Senti Biosciences, Inc. Announces Oversubscribed $37.6 Million Private Placement Equity Financing

Rhea-AI Summary

Senti Biosciences (Nasdaq: SNTI) has secured a $37.6 million private placement financing through the sale of 16,713 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock. The PIPE financing, led by Celadon Partners with participation from NEA, Leaps by Bayer, and others, is expected to close by December 5, 2024. Investors will receive warrants to purchase up to 25,069,500 common stock shares, subject to stockholder approval. An additional option for $10 million in Preferred Stock was granted to one investor. The proceeds will fund the SENTI-202 program development, manufacturing scale-up, and general corporate purposes.

Positive

• Secured $37.6 million in new funding through private placement
• Option for additional $10 million in funding available
• Strong investor participation from established firms including NEA and Leaps by Bayer

Negative

• Potential dilution for existing shareholders through warrant exercises
• Additional shareholder approval required for warrant exercises
• Need for registration statement filing indicates regulatory complexity

Insights

Financial Analyst

This $37.6 million private placement represents a significant capital injection for Senti Bio, enhancing their financial runway. The oversubscribed nature and participation from notable investors like NEA and Leaps by Bayer signals strong institutional confidence in their Gene Circuit platform. The potential for an additional $10 million through the option grant provides further flexibility.

The structure, using Series A Convertible Preferred Stock with warrants, offers investors downside protection while maintaining upside potential. The inclusion of warrants for up to 25,069,500 common shares could lead to future dilution but also provides additional capital raising potential. The involvement of Leerink Partners as placement agent adds credibility to the transaction.

The funding will primarily support the SENTI-202 program development and manufacturing scale-up, critical for advancing their clinical pipeline. With a market cap of about $9.7 million, this financing significantly strengthens their balance sheet and extends their operational runway.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Senti Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNTI) (“Senti Bio” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation cell and gene therapies using its proprietary Gene Circuit platform, has entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain existing and new accredited investors to issue and sell an aggregate of 16,713 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Preferred Stock”) through a private investment in public equity (the “PIPE”) financing. Senti Bio anticipates the gross proceeds from the PIPE financing to be approximately $37.6 million, before deducting offering expenses. In addition, investors, upon receipt of stockholder approval by the Company’s stockholders, will have the right to exercise warrants to purchase up to an additional 25,069,500 in shares of the Company’s common stock. The PIPE financing is anticipated to close on or before December 5, 2024, subject to customary closing conditions. The Company has also granted to a certain investor an option to purchase an additional 4,444 shares of Preferred Stock and accompanying warrants for gross proceeds of approximately $10.0 million at a subsequent closing to occur no later than December 27, 2024.

The PIPE financing was led by Celadon Partners, with participation from New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Leaps by Bayer, Nantahala Capital, The Red Hook Fund LP, and other institutional and accredited investors. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with existing cash, cash equivalents and investments, to fund the continued development of its SENTI-202 program and manufacturing ramp-up, other research and development activities, and for general corporate purposes.

Leerink Partners is acting as the placement agent for the PIPE financing.

The securities sold in the PIPE financing are being made in a transaction not involving a public offering and have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. Concurrently with the execution of the securities purchase agreement, Senti Bio and the investors entered into a registration rights agreement pursuant to which the Company has agreed to file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission registering the resale of the common stock issued or issuable in connection with the PIPE financing.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. Any offering of the securities described above under the resale registration statement will only be by means of a prospectus.

About Senti Bio
Senti Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a new generation of cell and gene therapies for patients living with incurable diseases. To achieve this, Senti Bio is leveraging a synthetic biology platform called Gene Circuits to create therapies with enhanced precision and control. These Gene Circuits are designed to precisely kill cancer cells, spare healthy cells, increase specificity to target cells and control the expression of drugs even after administration. The Company’s wholly-owned pipeline includes off-the-shelf CAR-NK cells, outfitted with Gene Circuits, to target challenging liquid and solid tumor indications. Senti Bio has also preclinically demonstrated that its Gene Circuits can function in T cells. Additionally, Senti Bio has preclinically demonstrated the potential breadth of Gene Circuits in other cell and gene therapy modalities, diseases outside of oncology, and continues to advance these capabilities through partnerships with Roche/Spark Therapeutics and Bayer/BlueRock Therapeutics.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain statements that are not historical facts and are considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “could,” “predict,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” “forecast,” “seek,” “target” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections, and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations of Senti Bio’s management and assumptions, whether or not identified in this document, and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future events, including the closing of the Company’s private placement offering, the timely funding to the Company by each investor in the private placement offering, the development of the SENTI-202 program, and financial projections and future financial and operating results. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by any investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Senti Bio. Many factors could cause actual future results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this document, including but not limited to: (i) changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political and legal conditions, (ii) changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Senti Bio operates, variations in operating performance across competitors, changes in laws and regulations affecting Senti Bio’s business, (iii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts and other expectations, (iv) the risk of downturns and a changing regulatory landscape in Senti Bio’s highly competitive industry, (v) risks relating to the uncertainty of any projected financial information with respect to Senti Bio, (vi) risks related to uncertainty in the timing or results of Senti Bio’s clinical trial initiation and the progress of clinical trials, patient enrollment, and GMP manufacturing activities, (vii) Senti Bio’s dependence on third parties in connection with clinical trial startup, clinical studies, and GMP manufacturing activities, (viii) risks related to delays and other impacts from macroeconomic and geopolitical events, increasing rates of inflation and rising interest rates on business operations, (ix) risks related to the timing and utilization of Senti Bio’s grant from CIRM and net proceeds of the PIPE financing, and (x) the success of any future research and development efforts by Senti Bio. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of Senti Bio’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and other documents filed by Senti Bio from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements in this document. There may be additional risks that Senti Bio does not presently know, or that Senti Bio currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements in this document. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Senti Bio anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause Senti Bio’s assessments to change. Except as required by law, Senti Bio assumes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

FAQ

How much did Senti Biosciences (SNTI) raise in their December 2024 private placement?

Senti Biosciences raised $37.6 million through the sale of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, with an additional option for $10 million.

Who led the December 2024 PIPE financing for Senti Biosciences (SNTI)?

The PIPE financing was led by Celadon Partners, with participation from New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Leaps by Bayer, Nantahala Capital, and The Red Hook Fund LP.

What will Senti Biosciences (SNTI) use the December 2024 PIPE financing proceeds for?

The proceeds will fund the SENTI-202 program development, manufacturing ramp-up, other research and development activities, and general corporate purposes.

How many warrant shares were included in Senti Biosciences' (SNTI) December 2024 PIPE financing?

The financing included warrants to purchase up to 25,069,500 shares of common stock, subject to stockholder approval.