Be4

Bedford, United Kingdom Founded: 2009 • Age: 17 yrs Acquired By UCB
Drug discovery solutions are offered by Beryllium through specialized services.

About Be4

Be4 is a Healthcare company based in Bedford (United Kingdom) founded in 2009, and was acquired by UCB in June 2017. Drug discovery solutions are offered by Beryllium through specialized services. Be4 has raised $11.5 million across 6 funding rounds from investors including UCB and HHS. The company has 55 employees. Be4 has completed 1 acquisition, including Emerald BioSystems. Its focus areas include Biopharma Outsourcing, CRO, Drug Discovery and Structural Biology. Its legal entity is BERYLLIUM LTD.

Company details

Beryllium was founded in 2009 and operates from Bedford, United Kingdom, as a contract research organization in the biotechnology sector. Collaborative partnerships are formed with companies to address challenges in drug discovery. Services provided include structure determination using NMR and X-ray crystallography, gene-to-protein production, antibody-antigen characterization, functional biology assays, fragment screening, target gallery development, and membrane protein work.

  • Headquarters Bedford, United Kingdom
  • Employees 55
  • Stage Acquired
  • Sectors
    Healthcare
  • Website be4.com
  • Social X
  • Acquired by UCB (Jun 2017)
  • Legal Name Beryllium Ltd
  • Date of Incorporation 01 May, 2012
  • Jurisdiction HARROGATE, ENGLAND
Key Metrics
  • Total Equity Funding
    $11.5M (USD)

    in 6 rounds

  • Latest Funding Round
    $7.5M (USD), Series A

    Feb 2014

  • Investors
    UCB

    & 1 more

  • Employee Count
    55
  • Investments & Acquisitions
  • Acquired by
    UCB

    (Jun 2017)

Funding Insights of Be4

Be4 has successfully raised a total of $11.5M across 6 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series A round of $7.5 million completed in February 2014. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.

  • Total Funding $11.5M
  • Total Rounds 6
  • Last Round Series A β€” $7.5M
  • First Round $7.54M

    (Jul 2008)

  • Investors Count 2

All 6 funding rounds of Be4 with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.

DateAmountTransaction NameValuationLead InvestorsInvestors
Feb 2014$7.5MSeries A–UCB
–
Dec 2010$99,974Grant––
Nov 2010$99,974Grant––
Dec 2009$4MSeries A––
–
Jul 2009$7.54MGrant––
Jul 2008$7.54MGrant––
Valuation history

2 investors in total: 2 institutional.

Investors in Be4

Be4 has secured backing from 2 investors, including institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include UCB and HHS.

All
Institutional
InvestorDescriptionFounded YearDomainLocation
Therapies for immunological and neurological disorders are developed.
1928ucb.comBrussels, Belgium
Public health and human services are overseen by HHS.
1953hhs.gov
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Investor details for Be4

The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.

  • Complete investor list
  • Round participation
  • Investor portfolios
  • Co-investor network

Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.

Investments & Acquisitions by Be4

Be4 has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 1 company. Notable acquisitions include Emerald BioSystems.

Acquisitions
Company NameDescriptionDomainLocationFoundedAcquiredAmount
Laboratory automation, bioinformatics software, reagent kits and plastic-ware products
emeraldbiosystems.comBainbridge Island, United States1998Nov 2009β€’β€’β€’β€’
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Complete acquisition details for Be4

Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.

  • Acquired stakes
  • Deal sources
  • Complete history
  • Exports

Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.

Timeline of Be4

5 dated milestones of Be4 across 9 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.

  1. Funding First funding round of $7.5M.
  2. Founded Be4 is founded.
  3. Acquisition Acquires Emerald BioSystems.
  4. Funding Latest funding round, Series A, of $7.5M.
  5. Exit Acquired by UCB.

Top companies in Life Sciences Platforms & Tools

3 companies that operate in the same segment as Be4 (Life Sciences Platforms & Tools) in United Kingdom, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.

CompanyDescriptionFoundedLocationTotal fundingRevenueEmployees
Nanopore-based electronic systems for single-molecule analysis are developed.
2005Oxford, Oxfordshire, United KingdomUSD 1.34 BUSD 301.49 M1,372
Genetically modified cell lines are developed using AAV gene-editing platform.
2007Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United KingdomUSD 46.29 M
Biological reagents and antibodies are developed for life science research.
1998Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United KingdomUSD 78.8 M
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Frequently Asked Questions about Be4

Be4 was founded in 2009.

Be4 is headquartered in Bedford, United Kingdom. It is registered at Bedford, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom.

Be4 is a funded company, having raised a total of $11.5M across 6 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Grant of $7.54M, raised on Jul 2008.

Be4 has 55 employees.

Beryllium was founded in 2009 and operates from Bedford, United Kingdom, as a contract research organization in the biotechnology sector. Collaborative partnerships are formed with companies to address challenges in drug discovery. Services provided include structure determination using NMR and X-ray crystallography, gene-to-protein production, antibody-antigen characterization, functional biology assays, fragment screening, target gallery development, and membrane protein work.

Be4 has made 1 acquisition, including Emerald BioSystems.

Be4 has 2 investors. Key investors include UCB, and HHS.

Be4 operates through Beryllium Ltd.

Yes. Be4 was acquired by UCB in June 2017.

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