The business creation and development fund specializing in advanced therapies and life sciences officially announces the relocation of its headquarters from Madrid to Compostela.
Although Nowture S.L. has been operating in Santiago de Compostela for a year, it only recently officially established its permanent headquarters in the Galician capital, relocating its registered office and physical offices from Madrid. This move reflects the potential the company sees in Galicia’s biotechnology ecosystem, a region renowned for its scientific innovation and business development. The company’s Galicianization was also influenced by the investment in June 2023 from Semola Tech Ventures, a fund led by Santi Domínguez, Javier Sardina, and Carlos Cobas—the three individuals behind Mestrelab, a leading company in the sector.
Nowture defines itself as a venture builder, which is something like a startup factory that helps develop, grow, or consolidate entrepreneurial projects, mostly startups originating from the university environment. “We create real, efficient, and successful companies, bringing innovation to patients“, they say.
Nowture‘s integration into the local ecosystem of Santiago, alongside key players such as the Bioga cluster, the Galician universities (USC, UDC, and UVigo) with their research centers, and Semola Technology Ventures as a strategic partner, is enabling the development of cutting-edge scientific projects and their continuation as businesses. Through these synergies, Nowture is positioning itself as a bridge between academia and industry, aiming to bring innovative advances from the laboratory to the patient, thus contributing to the growth of the life sciences sector in Galicia.
According to Nowture, its mission focuses on promoting the transfer of knowledge and technology to improve quality of life. This approach seeks to consolidate the Galician biotechnology ecosystem as an “international benchmark,” generating innovative projects with a high clinical and social impact, they point out.
In this context, Nowture is promoting the creation of new biotechnology companies based in Galicia, strengthening the local business network and generating skilled employment in the region. To support the development and growth of these companies, Nowture will establish a strategic collaboration with the A Sionlla Biopole, a key project in providing facilities and resources tailored to the growth needs of new ventures.
A strategic relocation
The move to Santiago is the result of work begun more than a year ago and represents a milestone in Nowture’s trajectory, consolidating its commitment to the Galician biotechnology sector and reaffirming its purpose of contributing to the well-being of society through innovation in life sciences, its statement reads.
This move not only confirms their commitment to Galicia, but also reinforces their vision of the region as an “international hub for biotechnology and technology transfer.” The potential is there: the scientific quality provided by Galician academic institutions and the institutional support of the Xunta (Galician government) through agencies such as Igape and Gain.
Although it is currently based in Rúa do Vilar, one of the possibilities being considered is that Nowture will eventually move to the research center that Mestrelab inaugurated at the end of last year.
“Galicia is a leader in science and deserves to have companies there.”
Mario Grande, founding partner of Nowture, yesterday justified the company’s relocation and its strategic commitment to the region. “Galicia offers a truly unique combination for creating highly competitive businesses in the life sciences,” he stated. “The Galician government’s commitment to the sector and the quality of its universities, combined with Galicia’s attractiveness as a region in terms of quality of life and talent availability, offer an opportunity that, in our view, justifies this relocation of our business, perfectly aligned with these objectives and philosophy.”
According to Grande, Galician science is “cutting-edge,” so this territory “deserves to have leading companies in this sector, which will transform its economy and the lives of patients,” he stated.
The co-founder of Nowture admits that they have been working in Galicia for four or five years, where they have already founded two companies, one spun off from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and the other linked to the University Clinical Hospital of Santiago (CHUS). They have also developed or are in the process of developing other projects based in Valencia, Lleida, and Madrid. “Galicia is the biotechnology ecosystem in which we want to work.”
