Kos Biotechnology Partners, founded by Greek-American life sciences investors Dr. Simos Simeonidis and Alex Tzoukas, recently announced the third closing of its inaugural fund at $123 million (€106 million), making it the largest debut venture capital fund ever raised in Greece, and one of the largest first-time life sciences fund launches in Europe.
The fund focuses on bringing US biopharma expertise and capital to emerging life sciences opportunities across Greece and the broader European market.
The $123 million (€106 million) fundraise, completed within six months of the fund's December 2025 launch, was backed by the Hellenic Development Bank of Investments (HDBI), as well as institutional investors and family offices.
Greece's largest debut fund across any sector
HDBI's chairman, Dr. Haris Lambropoulos, and CEO, Antigoni Lymperopoulou, were among the earliest backers of the vision, according to Simeonidis and Tzoukas, who said the bank's team shared their thesis of bringing US biotech expertise to Greece "from Day 1". Simeonidis also said the milestone goes beyond life sciences, marking Greece's largest debut fund across any sector.
The fund backs both early-stage and more established companies, investing in biotechnology, drug development, medical technology, and other healthcare innovations. Epikast, a technology-enabled biopharmaceutical services company, is one of Kos's first investments. Kos led Epikast's financing round, with Tzoukas joining its board — the company is headquartered in New York but operates out of Athens, exactly the kind of US-Greece bridge Kos is built to fund.
The firm's presence in the Bay Area gives it direct access to one of the world's biggest biotech clusters, helping life sciences companies in Greece and across Europe connect with US drug development expertise.
From biotech to VC
Kos was co-founded by Simeonidis and Tzoukas, whose careers span Wall Street biotech research, healthcare investment banking, and private equity.
Simeonidis holds biomedical training from Columbia and Harvard Medical Schools and spent over a decade as a biotechnology analyst at Morgan Stanley, Cowen & Co., and RBC, before moving into investing roles at Sarissa Capital and Ally Bridge Group. Tzoukas has more than a decade of experience in healthcare investment banking and private equity, including positions at Deutsche Bank, MTS Health Partners, and Gurnet Point Capital. Nikos Kostaras, the firm's third partner, previously served as IQVIA's country head for Greece.
For Simeonidis and Tzoukas, building Kos meant returning to Greece. As Simeonidis put it, the goal was to bring home decades of experience gained across academia, Wall Street, and biotech investing in the US, while helping establish a credible life sciences ecosystem in the country.
The firm's advisory network includes scientists, clinicians, and biopharma executives from the Greek diaspora in the US, providing portfolio companies with access to industry expertise and professional networks.
Closing Greece's life sciences gap
Kos's launch comes amid what many in the industry describe as a persistent funding gap between Europe's life sciences sector and the US market. Despite a strong scientific foundation, Europe continues to face challenges in financing biotech companies through later stages of growth, with many firms turning to foreign investors or relocating abroad.
Greece's venture capital scene has grown significantly in recent years, with record funding rounds across sectors — but until Kos, none of these vehicles focused specifically on life sciences. Backed by HDBI and led by Greek-American investors with deep ties to the US biotech industry, Kos appears to be an effort to build a domestic life sciences investment ecosystem rather than rely on foreign capital to drive the sector's growth.
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