Investor with a focus on high-tech innovation

Jan G. Smith is one of western Sweden’s well-known life science entrepreneurs. Together with his son, Jan Erik Smith, he leads the business group Gobia Enterprises – an active investor with a strong focus on high-tech innovation in life science. The group includes several internationally recognized companies and brands, among them the medtech company Gasporox – which will exhibit at Nordic Life Science Days in Gothenburg in October – and the pharmaceutical company Circius Pharma.

Jan Erik Smith, Deputy CEO of Gobia Enterprises, and Jan G. Smith, one of western Sweden’s most well-known life science entrepreneurs. Photo: Gobia Enterprises.

With more than 40 years of experience building and leading international pharmaceutical and medtech companies – and as a driving force behind Sahlgrenska Science Park as well as the successful European pharmaceutical association Eucope – Jan G. Smith is a familiar name in the European life science arena. In western Sweden, he is especially known as chairman and owner of the business group and investment company Gobia Enterprises.

– We are one of Sweden’s more active investors in early-stage startups with clear growth and development potential, investing in companies where we can contribute with the expertise and experience we have built up over decades of company building within life science, says Jan G. Smith.

– As entrepreneurs, we prefer to be hands-on and to build companies with a long-term perspective, which is reflected in Gobia Enterprises’ investments. This sets us apart from short-term venture capital firms.

The group includes internationally known companies, brands, and products – among them Circius Pharma, which is currently advancing several exciting projects. Circius Pharma originates from the pharmaceutical division of ABIGO Medical and was formed in 2021 when Essity acquired ABIGO Medical from founders Jan G. Smith and his brother Leif Smith.

– My brother Leif and I founded ABIGO Medical more than 40 years ago and grew it into a successful company with revenues approaching half a billion SEK. ABIGO was also behind the unique wound-healing product SORBACT®, used today by healthcare professionals in over 65 countries.

– When my brother became ill, we chose to sell the company, and I acquired the pharmaceutical division, which we renamed Circius Pharma.

Unique products

Several of the innovations developed by the ABIGO Medical team are now part of Circius Pharma, along with a number of staff members. By 2025, Circius Pharma has grown into a company with broad operations in pharmaceuticals, medtech, and nutritional supplements, with subsidiaries in both Norway and Denmark. One focus area is ENT (ear, nose, and throat) products, including three internationally recognized brands: Otovent®, Otinova®, and Tinearity™.

– Otovent® is a device used for pressure equalization in the middle ear, while Otinova® can serve as an antibiotic alternative for treating ear infections. Overuse of antibiotics is a global challenge, which has made Otinova® a high-profile product, explains Jan Erik Smith, Deputy CEO at Gobia Enterprises.

– Tinearity™ is a medtech product – one of the few treatment options on the market for tinnitus – using white noise to provide relief. We also have several other promising projects with international potential in the pipeline.

The company headquarters, including research and development, are located in Askim, while its wholly owned subsidiary SHI Pharma operates a 6,000 m² pharmaceutical plant in Vallberga producing around 15 proprietary medicines and dietary supplements. SHI Pharma has a strong legacy, having been established 60 years ago.

– Locating manufacturing in Sweden has several advantages. There is high competence across all professional groups, and Sweden enjoys a strong international reputation as a manufacturing country. We also want to contribute by creating more jobs in Sweden.

Revolutionary technology

What makes Gobia Enterprises unique is its long-term investment horizon, quick decision-making, and strong synergies across its companies. Together with Navigare Ventures, owned by the Wallenberg Foundations, Gobia Enterprises is a principal owner of the medtech company Profundus, where the main owners and founders are building a company that could revolutionize eye diagnostics globally through space technology. Another exciting company within the group is Kromnigon, which develops and markets solutions for multicolor staining in histology.

– Kromnigon’s solutions enable more efficient and flexible multicolor microscopy, particularly relevant in cancer immunotherapy research – a field that has exploded since James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2018 for their groundbreaking discoveries, says Jan Erik Smith.

The group is also a lead investor in Dx4Life, a company that has developed a genetic test that, by identifying biomarkers, can optimize hormone treatment in IVF.

– In a large clinical study with over one thousand patients, Dx4Life’s test demonstrated a 38 percent higher probability of live birth with its genetic approach. It is incredibly exciting to be part of their journey and development.

– One of our investments, Gasporox, will exhibit at Nordic Life Science Days in Gothenburg in October to present the company’s revolutionary laser technology for package integrity testing, says Jan Erik Smith.

Strong local engagement

Over the years, Jan G. Smith has also been deeply committed to the development of the Gothenburg region and the life science sector. He was one of the initiators behind the launch of Sahlgrenska Science Park at a time when no comparable innovation environments existed in the region. In 2008, he also co-founded the European pharmaceutical association Eucope, headquartered in Brussels.

– Eucope is a strong voice in promoting European life science, and I still serve as chairman. Looking ahead, I see tremendous opportunities – for our group of companies, for the Gothenburg region, and for the industry as a whole, says Jan G. Smith.