Pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim is to acquire the global rights to Funxional Therapeutics‘ FX125L compound and somatotaxin programme. Funxional Therapeutics was founded by David Grainger with initial investment from Index Ventures and Novo A/S in 2006 and Ventech leading a Series B financing. PRESS RELEASE Today, Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, [...]

European venture firms are realizing the importance of a global footprint and Asia is the sought-after location of the moment for these LPs. In this slideshow, peHUB takes a look at the top ten European venture investors in Asia by deal value so far this year.

China is the Asian country of choice in 2011 for European venture firms with eight companies attracting European venture commitments in this top ten.

Private equity and venture capital firms invested $22.8 billion in Chinese companies by the end of the third quarter, according to a joint study by Deutsche Börse and CMS Hasche Sigle presented as part of the German Equity Forum in Frankfurt on Nov. 22. That figure compares with $15.8 billion for the whole of 2010.

After recently closing a $5 million financing round, Russian game publisher Pixonic has opened offices in San Francisco. The company, formed in 2009, is backed by venture investors including Ventech, Kite Ventures and TA Venture.

Graftys, a medical device start-up based in Aix-en-Provence, France, has raised 4 million euros ($5.3 million) in a third round of financing. The company, which is focused on bone biologics, is backed by Ventech, Octalfa, Oreo Finances and Viveris Management.

Funxional Therapeutics Ltd., a UK-based developer of anti-inflammatory therapies, has raised €10 million in Series B funding. Ventech was joined by return backers Index Ventures and Novo AS.

Covagen AG, a Zurich-based developer of a novel class of protein therapeutics, has secured an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Ventech.