Versant builds in Basel, but also takes to Boston, with new investments and spinouts

There’s good news and bad news for Europe with Versant’s buildup of its Basel incubator. On the one hand, the VC firm is increasing by half its investment in the region. On the other, it’s taking another of the incubator’s newcos to the U.S., continuing a long-standing problem for European biotech hubs, where they produce the science but don’t retain the value it creates.

Buoyed by strong returns and exits including a recent IPO, Versant Ventures is beefing up its three-year-old incubator lab in Switzerland, adding new leadership and scientific personnel while spinning out more new companies...