Start-up capital for successful in vitro fertilization
More hope for pregnancy: Ovo Labs secures 4 million pounds in start-up capital
Founded in January 2025, Ovo Labs is a biotech company that has emerged from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen (Germany). The company develops novel therapeutics to improve the quality of human eggs. The active compounds are designed to help women remain fertile for longer and increase their chances of a successful pregnancy and in vitro fertilization (IVF). The launch of Ovo Labs gives new impetus to the fertility industry, an area in which technological innovation is becoming increasingly important.
From the age of 35, a woman’s biological clock ticks. Fertility decreases and the risk of miscarriage rises. Oocytes with altered chromosome numbers are one of the causes for this. These chromosome abnormalities occur more frequently in aging oocytes and, among other things, reduce the chance of pregnancy. If conception does not occur, many couples opt for IVF treatment. However, this is not always successful.
This is where Ovo Labs comes in. The novel active compounds developed by the spin-off have the potential to increase the reproductive longevity of egg cells. The underlying technologies are based on the research results of Max Planck Director and Ovo Labs co-founder Melina Schuh and were transferred to the start-up through an exclusive license agreement with the technology transfer organization Max Planck Innovation GmbH. The company has now raised 4 million pounds in a seed financing round to advance the development of the active substance towards clinical trials.
Reducing defective eggs
Ovo Labs is tackling a big problem in IVF – the poor quality of the eggs. “In our research, we have succeeded, for the first time, in visualizing how unfertilized human eggs collected for IVF prepare for fertilization: We observed how they develop and expel half of their DNA. This enabled us to elucidate what makes this process so error-prone and why these errors increase in aging oocytes,” explains Schuh, who heads the Department of Meiosis at the MPI.
To improve the quality of unfertilized human eggs, the biotech company has three therapeutic approaches: EmbryoProtect 1, 2, and 3. “These have the potential to reduce genetic errors in eggs, known as aneuploidies,” reports Agata Zielinska, co-founder of Ovo Labs and former scientist in the Department of Meiosis at the MPI. The goal of the Ovo Labs team, which also includes biologist and strategy consultant Oleksandr Yagensky, is to develop therapeutics that – after approval – can be seamlessly integrated into standard IVF treatment, without placing additional stress on patients.
Funding for pioneering scientific work
Creator Fund and Local Globe led the first round of financing for the start-up. Other investors included Blue Wire Capital, Ahren Innovation Capital, as well as Antonio Pellicer, founder of the world’s largest chain of IVF clinics. “The first round of financing will help to further develop the therapeutics for clinical trials,” Yagensky says. Product development will take place at the Life Science Factory in Munich (Germany).
On part of Max Planck Innovation, Mareike Göritz, Senior Patent and Licensing Mangager, as well as Ulrich Mahr, Member of the Management Board, closely supported the founding team during the pre-foundation and financing phases. “The extensive expertise and outstanding commitment of the Ovo Labs team are impressive and provide an excellent basis for further developing the therapeutic approach towards clinical application,” Göritz says. “We are proud to support the team on this journey – with the aim of giving women worldwide more hope of fulfilling their desire to have children,” Mahr adds.
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