The firm will make this month the first closing of Ysios BioFund I, the largest biotech venture capital fund in Spain

Main responsibilities of Martín-Ruiz will be to analyze and evaluate the feasibility of the target companies of the fund from a scientific and business point of view

Barcelona, September 3, 2008 -Ysios Capital Partners, the firm that in the coming days will launch the largest biotech venture capital fund in Spain, has appointed Raúl Martín-Ruiz as investment manager. This is the third incorporation to Ysios in the last months, who is preparing the appropriate team in order to deal with its imminent investment activities.

Martín-Ruiz will be in charge of analyzing the target companies of the fund from a scientific and business point of view, providing his experience in the pharmaceutical sector in order to define the investment and disinvestment strategies of the firm. The new investment manager will also be responsible for scientific and business reporting to the Investment Committee, the body in charge of deciding the companies to invest in, and will collaborate in the monitoring process of Ysios’ portfolio companies.

Raúl Martín-Ruiz has a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from the University of the Basque Country and holds a Ph.D. in Neurosciences from the same University and the Spanish Council for Scientific Research. Since February 2007 and until his recent appointment with Ysios, Martín-Ruiz was business unit manager in Laboratorios Almirall. Since May 2001 he worked as business development manager in the Corporate Licensing Department of the same company. During his professional experience, Raúl interacted with a large number of pharmaceutical and biotech companies on a global basis. He also coordinated and led the required activities to evaluate and approve a relevant number of licensing and business development projects in different therapeutic areas from a technical, commercial, contractual, financial and business point of view.

Ysios’ origins

Ysios Capital Partners arose as a result of the efforts of a team of experts from the venture capital and Pharma industries, and biotech start-ups: Joël Jean-Mairet, former CEO of GLYCART Biotechnoloy AG; Julia Salaverría, former fund manager of Talde and Josep Lluís Sanfeliu, former Corporate Finance and Business Development executive of Almirall.