Captain T Cell Closes Financing Round to Advance its Proprietary, Next-Generation TCR-T Pipeline Into the Clinic

• Available funding totaling EUR 20 million dedicated to developing novel solid tumor treatments addressing a high unmet medical need
  
• Springboard Health Angels, Pluton Asset Holding AG, Sintra Limited, and Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen joined as new investors
  
  
• Existing investors i&i Biotech Fund I SCSp, HIL-INVENT and Brandenburg Kapital also participated in the round

Schoenefeld/Berlin, Germany, November 17, 2025 --- Captain T Cell, a biotechnology company developing next-generation TCR-T cell therapies for solid tumors, today announced the successful closing of an equity financing round with both new and existing investors. The latest equity funding, along with already secured grants, provides Captain T Cell with a total budget of EUR 20 million to advance its best-in-class autologous program CTC127 to clinical Phase I read-outs and its first-in-class allogeneic program for off-the-shelf solid tumor treatments towards clinical trial readiness.

The round was led by Springboard Health Angels and Pluton Asset Holding AG, joined by Sintra Limited and Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen, as well as existing investors i&i Biotech Fund, HIL-INVENT and Brandenburg Kapital.

The funds will enable the Company´s lead program CTC127 to progress into a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial (TOMATA - “Toolbox-modified MAGE-A4-TCR-T cell therapy for HLA-A1”). The trial will be led by principal investigator Prof. Antonia Busse, Charité – Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, with participation from eight other leading cancer centers across Germany. The study will enroll patients with multiple advanced MAGE-A4-positive solid tumor indications, including lung, bladder, gastroesophageal, ovarian, and head and neck cancers. CTC127 is based on the Company’s proprietary and versatile engineering toolbox, which enables functional “armoring” of T cells to enhance their anti-tumor activity, persistence, and resilience within the solid tumor microenvironment.

In parallel, the Company has already demonstrated complete solid tumor responses in vivo with a program leveraging its first-in-class allogeneic TCR-T cell platform and will advance it toward clinical trial readiness. Furthermore, the Company plans to extend its proprietary best-in-class toolbox towards in vivo T cell therapy applications.

“Despite a challenging fundraising environment, we have gained broad investor support, which underscores the strong competitive profile of Captain T Cell’s best- and first-in-class next-generation T cell therapy platform and enables us to advance these therapies for the benefit of cancer patients,” said Dr. Felix Lorenz, CEO of Captain T Cell. “Our best-in-class autologous program CTC127 will enter the fully funded TOMATA clinical trial and our first-in-class allogeneic TCR-T platform is progressing toward clinical readiness. We are optimistic that our best-in-class toolbox technologies will be clinically validated in the upcoming trial and subsequently expanded into off-the-shelf approaches.”

“We are excited to co-lead this recent financing round of Captain T Cell,” said Dr. Andreas Schmidt of Springboard Health Angels. “The Company´s lead program CTC127 holds the potential to become a highly effective and safe therapy for solid tumor patients who urgently need novel treatment options. With funding secured through the upcoming Phase I readout, Captain T Cell is well positioned for a major value inflection.”

Dr. Theis Terwey, representing lead investor Pluton Asset Holding AG, commented: “MAGE-A4 is a de-risked and commercially validated target. The available preclinical data convincingly demonstrate that Captain T Cell’s toolbox-enhanced approach is conceptually superior to on-market cell therapies against solid tumors, providing strong evidence that the Company can deliver competitive efficacy in large solid tumor indications.”

Dr. Barbora Šumová, Investment Director at i&i Biotech Fund, added: “Since our initial investment, the Captain T Cell team has consistently executed with exceptional speed and quality, achieving every milestone set at the seed round funding stage. We are proud to continue supporting the Company as it advances towards becoming a clinical-stage company.”

Prof. Antonia Busse, Principal Investigator at Charité – Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, noted: “There remains a profound unmet need for effective therapies for patients with advanced solid tumors. We look forward to initiating the clinical safety and efficacy evaluation of CTC127 together with eight other leading cancer centers in Germany.”

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Captain T Cell develops next-generation immuno-oncology therapies designed to overcome the challenges of solid tumors through a proprietary technology toolbox that enhances T cell efficacy within the tumor microenvironment (TME). This toolbox includes a TGF-β switch receptor that can be applied to TCR-T, CAR-T, and potentially TIL therapies, across autologous, allogeneic, and potentially in vivo engineering modalities. The Company’s autologous lead program, CTC127, is a best-in-class TCR-T cell therapy targeting MAGE-A4-positive solid tumors and is expected to enter clinical trials in early 2027. In addition, the Company advances a first-in-class allogeneic TCR-T cell platform that has demonstrated complete responses in vivo. Founded as a spin-off from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in the Helmholtz Association, with Ascenion serving as the MDC’s technology transfer partner, Captain T Cell is supported by leading European life science investors.

Springboard Health Angels is a cross-border syndicate of experienced healthcare operators, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders. Since 2022, the group has invested in close to 30 health-tech and life-science startups across Europe and the US, providing founders with deep networks, experience, and hands-on support. Building on this foundation, Springboard has launched Springboard Health Ventures, a dedicated VC fund that invests across the biopharma value chain, smarter healthcare systems, deep-tech paradigm changers, biodefense, and dual-use technologies. The fund amplifies the sourcing, expertise, and momentum created by the Springboard Health Angels. Together, Springboard accelerates science-driven companies that create measurable real-world impact in global healthcare.

Pluton Asset Holding AG is a Switzerland-based investment firm focusing on transformative healthcare innovations.

Sintra Limited is a global frontier-technology investor backing breakthrough companies in biotech, advanced computing, and blockchain-enabled infrastructure. The firm partners with visionary founders at the intersection of deep science and scalable engineering. Sintra provides capital, technical expertise, and hands-on operational support to accelerate commercialization and global growth. For more information, visit www.sintra.ventures.

TGFS Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen provides technology-oriented founders with equity capital for the seed and start-up phases. The fund was first launched in 2008 by the Free State of Saxony (including ERDF funds) and Saxon financial institutions and has since supported over 100 start-ups. In 2023, TGFS launched its third fund generation. TGFS focuses on young, innovative, technology-oriented companies in the ICT, semiconductor and microsystems technology, medical technology, life sciences, environmental and energy technology, and new media sectors that are based or have operations in Saxony.

i&i Biotech Fund SCSp (i&i Bio) is a Luxembourg-based venture capital fund focused on innovative European life science companies in drug discovery, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health. Established through a partnership between the biotech incubator i&i Prague and the European Investment Fund, the fund manages €53 million and invests in a diversified portfolio of early-stage companies across central Europe. With a team experienced in private equity, healthcare, and venture capital, i&i Bio combines financial investment with strategic support to help entrepreneurs achieve international growth. Its principal sponsor, i&i Prague, plays a pivotal role in advancing transformative technology companies in Central Europe. Further information is available at: www.inibio.eu.

i&i Bio is supported by an investment from the EIF, with the support of:

· lnnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) set up under the Investment Plan for Europe. The purpose of EFSI is to help support financing and implementing productive investments in the European Union and to ensure increased access to financing; and

· the Pan-European Guarantee Fund (EGF), implemented by the EIF with the financial support of the Participating Member States. The objective of EGF is to respond to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that companies in the Participating Member States have sufficient short-term liquidity available to weather the crisis and are able to continue their growth and development in the medium to long-term.

HIL-INVENT Ges.m.b.H. is a company that focuses on investments in future-oriented industries. The emphasis is on life science, medical technology, pharmaceuticals, and related industries. HIL-INVENT Ges.m.b.H. is known for its collaborative approach and deep industry knowledge, providing a foundation for informed decisions and sustainable investments.

Brandenburg Kapital GmbH is a subsidiary of the Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB). As the venture capital arm of ILB, it has been supporting companies in Brandenburg since 1993 by acquiring equity and quasi-equity investments. As a public venture capital company, experienced lead investor and active partner, Brandenburg Kapital ensures a strong equity base for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises in the State of Brandenburg on the basis of a stable group environment. The equity fund, which currently amounts to around 100 million euros, is available for this purpose. The funds for the Brandenburg Kapital fund, which was set up on behalf of the Brandenburg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Energy, are currently provided by the European Regional Development Fund and ILB's own resources. With a total of eleven funds, financed by the state, the EU, KfW and ILB's own funds amounting to around 350 million euros, around 300 Brandenburg-based companies have been supported with venture capital and/or mezzanine financing over the last 32 years. Further information can be found at: www.brandenburg-kapital.de.