Female-Led Biotech Startup Amplio Pharma Secures €1.3 Million for Revolutionary Arthritis Treatment
Netherlands, Sunday, 8 March 2026.
Amplio Pharma’s all-female founding team has raised €1.3 million to advance NovoBioJect, their innovative arthritis treatment that combines existing medications to deliver better results at lower doses. Founded in Sweden in 2020 and now based in Amsterdam, the company represents just 3% of European venture capital that goes to female-founded businesses, highlighting both their achievement and the funding gap women entrepreneurs face in biotech.
Innovation Through Combination: How NovoBioJect Works
This news item concerns red biotechnology, specifically medical applications focused on human health innovations [1]. Amplio Pharma’s breakthrough lies not in creating entirely new pharmaceutical compounds, but in reimagining how existing medicines can work together more effectively. The company’s first drug, NovoBioJect, combines methotrexate and novobiocin to treat rheumatoid arthritis more effectively at lower doses [1]. This approach represents a departure from the pharmaceutical industry’s traditional emphasis on developing new substances with novel mechanisms of action, according to founding partner Marguerite Mensonides, who notes that with over 25 years of combined experience in the pharmaceutical industry, the founding team understands this conventional focus [1].
Strategic Partnerships and Scientific Validation
The benefits of Amplio Pharma’s innovation extend beyond dosage reduction. NovoBioJect aims to reduce patients’ need for other medications, including biologicals, which are typically more expensive and complex treatments for rheumatoid arthritis [1]. The company has established a crucial partnership with Professor Dr. Robert de Jonge from Amsterdam UMC, who developed a method to demonstrate the effectiveness of their therapy [1]. This collaboration provides the scientific validation necessary for advancing the treatment through clinical development phases. The recent seed funding round, completed in February 2026, specifically supports advancing NovoBioJect into clinical development for rheumatoid arthritis [3].
Female Leadership in a Male-Dominated Sector
Amplio Pharma was founded in 2020 in Sweden by three women: Marguerite Mensonides, Charlott Brunmark, and Karin von Wachenfeldt [1]. The company relocated to the Netherlands in 2023, establishing its base in Amsterdam [1][3]. Janet Nieboer serves as CEO, with Curtis Sprouse as Director of Strategy [1]. The company’s all-female founding team places it in an exclusive category, as less than 3% of venture capital in Europe goes to companies with female founders [1]. Mensonides highlighted this disparity, noting that ‘the importance of future-proof healthcare did not resonate sufficiently’ with many investors [1].
Financial Backing and Future Prospects
The €1.3 million funding round was supported by ROM InWest, Libertatis Ergo Holding, Amsterdam UMC Ventures Holding, and Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland [4]. This investment came after Marguerite Mensonides spoke with Sara Schaafsma of ROM InWest in summer 2025, securing both financial and communication support [1]. The timing of the funding, announced in February 2026, positions Amplio Pharma to advance NovoBioJect through the critical clinical development phase for rheumatoid arthritis treatment [3]. The company’s approach of improving existing medicines using new scientific insights, rather than developing entirely new substances, represents a potentially more cost-effective and faster path to market compared to traditional pharmaceutical development [1].