Swiss pharmaceutical company Ferring Pharmaceuticals has signed an agreement to acquire US biotech startup Gameto, an early-stage investment of Ukrainian venture capital firm TA Ventures. The transaction could be worth up to $1.38 billion, making Gameto the 20th unicorn in TA Ventures' investment portfolio.
On October 27, 2026, international pharmaceutical group Ferring Pharmaceuticals and US biotechnology company Gameto announced an agreement under which Ferring will acquire Gameto. The transaction could be valued at up to $1.3825 billion, including future payments tied to the achievement of specified technological, regulatory, and commercial milestones.
The parties have not disclosed the upfront payment. Completion of the acquisition remains subject to customary closing conditions, and the companies will continue operating independently until the transaction closes.
For Ukrainian venture capital firm TA Ventures, which backed Gameto at an early stage, the deal represents a significant milestone. According to the fund, Gameto is now the 20th unicorn in its investment portfolio.
TA Ventures first invested in Gameto in 2022, when the company was in the early stages of developing innovative technologies for women's reproductive health. The fund subsequently continued to support the startup's growth.
"When we invested in Gameto, the company was just beginning to develop a technology that had the potential to fundamentally change approaches to reproductive medicine. It was an investment in a scientific idea, a strong team, and a founder capable of transforming complex research into a real technological product.
Today, in just six years, Gameto has progressed from an early-stage biotech startup to an acquisition agreement with one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. For TA Ventures, this marks our 20th unicorn. It is another confirmation that Ukrainian venture capital can not only identify promising technologies in the global market but also support their development at the very earliest stages," said Viktoriya Tigipko, Founder and Managing Partner of TA Ventures and Founder of the international angel investor community ICLUB.
What Is Known About Gameto and Its Fertilo Technology
Gameto is a US biotechnology company founded in 2020 that specializes in applying cell engineering to develop new treatments in women's reproductive health.
Its flagship product, Fertilo, is designed to simplify in vitro fertilization (IVF) and egg-freezing procedures.
Unlike conventional approaches, which typically involve approximately two weeks of hormonal ovarian stimulation, Gameto's technology uses specially developed cells to support egg maturation outside the woman's body.
According to the developers, this approach could reduce the hormonal stimulation period to just a few days and significantly decrease the number of required injections.
The technology is based on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are used to generate ovarian support cells. Gameto's scientific platform was developed in collaboration with the laboratory of Harvard Medical School professor George Church.
Fertilo is currently undergoing Phase III clinical trials in the United States. According to Gameto, it is the first iPSC-based therapy to reach this stage of clinical development in the country. However, the product has not yet received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In addition to Fertilo, Gameto is developing research programs focused on ovarian disorders, menopause, and other areas of women's health.
Why Ferring Pharmaceuticals Is Acquiring Gameto
Ferring Pharmaceuticals is an international pharmaceutical group headquartered in Switzerland and founded in 1950. The company specializes in reproductive medicine, gastroenterology, urology, and innovative therapeutic solutions, among other areas.
Ferring has subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, while its medicines are available in over 100 markets worldwide.
One of the pharmaceutical group's key products is Menopur, a medication used for hormonal ovarian stimulation in IVF treatment programs.
The acquisition of Gameto will allow Ferring to expand its reproductive medicine portfolio with an innovative cell engineering platform focused on developing alternative approaches to infertility treatment.
Combining Gameto's scientific developments with Ferring's international infrastructure, regulatory expertise, and commercial capabilities is expected to support further development of the Fertilo technology and its potential expansion into new markets.
TA Ventures: Over 280 Investments and 20 Unicorn Companies
Ukrainian venture capital firm TA Ventures, founded by Viktoriya Tigipko in 2010, specializes in early-stage investments in technology companies, primarily in the United States and Europe.
According to the fund, its portfolio includes more than 280 investments, 8 IPOs, and 20 unicorn companies valued at over $1 billion.
Some of its best-known portfolio companies include SumUp, DeepL, Enpal, Wayve, Via, Papaya Global, Commure, Destinus, Xometry, Cast AI, and others.
Another 29 companies are classified by the fund as soonicorns — startups valued at more than $100 million with the potential to achieve unicorn status. These include Cambrian Biopharma, Platzi, Vay, Yepoda, Rebag, GROPYUS, Wunderflats, Berry Street, Aolani, Zeely, and Yope.
The acquisition agreement between Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Gameto represents one of the largest announced deals in reproductive biotechnology in 2026 and marks an important milestone in the development of TA Ventures' investment portfolio.
