DSM Venturing has invested USD 1.0 million in Xylos Corporation, a U.S.-based innovative biomedical materials company active in healthcare products based on biosynthesized cellulose. Application areas of Xylos’ products are advanced wound dressings, surgical repair products and tissue engineering.
The investment in Xylos is consistent with DSM’s strategy to invest in innovative companies that fit with DSM’s growth targets in Life Sciences and Performance Materials. Paul Hamm, Director of DSM Venturing and Business Development said: “The investment in Xylos challenges us to create maximum value and synergy in the development and applications of biomaterials, a field where DSM’s competences in performance materials and life sciences meet.”
DSM Venturing participated in a total USD 3.0 million Series D1 financing round. Patrick McBrayer, CEO of Xylos, stated “We are very enthusiastic in having DSM as an investor in Xylos. With our technological focus on medical biomaterials, DSM’s industry expertise and strategic direction complement and enhance our initiatives in providing innovative products to healthcare markets worldwide.”
DSM Venturing
DSM Venturing is part of DSM’s Venturing and Business Development business group and was formed in the first half of 2001. It has invested in several Venture Capital Funds and is shifting its focus toward direct investments in early stage companies in DSM’s strategic growth fields: Food Ingredients, Pharmaceutical Intermediates and Performance Materials. The investment in Xylos is one of a growing number of direct investments by DSM Venturing. For more information about DSM Venturing, see www.dsm-venturing.com.
Xylos Corporation
Xylos Corporation, based in Langhorne Pennsylvania, is a biotechnology company with a patented biomaterials platform targeting health care markets. The company’s biomaterials have been introduced to the market for topical applications such as acute and chronic wound care and are being developed for additional applications in musculoskeletal, soft tissue and neurological surgical markets.
Xylos successfully completed development of its initial wound care product line, including 510k clearances from the Food and Drug Administration. The XCell® family of wound care products (www.xcellwoundcare.com) is marketed to hospitals, nursing homes and home health care segments in the United States by PDI, Inc. (Nasdaq: PDII, www.pdi-inc.com).
With its unique biosynthesized cellulose, which performs like natural tissue and can be efficiently altered in form, strength and biological function, Xylos is poised for growth in medical markets world-wide by providing clinicians with products superior to synthetic, human and animal derived products. For more information about Xylos, see www.xyloscorp.com.
DSM
DSM is active worldwide in life science products, performance materials and industrial chemicals. The group has annual sales of close to EUR 5.6 billion and employs about 18,500 people at more than 200 sites across the world. DSM ranks among the global leaders in many of its fields. The company’s strategic aim is to grow its sales – partly through acquisitions – to a level of approx. EUR 10 billion by 2005. By that time specialties, i.e. advanced chemical and biotechnological products for the life science industry and performance materials should generate at least 80% of sales. This strategy represents a continuation of the company’s ongoing transformation and concentration on global leadership positions in high-added-value activities characterized by high growth and more stable profit levels. More information about DSM can be found at www.dsm.com.
