to generate returns through a two‐pronged exit strategy: sell projects having reached POC to large biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies; or bundle them into new spin‐out companies. AmorChem using external resources will manage the projects. To that effect, AmorChem has established a strategic partnership with the Biotechnology Research Institute in order to access its R&D platforms. In addition, to enabling projects requiring small molecules as tools or drug leads, AmorChem has founded NuChem Therapeutics Inc., a medicinal chemistry contract‐research company.

Media contacts:
Elizabeth Douville Inès Holzbaur
514‐849‐6358 514‐849‐7454
[email protected] [email protected]

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