Following their selection for the EIC STEP Scale Up programme, Dutch BioTech startup Leyden Labs has raised €40 million to advance its nasal spray platform designed to protect against influenza and other respiratory viruses.
The round brings together the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Invest-NL, the Gates Foundation Strategic Investment Fund, ClavystBio, and others, with Invest-NL contributing €10 million.
“This financing represents much more than capital,” says Koenraad Wiedhaup, founder and CEO of Leyden Labs. “It signals confidence in our scientific approach, our team, and our mission to fundamentally improve how the world protects itself against respiratory viruses. The support from globally respected investors across public health and strategic innovation gives us tremendous momentum as we advance our programs through clinical development and toward global access.”
Leyden Labs’ financing sits within a 2026 funding pattern in which European BioTech and adjacent healthcare infrastructure startups are attracting capital across therapeutic platforms, biologics infrastructure, clinical-trial systems and medicines access.
The closest same-country comparator is Utrecht-based Laigo Bio, which closed a €17 million Seed round, while larger adjacent BioTech rounds include mbiomics’ €30 million Series A and Rivia’s €13 million Series A.
Across comparable 2026 announcements, disclosed funding totals approximately €87 million, or around €127 million when Leyden Labs’ €40 million round is included, indicating continued capital movement into platform-led BioTech, immune-related therapeutics, drug development infrastructure and access-oriented healthcare models.
“Leyden Labs represents the kind of breakthrough biotechnology innovation the EIC STEP Scale Up initiative was designed to support,” adds Hermann Hauser, Member of the EIC Fund Board. “This investment was made because we believe Leyden Labs’ novel approach to protect against respiratory viruses has the potential to make a meaningful impact on global public health while reinforcing Europe’s leadership in biotechnology innovation.”
Founded in 2020, Leyden Labs is developing a new class of broadly protective nasal sprays that deliver antibodies directly to the respiratory mucosa, the area in the nose and mouth where airborne viruses such as influenza and coronaviruses typically enter the body.
The company’s Mucosal Protection Platform is focused on providing protection at this first point of contact, rather than relying solely on systemic protection generated by vaccines or injected antibodies.
The company’s approach is based on administering broadly protective antibodies directly into the nose. These antibodies are intended to protect against full viral families, which means they could continue to work even as viruses mutate and evolve.
Leyden Labs says the intranasal strategy could be particularly relevant for people with weakened immune systems, as it does not require a fully functional immune response.
The funding will support the further development of Leyden Labs’ clinical programme and help advance its pipeline targeting influenza, coronaviruses, and other respiratory viruses. The company’s work comes amid continued concern over seasonal and pandemic respiratory threats, particularly for vulnerable groups and in regions where access to prevention tools can be limited.
Funding from the EIC Fund has been granted through the EIC Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform, which backs companies working in areas considered important for Europe’s technological readiness and competitiveness, including biotechnology.
“To turn breakthrough innovations into solutions that benefit society, companies need access to patient capital. As the national promotional institution of the Netherlands, we are pleased to support Leyden Labs in that journey,” says Ineke Cazander, investment principal at Invest-NL.
The Gates Foundation investment will support work to identify and implement strategies aimed at optimising access to Leyden Labs’ products in low- and middle-income countries. This global access angle is central to the round, with the investor group spanning Europe, the United States, and Asia.
