Ysios Capital appoints Joan Perelló as Managing Partner and Arturo Urrios as Partner to drive a new early-stage vertical

Ysios Capital, a leading European venture capital firm specialized in life sciences, today announced the appointment of Joan Perelló as Managing Partner and Arturo Urrios as Partner. With these appointments, the firm is launching a new strategic vertical focused on company creation and early-stage biotech projects, with a particular emphasis on Spain.

This initiative will enable Ysios Capital to work more closely with universities, research centers and scientific entrepreneurs to identify innovative biomedical opportunities and support their development into biotech companies. In doing so, the firm strengthens its ability to identify opportunities at very early stages and provide specialized capital together with hands-on support from the outset. 

This new vertical complements Ysios Capital’s existing investment strategy and the recently launched Telescope Biotech Fund, with the aim of transforming scientific excellence into solutions with a real impact on patients’ lives. 

Joan Perelló joined Ysios Capital as Venture Partner in 2022 and now steps into the role of Managing Partner, where he will lead the development of this new vertical. In this role, he will also be involved in broader strategic and corporate activities of the firm. 

Joan is an entrepreneur with extensive experience in R&D and in building and managing companies in the life sciences sector. He has founded two academic spin-offs, served as chairman of several biotech and medtech companies in Spain and France, and received more than 40 awards in research and innovation. He is co-founder and former CEO of Sanifit, a biotech company based in Palma de Mallorca that raised more than €140 million before being acquired by Vifor Pharma for €375 million. 
Joan holds a degree in Chemistry with honors and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of the Balearic Islands, where he is also a professor of Analytical and Clinical Chemistry.

“I have known the Ysios team for many years and have had the opportunity to collaborate closely with the firm as a Venture Partner. Taking this step now to join the team as Managing Partner and work on the development of this new vertical is a natural evolution of that relationship and a great opportunity to foster the creation of companies in Spain based on scientific excellence,” said Joan Perelló. 

Arturo Urrios joins Ysios Capital as Partner to drive the development of this new vertical. He holds a degree in Human Biology with honors, a Master’s in Biomedical Research, an MBA, and a PhD in Biomedicine. He brings experience in venture capital, biomedical innovation and company creation, having worked at Wellington Partners and M Ventures (the corporate venture arm of Merck). 

He was also a founding team member of Seamless Therapeutics, where he led business development and corporate strategy and contributed to securing a strategic collaboration with Lilly with a total potential value of $1.1 billion. Arturo is also a mentor in innovation programs, including the BioInnovation Institute, and is co-founder of YVC Collective, the leading European association of emerging professionals in life sciences venture capital. 

His background combines scientific, operational and investment experience, with a focus on building and developing companies based on biomedical innovation. 

“We are at a unique moment to transform top-tier scientific research and accelerate the translation of these innovations into patient impact. Ysios brings together the right combination of investment and operational expertise needed to support this process from its earliest stages,” said Arturo Urrios.

“Joan and Arturo bring a rare combination of experience in venture capital, company creation and leadership in biotechnology,” said Joël Jean-Mairet, Managing Partner of Ysios Capital. “Their addition strengthens our ability to advance projects from very early stages and continue transforming scientific excellence into new therapies for patients.”