OneBio Venture Studio is a pioneering biotechnology venture capital firm and venture builder headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa. Founded in 2018, it is at the forefront of efforts to commercialize deep science and biotech innovation across Africa, a continent with vast scientific potential yet facing critical funding and infrastructural challenges. Combining venture capital investment with hands-on venture building, OneBio nurtures early-stage biotech startups through financial support, mentorship, and operational expertise. Its mission goes beyond funding—OneBio actively creates and co-develops biotech companies, aiming to turn laboratory research into viable, world-changing businesses. This article explores ten key facets of OneBio, revealing insights into its unique hybrid model, challenges, successes, and ambitions shaping Africa’s biotech future.
OneBio Venture Studio uniquely operates at the intersection of traditional venture capital and hands-on venture building. Unlike conventional VCs that primarily provide capital to external startups, OneBio also incubates and builds biotech companies from the ground up. This hybrid approach enables them to maintain greater control and involvement in scientific ventures, aligning investment with active operational support. However, this model involves higher risk and substantial capital concentration, essential given the long R&D cycles of biotech. The approach is ambitious, designed to foster innovation where conventional VC funding in Africa is scarce.
Established in 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa, OneBio was co-founded by Michael Fichardt, Nick Walker, and Gian-Marco Melfi—leaders with diverse expertise spanning biotechnology, entrepreneurship, investment, and technology. Their combined background supports OneBio’s commitment to nurturing startups from idea to market while addressing the unique challenges of African biotech ecosystems. This leadership team fosters connections with governments, academic institutions, and corporate partners, underpinning OneBio’s strategy to build a biotechnology ecosystem rather than simply fund startups.
OneBio’s portfolio includes several notable biotech ventures demonstrating commercial and technological promise. LifeQ, a wearable health and biometrics company, stands out, having raised over $47 million and generating revenue with potential global relevance. CapeBio is another revenue-generating firm leveraging pandemic-driven testing opportunities. Additionally, Altera Biosciences, focused on universal donor cell platforms, illustrates OneBio’s commitment to cutting-edge, pre-clinical innovation. Other startups in the portfolio include microbiome-focused Biomine and precision fermentation company Immobazyme, signaling a diverse biotech focus.
Operating a biotech venture studio in Africa comes with considerable structural and market challenges. OneBio faces infrastructural gaps, such as limited wet lab facilities and fragmented regulatory frameworks across African countries. The biotech industry’s long development cycles—typically seven to twelve years—compound financial risk, with the continent’s exit markets for startups relatively immature. These factors result in a high attrition rate; among OneBio’s 16 investments, six ventures have shut down. This underscores the delicate balance in investing in deep-tech African startups.
The OneBio Innovation Centre complements the venture studio’s financial efforts by providing early-stage biotech startups world-class laboratory space, equipment access, and a collaborative infrastructure. This center supports the South African bioeconomy by fostering community, mentorship, and networking. The centre regularly hosts events like "Biotech & Beers," which promote knowledge sharing and ecosystem engagement. This holistic approach helps bridge the gap between scientific research and commercial viability, nurturing startups in a supportive, innovation-focused environment.
In early 2026, OneBio Venture Studio secured a significant grant facility worth R20 million (approximately $1.16 million USD) to accelerate its venture-building programme. This funding boost aims to scale its efforts in developing African biotech startups and to expand its geographic footprint into key African markets such as Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt. The capital injection reflects a growing recognition of the firm’s role in fostering deep-tech innovation, despite the challenging landscape for early-stage biotech ventures in Africa.
Like many deep-tech investment ventures, OneBio faces a high failure rate. Of sixteen portfolio companies to date, six have been shut down. None have yet achieved a liquidity event such as an IPO or acquisition, emphasizing the difficulty of translating high-science research into profitable African businesses. While this attrition is costly, it aligns with industry norms in early-stage venture capital, particularly in biotechnology, where substantial upfront investment is necessary. OneBio’s model emphasizes iterative learning and resilience in this high-risk space.
OneBio is dedicated not just to human health biotech but also invests in companies advancing animal health and environmental sustainability. This broad focus reflects the interconnectedness of health across ecosystems and the potential for biotechnology to solve complex challenges facing Africa and the wider world. By supporting innovations in these domains, OneBio aims to contribute positively to global biotechnological advancements with African roots.
Recognizing that science flourishes in community, OneBio actively builds an ecosystem that includes founders, scientists, investors, mentors, corporate partners, and government agencies. This network facilitates the sharing of knowledge, funding opportunities, and technical assistance. By collaborating with universities, international corporations, and public sector bodies, OneBio leverages diverse expertise to accelerate startup growth and foster a vibrant biotech industry in Africa.
OneBio Venture Studio envisions a future where African biotech startups can thrive on the global stage, overcoming historical funding and infrastructure deficits. With increased funding, strategic partnerships, and continued venture building, OneBio aims to transform laboratory research into impactful businesses that address health and environmental issues locally and globally. The studio model, though challenging, represents a bold blueprint for deep-tech innovation on the continent, inspiring confidence in Africa’s biotech potential.
OneBio Venture Studio stands as a trailblazer in Africa’s biotechnology landscape, championing an innovative hybrid approach that blends venture capital with active company creation. Its journey highlights the immense promise and inherent challenges of building deep-tech startups in a capital-constrained, infrastructure-limited environment. With a strong leadership team, promising portfolio companies, and growing ecosystem partnerships, OneBio exemplifies how focused venture building can catalyze Africa’s biotech revolution. As the studio expands its reach and refines its model, it poses a compelling question: can this venture-building approach unlock sustainable biotech success across Africa's diverse markets?
