Data spotlight: Two U.K. biotechs lead Europe in money raised in June

The United Kingdom, which in June voted to leave the European Union, also led the continent in venture capital raised by companies in the month.

In June, 23 U.K.-based companies raised about €265 million ($292 million) in venture capital, according to preliminary data from Thomson Reuters.

The deals included two biotech companies, which also ranked as the first and second largest European venture-related deals in the month.

Verona Pharma of Cardiff raised  €58.4 million ($65 million) from investors on both sides of the Atlantic, including Abingworth, Aisling Capital, Arix Bioscience, Hargreave Hale, New Enterprise Associates, Novo A/S and Polar Capital. The company, which trades on the London Stock Exchange and is reportedly eyeing a debut on the Nasdaq, is developing treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

And in Manchester, F2G Ltd, which is developing an antifungal, raised €53 million ($60 million). The round was led by Sectoral Asset Management, with participation from Advent Life Sciences, Aisling Capital, Brace Pharma Capital, Merifin Capital, Novartis Venture Fund, Novo A/S and Sunstone Capital.

Another notable European biotech deal in June was with CRISPR Therapeutics, which has offices in Basel, Switzerland, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company, which focuses on gene-editing technology to treat cancer, raised an additional $38 million in Series B funding. That brings its total capital raised to about $140 million.

Among the investors are New Leaf Venture Partners and Wellington Capital Management, as well as Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy in San Francisco. The research institute was launched by Sean Parker, the co-founder of Napster and the first president of Facebook.

In all, 133 European companies raised more than €765 million ($845 million) in funding in the month, compared with 75 startups raising €588 million ($668 million) in May, according to Thomson Reuters.

After the United Kingdom, Germany was second in money raised, as VCs invested €154 million ($170 million) in 32 companies, followed by France, which raised €102 million ($109 million). France, however, saw the most startups close on rounds with 44 companies raising cash.

Downloadable Data: European VC-backed deals (June 2016)

Photo of the new 50-euro banknote courtesy of Reuters/Ralph Orlowski