16 Top Biotech VC Firms 2024
Last Updated: By TRUiC Team
Biotech startups are improving the lives of everyday people but only through the help of biotech venture capital firms. The firms listed below are supporting startups in the biotech industry and funding the medical revolution.
In this guide, we will provide a comprehensive list of some of the top biotech venture capitalists, along with information on what they look for in a startup and where they are located.
We also recommend checking out our main list of the top venture capital firms.
Best Biotech Venture Capital Firms
Venture capital firms can help biotech businesses reach new heights with financial and operational support. Here are some of the best biotech VC firms and how they are currently helping the new wave of innovative entrepreneurs.
Disclaimer: With so many venture capital firms around the world, we aren’t able to cover them all. Furthermore, the following VC firms are not officially ranked and are listed in no particular order.
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1. New Enterprise Associates
- Location: Silicon Valley (Menlo Park, California)
- Stage: Early Stage, Late Stage
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Databricks, Genies, Strive Health
New Enterprise Associates has the expertise to help entrepreneurs in a few key areas, including technology and healthcare. Entrepreneurs at the helm of these types of companies are partnering with NEA to bring sector insight and deep networks. The firm looks to fuel the growth of disruptive enterprise and consumer tech companies to build market leaders.
NEA has a track history of investing in healthcare companies for decades. The companies they have invested in have pioneered new models of care delivery. NEA doesn't have a preference for the stage of a company, they believe they can add value at any stage in the company's lifecycle.
2. Third Rock Ventures
- Location: Boston, Massachusetts
- Stage: Early-Stage Venture, Late-Stage Venture, Private Equity, Seed
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Terremoto Biosciences, Septerna, MyoKardia
With over 15 years of experience and over 60 current portfolio companies, Third Rock has extensive experience in the life sciences sector. Through investing in diversity, Third Rock believes it will fuel innovation and foster inclusion. The firm is one of the founding members of the Bioscience & Investor Inclusion Group, a coalition addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
At Third Rock, patients are the number one priority. The firm was founded in 2007 and has a Discovery program that looks through the fields of science and medicine to find the next helpful company. Once companies go through the Discovery process, they will go through the launch process where they receive financial, technical, and human resource support.
3. Domain Associates
- Location: San Diego, California
- Stage: Early-Stage Venture, Late-Stage Venture, Private Equity
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Amylin Pharmaceuticals, WindMIL Therapeutics, ESP Pharmacy
Domain Associates is a leading example of what earning trust looks like through their commitment to high standards and delivering solid performances. The firm also has nearly three decades of experience building successful healthcare companies. Domain Associates has been operating since 1985, so they have extensive experience investing in startups.
More than $2.8 billion in capital has been raised by Domain Associates, all dedicated to improving advancements for human life. The firm believes in establishing trust, credibility, and valuable relationships with its portfolio companies. The areas Domain Associates focus on include pharmaceuticals, diagnostic, and medical devices.
4. OrbiMed
- Location: New York, New York
- Stage: Debt, Early-Stage Venture, Late-Stage Venture, Post-IPO, Private Equity
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Adaptive, Delfi, Entero
With over 20 years of investing in the healthcare industry, OrbiMed know a thing or two about what it takes to be a success. They are a leading global healthcare investment firm that is looking to invest in companies with disruptive and innovative products. It doesn't matter what stage the company is in, OrbiMed will still invest resources if it believes there is an opportunity for high growth.
The team of over 100 medical, scientific, investment, and other professionals manage over $17 billion of public and private investments. Growth trends along with scientific innovations are increasing spending in the healthcare sector and creating ample opportunities for OrbiMed.
5. Versant Ventures
- Location: Menlo Park, California
- Stage: Debt, Early-Stage Venture, Late-Stage Venture, Private Equity
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Lava Therapeutics, Foresight Visions, Anokion
Versant Ventures is a VC firm concentrated on healthcare. All investment options are open and used by Versant, including early, late, debt financing, and private equity. Currently, the firm has over $4 billion of capital under management with 50 IPOs and 46 M&As.
The firm even has two Discover Engines, which are in-house teams of multi-disciplinary scientists enabling the launch of novel biotechnology companies. Inception is headquartered in San Diego and is the engine focused on partnering with pioneering academics to launch new companies in breakthrough areas of biology. Ridgeline is an engine based in Switzerland and is focused mainly on supporting companies in Europe.
6. New Leaf Venture Partners
- Location: New York, New York
- Stage: Debt, Early-Stage Venture, Late-Stage Venture, Private Equity
- Notable Portfolio Companies: PassageBio, BrightInsight, Edgewise
New Leaf Venture Partners is committed to fostering innovation using its own knowledge, experience, network, and passion. There is over $2 billion currently invested in over 150 different companies. The three main areas New Leaf invests in are biopharmaceuticals, information convergence, and life science tools.
There have been 30 billion-dollar companies, 54 companies taken public, and 37 different acquisitions thanks to the resources and support given by New Leaf Ventures. The firm hopes to create efficiencies and improve the outcomes of healthcare patients by partnering with innovative teams building market-disrupting companies.
7. Flagship Ventures
- Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Stage: Early-Stage Venture, Seed
- Notable Portfolio Companies: PriyoShop
Flagship Ventures is a VC firm that has its eyes set on one area in particular: Bangladesh. The firm is able to give entrepreneurs access to valuable capital and business development solutions that should help their companies grow exponentially. Any company in the early investment stages will be considered by Flagship.
The goal of Flagship is to bridge the gap between Bangladesh and first-world countries, so the firm is throwing large amounts of resources and a strong network to ensure success. The values Flagship believes in include creating exceptional value, business integrity, leadership, partnership, and continuous improvement.
8. Kleiner Perkins
- Location: Menlo Park, California
- Stage: Early-Stage Venture, Late-Stage Venture
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Figma, Handshake, Coursera
Kleiner Perkins is one of the leading venture firms in the US. They have a long list of notable companies that they've invested in, including Google, Amazon, and Sun Microsystems. In recent years, Kleiner Perkins has shifted its focus to enterprise software, biotechnology, and digital health.
The firm has helped entrepreneurs turn their innovative ideas into billion-dollar companies. They invest in companies at all stages, from seed to late-stage ventures. The team has a lot of experience taking companies public and working with large corporations. Kleiner Perkins has a partner program that gives entrepreneurs access to resources like office hours, introductions, and events.
9. Canaan Partners
- Location: Menlo Park, California
- Stage: Early-Stage Venture, Late-Stage Venture
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Astra, Berkshire Grey, Lending Club
Another one of the well-known venture capital firms in the bay area, Canaan Partners, was founded in 1987 and has been reshaping how the world works through its investments. They've helped hundreds of companies grow and scale, which has resulted in 70 IPOs and 145 M&As.
Canaan Partners looks for entrepreneurs that are passionate about their work and have the potential to create a large market with their product or service. The firm invests across various industries, including healthcare, enterprise software, and consumer technology. The company has a few values that are key to its decision making including low egos, inclusion, open resources, and treating others with respect.
10. Third Security
- Location: Radford, Virginia
- Stage: Early-Stage Venture, Late-Stage Venture, Post-IPO, Private Equity
- Notable Portfolio Companies: GreenVenus, Oxitec, Eleszto Genetika
Third Security has been providing support the entrepreneurs and startups for over 20 years. The firm is a family office and provides a stark contrast to the large VC firms in San Francisco. Most entrepreneurs in the portfolio have a close relationship with Third Security, allowing them to succeed and make efficient progress.
11. InterWest Partners
- Location: Menlo Park, California
- Stage: Early-Stage Venture, Late-Stage Venture
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Doximity, Braze, PMVPharma
InterWest Partners has a strong focus on healthcare, but they also do just as well in the information technology sector. One of the longest-running VC firms in the states, InterWest has been supporting entrepreneurs for over 40 years. The company has raised over $2.8 billion in assets and completed 94 IPOs.
The firm invests in early-stage companies, including preclinical and clinical-stage teams that have high-growth potential. Typically, InterWest will commit anywhere between $10 million — $15 million over the entire relationship with a company. The firm has no issue being the first to invest and believes strongly in its ability to add value beyond capital.
12. Alta Partners
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Stage: Debt, Early-Stage Venture, Late-Stage Venture, Private Equity
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Allakos, DIspatchHealth, VIR Biotechnology
Alta Partners believe that the healthcare industry has reached an inflection point driven by technology and innovation. The firm is looking to integrate physicians, payers, and patients through solutions created by innovative companies. Alta has been helping entrepreneurs for over 25 years.
The three main tenets that drive all investing decisions by Alta is trust, focus, and impact. These tenets have helped Alta reach over $2.6 billion in money raised, 118 merger, acquisitions, and IPOs, 72 FDA-approved products, and over $36 billion in value created.
13. EW Healthcare Partners
- Location: Palo Alto, California
- Stage: Debt, Early-Stage Venture, Late-Stage Venture, Private Equity
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Bioventus, Cota, VitalConnect
EW Healthcare Partners has had a long history of investing in the healthcare sector and has been operational since 1985. The company has raised over $3 billion of capital and has made over 150 investments since its inception. Not only does the company have investing experience, but it can support companies in a number of ways other firms can't.
EW Healthcare has deep domain expertise because healthcare is all they invest in. They also concentrate on revenue-generating companies that have high growth potential. Companies all over the world, including Europe and Latin America, are all included in EW Healthcare's portfolio.
14. Novo A/S
- Location: Hellerup, Denmark
- Stage: Private
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Halodoc, Genomatica, Biosyntia
Even though Novo Holdings is headquartered in Denmark, the company has a presence in San Francisco, Boston, and Singapore. Novo has identified five investment areas it concentrates most on. These include Novo Seeds, Novo Ventures, Novo Growth, Principal Investments, and Novo Capital Investors.
Novo Holdings is the holding company of the Novo Group which manages the wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The investments are made into companies at any stage of development and into equity as well as fixed-income securities.
15. Alexandria Venture Investments
- Location: Pasadena, California
- Stage: Seed, Early Stage, Late Stage
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Tavros Therapeutics, Capstan Therapeutics, Senda Biosciences
Alexandria Venture Investments is trying to create and grow life science ecosystems through its investments. It wants to ignite and accelerate leading innovators to achieve their goals of advancing human health by curing disease or improving nutrition.
Through its 28 years as a business, Alexandria has identified four main areas critical to helping life science clusters thrive: location, innovation, capital, and talent. By combining and supporting each of these tenets, Alexandria can accelerate growth in real estate, corporate responsibility, thought leadership, and venture investments.
16. Casdin Capital
- Location: New York, New York
- Stage: Early-Stage Venture, Late-Stage Venture
- Notable Portfolio Companies: 23andMe, Biotherapeutics, Amplifybio
Casdin Capital is an investment firm that specializes in life sciences and healthcare. The company has a focus on the intersection of science, technology, and medicine. They invest in companies that are able to create significant improvements in patient outcomes through the application of novel technologies and therapeutic approaches.
The team at Casdin is experienced with both early and late-stage venture investing as well as public and private investing. They have a multidisciplinary approach that uses data and technology to find the most compelling investment opportunities.
