Denmark may be a small country, but its biotech cheque sizes are not. Recent funding rounds, pivotal clinical data and major commercial deals have placed multiple unlisted Danish entities in the sights of global investors for 2027, with an operational reach wider than traditional biotech implies.
The list below includes drug discovery, drug delivery and treatments for cancer, diabetes complications and rare muscle disease, with AI and automation behind some of the platforms. Some of these companies are fresh off record rounds, while others have been working in the lab since 2015.
Big Names, Small Grants
Established companies such as Genmab and Zealand Pharma anchor Denmark’s life-science scene, backed by university and incubator names including DTU and the BioInnovation Institute.
Public money plays a part as well. MedTech Odense allocated up to DKK 19 million in two 2026 calls for early development and validation, offering up to DKK 200,000 for early concepts and up to DKK 1 million for later validation work.
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Top Healthtech And Biotech Startups In Denmark To Watch In 2027
This list includes private companies with verifiable funding, partnership or clinical news. Each of them has either raised serious money or secured a deal that shapes what 2027 looks like for it.
Here’s a list of the top healthtech and biotech startups in Denmark to watch in 2027:
1. Breye Therapeutics
Breye Therapeutics has set its sights on non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, developing a first-in-class oral small molecule named danegaptide.
The vascular eye condition affects an estimated 130 million people worldwide, and the compound works by reinforcing retinal vessels to stop the persistent leakage driven by chronic high glucose.
In Phase 1b, danegaptide was well tolerated at every dose, with retinal imaging showing early signs consistent with reduced vascular leakage. Led by CEO Ulrik Mouritzen, Breye raised an oversubscribed €67.5 million Series A in September 2026, co-led by Mission BioCapital and Novo Holdings, and a randomised Phase II trial is due to begin in 2027.
The money also finances a P2X7 receptor antagonist for intermediate age-related macular degeneration and neuroprotective candidates for glaucoma.
2. Sidera Bio
Sidera Bio develops cardiometabolic therapies using human genetics, with its focus on early-stage programmes.
Chief Executive Keld Flintholm Jørgensen offers a proven deal-making track record, stepping into the role after serving as Lundbeck’s chief business officer and spending more than 18 years at Roche, where he ultimately led global strategic partnering.
In December 2025 the company raised about DKK 700 million (roughly US$109 million), one of the largest early-stage biotech rounds Denmark has seen. Novo Holdings, Forbion, RA Capital Healthcare Fund and Gilde Healthcare backed it, which is a lot of specialist money for a company whose programmes are still young.
3. Orbis Medicines
Orbis Medicines is based in Copenhagen with a second site in Lausanne, and it’s building oral macrocycle drugs to take on the targets of blockbuster injectable biologics.
Its nGen platform pairs automated chemistry with machine learning in what it calls a lab-in-a-loop system, starting from libraries of 100 billion compounds and able to synthesise and analyse up to 100,000 distinct macrocycles in weeks.
In January 2025 it closed a €90 million Series A led by NEA, taking total funding to €116 million. Eli Lilly joined through Lilly Ventures, alongside Cormorant and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark, while founding investors Novo Holdings and Forbion also took part after co-leading a €26 million seed round in 2024.
4. Biograil
Biograil was founded in 2019 and is a pre-clinical company focused on oral delivery of biologics. Its BIONDD technology converts injectable medicines into oral capsules, and it’s heading towards Phase 1 once it completes non-clinical GLP studies and establishes a GMP manufacturing process.
Capital momentum continues with a €20 million financing round backed by Verve Ventures, Megatrend Invest and High-Tech Gründerfonds through its HTGF Opportunity growth fund. Building on an €8.5 million raise from July 2025, the enterprise retains high-profile backing from Eli Lilly.
The value lies in the technology platform itself, which promises broad application for third-party developers alongside Biograil’s own pipeline.
5. Combotope Therapeutics
Combotope Therapeutics develops tumour-selective antibodies for cancer. Its targets are combotopes, cancer-specific markers that pair a sugar structure with a protein structure and appear more often on cancer cells than on healthy tissue, which can sharpen the precision of antibody treatments.
In June 2026, it signed a research collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim. The partnership uses its proprietary SMART-Phage platform to generate high-affinity antibodies against an initial set of oncology targets chosen by the pharma group.
Combotope receives an upfront payment and research funding for each target and is eligible for milestones and royalties, while Boehringer keeps global development and commercial rights. No amounts were disclosed.
6. Muna Therapeutics
Muna Therapeutics was founded in 2020 by Aarhus University professor Simon Glerup and his research team together with Novo Holdings, and it’s based in Copenhagen and Leuven. The private biopharma enterprise focuses on neurodegenerative disease. Its approach relies on an all-human target discovery and validation platform grounded in brain cell molecular pathways.
It closed a US$73 million Series A in 2021 led by Novo Holdings, with Sofinnova Partners, DROIA Ventures and the LSP Dementia Fund alongside. The capital funds small-molecule programmes targeting neuronal dysfunction and neuroinflammation. These efforts rely on a discovery engine that combines AI-driven computational chemistry with cell-based screening.
7. NMD Pharma
NMD Pharma was incorporated in 2015 as a spin-off from Aarhus University, where it’s still based, and it’s a clinical-stage company focused on neuromuscular disease.
Its lead candidate, NMD670, is a first-in-class small-molecule inhibitor of the ClC-1 chloride channel in skeletal muscle. The compound is designed to enhance neuromuscular transmission and potentially restore lost muscle function.
A €75 million Series B in November 2023 led by Jeito Capital brought total funding to approximately €155 million. The round drew participation from Novo Holdings, Lundbeckfonden BioCapital, INKEF Capital and the Roche Venture Fund. It was earmarked for three Phase 2 studies of NMD670, starting with myasthenia gravis, and for building out clinical and commercial operations in Denmark and the US.
