V-Bio Ventures’ Post

Loved our chat after this interview. What really drives us forward? For Alex Leech, it’s about improving people’s health on a large scale and making a difference through innovation. It’s his passion for helping others that motivates him to get up every morning and work hard to bring life-changing ideas to market. When Alex asked me what drives me, it made me reflect. While I admire the big-picture thinking, my approach is more focused on the small, meaningful steps we can take in the moment. I want to make an impact in the here and now. Whether it’s offering a smile that lifts someone’s mood, holding the door open for someone, or just bringing positive energy into someone’s day. In the end, both of us share the same goal: to help people. Whether it’s through large-scale innovation or small acts of kindness, it’s the desire to make a difference that keeps us going.

Biotech venture capitalists are pacing for another record-low year of fundraising. But is a recovery on the horizon? Some VCs have pushed through the recent market downturn and managed to raise funds. Life science VCs had raised just 53 funds in 2023 — the lowest figure in nearly a decade, according to PitchBook. So far, firms have raised 15 funds in 2024, putting them on pace for another low fundraising year. Experts don’t think this boom-and-bust cycle will decimate biotech VCs the same way the 2000s downturn did however. Download STAT's new report for a detailed ranking of biotech venture capital firms based on their returns: https://trib.al/QVltSw5 #STATReports

When fundraising gets compared to kissing frogs, you might wonder if there isn’t a better way. Our panel at #LSIUSA24 will review the different constraints and biases that drive VCs when it comes to fund size. Looking at a fund’s size (and where they are in their fund cycle) can help predict deal alignment and prioritize. Fewer frogs to kiss and more time to do the actual hard work of drug or medtech development. Come hear me try to break up any violent agreements with Dennis McWilliams from SANTÉ, Owen Willis from Opal Ventures, Amir Soltanianzadeh from Solardis Health Ventures, and Thom Rasche from Earlybird Venture Capital. #panel #venturecapital

The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a collector of colossal adjectives and accolades. You probably already know it as the largest medical center in the world, also home to the renowned Texas Children's Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center. TMC also hosts Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, St. Luke's Health, Memorial Hermann Health System, and more. With an impressive 120,000 employees, 10 million patients a year, and more than 180,000 annual surgeries, it’s no surprise that incredible #medical breakthroughs happen at TMC’s academic and research institutions, not to mention its 21 different hospitals. That’s why the impact of its TMC Venture Fund runs the gamut! #VentureCapital is quite a rarity in Houston, in fact. There are only about dozen active venture capital funds based in this city with a metro area of 7.2 million people. While there’s a ton of wealth in Houston, it’s mostly in real estate, wealth management, private equity, energy, etc., not so much in venture capital funds for #medtech #startups. That’s why, in 2017, the TMC Corporation launched the TMC Venture Fund with a humble $25 million—with the TMC Foundation as the sole investor—and the dream of filling a much-needed gap in the Houston venture capital ecosystem. Since its inception, TMC Venture Fund has partnered with 24 startups, with a focus on #digitalhealth and #medicaldevice companies. In 2022, it doubled its fund to $50 million! Something that sets the TMC Venture Fund apart is that all the money that’s made goes right back into the next round of companies. By contrast, in most venture funds, partners pocket the profits, then raise more money instead.

In the years after the 2000 “dot com” or genomics bubble bursting, eight of the top 10 life sciences investors ultimately went out of business, according to a review by Atlas Venture. (The survivors? MPM Capital and Versant Ventures). What can we expect from this biotech downturn? Three years in, venture capitalists are having a hard time raising new funds. They don't think we'll see a flood of firms going under, but they debate whether the worst is finally over. Do you think all of the biotech VCs will weather the storm? #biotech #biopharma #venturecapital #VC #fundraising #investing #investingstrategies #startupfunding STAT

This is your last chance to register for tomorrow's VIC Investor Network Workshop: A Life Science Investor Roadmap to Angel Networks, Venture Capital Funds, Accelerators, Venture Studios, and More Dive into the dynamic world of investment strategies for high-return opportunities in life science ventures! Join us for a webinar exploring diverse frameworks available to individual investors. https://hubs.ly/Q02tNWQl0

A new biotech VC firm was just launched by RayzeBio cofounder Aaron Kantoff, ATP (Apple Tree Partners) veteran Sam Hall, and Tadd Wessel, managing partner of the health care private equity firm Petrichor. They eschewing some of what its founders call the "artifacts" of venture investing. I spoke to Aaron and Sam about company creation, traditional fund structures, and what Aaron is taking away from the RayzeBio experience. Check out my latest for STAT: #biotech #venturecapital #vc #venturebuilding #companycreation #startups #startupstrategies #investing #founderstories #fundraising

In a society pushing most planetary boundaries, how can venture capital scale the technologies we need to change the world? 🌍 That’s the power behind Planet A Ventures, led by environmental advocate and German policymaker Lena Thiede. Lena, a co-founding partner of Planet A, spearheads a green tech VC fund that only invests in European startups with significant environmental impact. 🌱 In 2023, they raised an impressive €160 million to back and scale groundbreaking green technologies. What sets Planet A apart? They’re the only early-stage VC with an in-house science team dedicated to rigorous lifecycle assessments before investing. 🔬 Tune in to hear all the fascinating examples of science-based impact investing that Lena shares, along with how Planet A is transforming the landscape of sustainable venture capital. 🎧: https://lnkd.in/eW-gWJSs #ImpactInvesting #GreenTech #LifeCycleAssessment #VentureCapital #ScientificImpact #Sustainability

In a society pushing most planetary boundaries, how can venture capital scale the technologies we need to change the world? 🌍 That’s the power behind Planet A Ventures, led by environmental advocate and German policymaker Lena Thiede. Lena, a co-founding partner of Planet A, spearheads a green tech VC fund that only invests in European startups with significant environmental impact. 🌱 In 2023, they raised an impressive €160 million to back and scale groundbreaking green technologies. What sets Planet A apart? They’re the only early-stage VC with an in-house science team dedicated to rigorous lifecycle assessments before investing. 🔬 Tune in to hear all the fascinating examples of science-based impact investing that Lena shares, along with how Planet A is transforming the landscape of sustainable venture capital. 🎧: https://lnkd.in/eJkzpTVy #ImpactInvesting #GreenTech #LifeCycleAssessment #VentureCapital #ScientificImpact #Sustainability

Helping Ofiniti transition from internal innovation project to valuable independent company is one of my biggest achievements. But more than that, it proves that if you are serious about corporate innovation, there are ways to create return on the cost of that innovation that your CFO can easily understand. (Clue, it's enterprise value). If you can't show that return over time, your innovation days are numbered...