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  • Home
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  • Ross McNaughton
Ross McNaughton
Ross McNaughton

Ross McNaughton

Partner

  • Cambridge UK
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+44 1223 446 443
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Featured award

Legal 500 UK 2026

Leading partner in the venture capital, biotechnology and corporate and commercial: Cambridge categories.

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Ross is a partner in the Corporate and Life Sciences team, based in our Cambridge office.

Ross is a lead partner within the firm's Tier 1-ranked Biotechnology practice in Cambridge. His practice involves helping life sciences and technology companies as they progress through their life cycle in all aspects of their growth, capital raising and international expansion. As a sector specialist, Ross focuses on biotech, medical devices and diagnostics within Life Sciences, and with the Tech sector supports companies operating in the capital intensive deep tech space, including quantum computing, artificial intelligence, advanced materials, as well as web3.

Ross has extensive experience of a variety of venture and growth financing, public capital raisings, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate advice. Ross was based out of San Francisco, CA in 2018 – 19 and as a result, he has a particular expertise in transactions with a transatlantic component.

Expertise

Services and Groups

Corporate/M&A & capital markets
Venture capital
Artificial intelligence
M&A

Sectors

Life sciences & healthcare
Technology, media & communications
Cryptoassets, blockchain and distributed ledger technology
Machine learning

CV

Since 2020 Partner, Taylor Wessing LLP
2015 - 2020 Partner, Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP, Cambridge
2010 - 2015 Partner, Paul Hastings LLP, London
2002 - 2009 Lawyer, Herbert Smith
2018 Admitted as a foreign legal consultant, state bar of California
2004 Admitted as a lawyer, England and Wales
2001 LPC and Post Graduate Degree in Law, Nottingham Law School

Career

Since 2020 Partner, Taylor Wessing LLP
2015 - 2020 Partner, Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP, Cambridge
2010 - 2015 Partner, Paul Hastings LLP, London
2002 - 2009 Lawyer, Herbert Smith

Education

2018 Admitted as a foreign legal consultant, state bar of California
2004 Admitted as a lawyer, England and Wales
2001 LPC and Post Graduate Degree in Law, Nottingham Law School

Additional languages

English

Awards

Legal 500 UK 2026

Featured

Leading partner in the venture capital, biotechnology and corporate and commercial: Cambridge categories.

Legal 500 UK 2025

Leading partner

Legal 500 UK 2025

Leading partner

Legal 500 UK 2025

Leading partner

Corporate/M&A (mid-market and private equity) - Band 3: Ross McNaughton heads up the Cambridge corporate department at Taylor Wessing and represents a variety of technology and pharmaceutical clients in complex acquisitions. He also has strong expertise in financing matters. "Ross McNaughton has strong knowledge and sector experience."

‘A strength of Taylor Wessing is the depth of knowledge and expertise across different legal areas, and we were able to access this on a particularly complex transaction under the truly excellent leadership of Ross McNaughton.’ ‘Ross McNaughton and Adrian Toutoungi are our go-to partner specialists.’

Venture capital

Corporate and commercial - Cambridge (Leading individual): "Ross McNaughton was a key negotiating ally in our dealings with both investors and potential acquirers. He was able to lead complex and difficult interactions with third parties in a pragmatic and ultimately successful manner." "Ross McNaughton performed superbly during deal negotiations. His tenacity and ability to direct a legal team is commendable."

Biotechnology

Recognised as a notable practitioner

Venture capital

Experience

Advising on Draig Therapeutics' US$140 million series A financing

We have advised a syndicate of leading global life sciences investors including Access Biotechnology, Canaan Partners and SR One on their landmark US$140 million series A investment in Draig Therapeutics.

Press release
Ross McNaughton
Elinor Picton
Oli Denne
Helen Farr
Adrian Toutoungi
Charlie Adams
Nicholas Vollers
Ed Chapman

Blue Earth Therapeutics on the closing of US$76.5 million Series A funding

We have advised Blue Earth Therapeutics and its management on the closing of US$76.5 million Series A funding. The new funding comes from a broad spectrum of experienced biotech investors and enables Blue Earth Therapeutics to further advance its clinical stage prostate-specific membrane antigen-targeted radioligand therapies.

Press release
Ross McNaughton
Bella Thornton-Clark

Healx raises $47 million in its Series C funding

Advised Healx, an AI-enabled, clinical-stage biotech company specializing in rare diseases based in Cambridge UK, on its $47 million Series C funding. The funding was co-led by Silicon Valley-based R42 Group and Atomico, one of Europe’s largest venture capital firms, with participation from new and existing investors including Balderton, Jonathan Milner, Global Brain, btov, Ayana Capital, o2h and VU Venture Partners.

Press release
Ross McNaughton
Oli Denne

Advising gene therapy company AlveoGene on its complex spinout and launch investment

We have advised AlveoGene, a new UK gene therapy company on its complex spinout from the Gene Therapy Consortium of Imperial College and the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh focusing on rare respiratory diseases, as well as on its seed round investment.

Press release
Ross McNaughton
Bella Thornton-Clark

Advising on transformational life sciences combinations and cross-over rounds

Ross was the lead partner on the transformational roll-up and $250 million cross-over financing of Centessa Pharmaceuticals, representing eight cutting-edge UK and European biotech companies on their participation in a newly established holding company focused on the development of innovative new treatments. Ross was also the lead partner on the combination of three New Science Ventures-backed companies under Ventyx Biosciences Inc in the context of its concurrent $114 million financing led by venBio Partners.

Ross McNaughton

Acting on venture growth rounds for leading life sciences and tech businesses

Ross constantly acts for leading growth companies and investors on their funding rounds, including recently Cambridge Epigenetix on its $88 million series D funding round led by Temasek, Envelop Risk on its $130 million round led by SoftBank, and Oxbotica on its $47 million series B investment.

Ross McNaughton

Ross's news & insights

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Venture capital

Advising on the PhysicsX $135 million Series B financing

1 July 2025

by Ross McNaughton and Oli Denne

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Corporate/M&A & capital markets

Advising on Draig Therapeutics' US$140 million series A financing

23 June 2025

by multiple authors

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Glass.Mapper.Sc.Fields.Image?.Alt
Life sciences & healthcare

UK start-ups consider switching to the US for funding

23 April 2025
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by Ross McNaughton

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View Ross's insights

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