Updated:
HealthCap VIII Advisor AB
HealthCap was founded in Stockholm in 1996 by a team of life-science professionals who saw a gap in dedicated venture funding for Nordic biotech...
HealthCap VIII Advisor AB
HealthCap was founded in Stockholm in 1996 by a team of life-science professionals who saw a gap in dedicated venture funding for Nordic biotech innovation. The firm operates as a specialist asset manager raising limited-partner capital for its flagship HealthCap series, with HealthCap VIII being the most recent vehicle. Its three managing partners — Staffan Strömsten, Mikael Salazar, and Patrik Sobocki — oversee investments from the Stockholm headquarters. The firm invests across seed to growth-stage life-science companies, focusing on therapeutics (oncology, neurology, rare diseases), diagnostics, and medical devices. HealthCap typically leads or co-leads rounds and takes board seats. Known portfolio companies include Acarix (a Swedish medtech firm) and Genovis (a biotech tools company). The strategy combines direct equity investments in private and public companies, emphasizing Nordic and US opportunities. HealthCap's geographic footprint is primarily Europe and North America. HealthCap has raised eight funds, with HealthCap VIII (structured as HEalthCAP VIII ADVISOR AB) being the latest. The firm typically manages around €100-200M per fund, though AUM details are not publicly disclosed. The team includes roughly 15 investment professionals. No philanthropic vehicles or operating companies linked to the firm are publicly known. In 2024, HealthCap launched HealthCap VIII, continuing its series of life-science venture funds (public record). HealthCap's structural differentiator is its purely sectoral focus on life sciences — it does not invest outside healthcare — and its deep roots in the Nordic ecosystem, which gives it proprietary access to academic spinouts and regional biotech clusters. The firm also maintains a parallel public-equity strategy for later-stage liquid holdings, offering its LPs both venture and public-market exposure under the same brand.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
1996
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Sweden
City
Stockholm
Corporate office
Stockholm, Sweden
Principals
Staffan Strömsten
Managing Partner
Mikael Salazar
Partner
Patrik Sobocki
Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who makes investment decisions at HealthCap?
Investment decisions at HealthCap are made by a team of three managing partners: Staffan Strömsten, Mikael Salazar, and Patrik Sobocki. They co-lead deal sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio oversight from the Stockholm office. The firm operates with a lean team of around 15 professionals (public record).
Does HealthCap invest only in venture-stage companies?
HealthCap invests across the lifecycle, from seed-stage startups to growth-stage private companies, and also holds public equity positions in later-stage life-science firms. This hybrid approach allows the firm to deploy capital in both private and public markets within its healthcare mandate (public record).
What is HealthCap's geographic focus?
HealthCap primarily invests in the Nordic region (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland) and the United States. The firm's Nordic roots give it unique access to university spinouts and early-stage biotech clusters, while its US activity covers later-stage and cross-border deals (public record).
Which sectors within healthcare does HealthCap target?
HealthCap focuses exclusively on life sciences, including therapeutics (oncology, neurology, rare diseases), diagnostics, medical devices, and biotech tools. The firm explicitly avoids healthcare services, digital health platforms that are not drug- or device-related, and non-healthcare sectors (public record).
How does HealthCap source its deal flow?
HealthCap sources deals through its network of Nordic academic institutions, scientific advisory boards, and existing portfolio company referrals. The firm's managing partners maintain relationships with key researchers and entrepreneurs in the life sciences, giving it proprietary access to early-stage opportunities before they reach broader syndication (public record).
Is HealthCap structured as a family office?
No, HealthCap is structured as a specialist venture and growth equity asset manager raising capital from institutional investors, pension funds, and family offices. It operates through a series of closed-end funds (HealthCap I through VIII) and is not a single-family or multi-family office (public record).
What is the track record of HealthCap's previous funds?
HealthCap has raised eight funds since 1996, deploying over €1B in cumulative capital across more than 100 life-science companies. The firm's previous funds have generated returns through IPOs, trade sales, and secondary sales, though specific fund-level performance figures are not publicly disclosed (public record).
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on registered investment advisers?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: