Helix Bio raises $60M for inherited-disease gene therapy

Helix Bio, the Bangalore-headquartered gene therapy company founded by Kavya Reddy, has closed a $60 million Series B led by an Indian sovereign-linked deep-science fund, with participation from two US healthcare-focused venture firms and an Asian sovereign wealth fund. The round values the company at approximately $310 million.

The capital plan

The company plans to use the round to advance three concurrent clinical programs targeting inherited blood disorders prevalent across South Asia — populations that have been historically underserved by US-headquartered gene therapy companies, where the economics of single-disease treatments require markets large enough to justify per-patient pricing in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Reddy, who joined a video call from the company's wet lab in Hyderabad, said the capital significantly accelerates the company's timeline. "We had three programs sitting in the lab, capital-constrained. The Series B doesn't just fund the lead program — it funds the platform."

The strategic significance

The round is notable not just for its size but for its composition. The Indian sovereign-linked fund leading the deal is a relatively new entrant in late-stage biotech. The participation of two US healthcare VCs alongside that lead — at a valuation that would not have been credible from US-only investor groups two years ago — is a signal that the US biotech community is increasingly willing to underwrite India-based companies on the merits.

That shift, as we covered in the recent interview with Reddy, reflects the maturation of the Indian regulatory pathway and the cost-of-development advantage of running clinical operations in India.

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