Time Partners advises £20m venture fund to back life sciences startups
Published 28th June 2022. Updated July 2025.
London, UK
Time Partners Limited is pleased to announce the final closing of its first advised fund, Time Boost Capital I LP (“TBC”), a £20 million genomics venture fund dedicated to funding startups graduating from Illumina Venture Labs, San Francisco, and Illumina Accelerator, Cambridge (UK). Since its launch, TBC has backed eight businessses focused on harnessing genomics applications to improve human health, including novel therapeutics, diagnostics, synthetic biology, and research tools.
Time Boost Capital’s £20 million in capital commitments comes from a select group of global investors, including Illumina Inc., the global DNA sequencing company, and Illumina Ventures, an independent fund investing in genomics and precision health. TBC will provide match funding within its discretion to graduates from the accelerator programmes that secure over £500,000 in new capital from external venture capital managers and strategic investors.
Illumina Accelerator Cambridge alumni include Alchemab Therapeutics LTD, a therapeutics company pioneering the next generation of antibody drugs that went on to raise £60M in Series A funding upon graduation, as well as Broken String Biosciences Limited, a sequencing tools company focused on assessing the stability of the genome that secured £3 million in seed funding including funding from TBC, and has since succesfully raised a Series A round.
“At Time Partners, we are proud to partner with Illumina, a global leader in next generation sequencing technologies. Illumina is making a significant commitment to supporting new growth in the field through Illumina Accelerator.” said Mark Florman, CEO of Time Partners Limited. “As an investment adviser to Time Boost Capital, we have the unique opportunity to back some of the most promising new genomics businesses.”
“Time Boost Capital Fund will further propel our Illumina Accelerator startups towards unlocking the power of the genome to make an impact on human health and beyond,” said Amanda Cashin, Ph.D., co-founder and Global Head of Illumina for Startups. “Cambridge, UK is a leading global hub for life science innovation and entrepreneurship, and this dedicated venture fund will attract exceptional entrepreneurs from across the globe to Illumina Accelerator.”
About Time Partners
Time Partners provides independent tailored solutions to major family businesses and institutions across the world with a particular focus on building and creating sustainable investing strategies. We provide specialist advice to investors seeking to build long-term private markets investment programmes and strategic advice to institutions seeking solutions in corporate finance, restructuring, and the design of investment vehicles with a broader purpose. Time Partners was formed in 2013 as a private markets investment adviser combining best advice, creative solutions and a client first philosophy.
About Illumina
Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit www.illumina.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
About Illumina Ventures
Illumina Ventures is an independently managed, healthcare-focused venture firm in a strategic partnership with Illumina. As an early-stage, value-add investor, Illumina Ventures helps entrepreneurs develop breakthrough science and technologies into market-leading companies to transform healthcare. The firm focuses on investment in life science tools, therapeutics, diagnostics, and personal wellness. For more information, visit www.illuminaventures.com.