Most Active Health Tech Investor Alexandria Venture Investments

Despite the fact that Alexandria Venture Investments draws its name from Egypt’s scientific capital of the ancient world, the firm was founded in a garage. Even with their humble property beginnings, they spent the next 25 years specializing in real estate equities and creating collaborative life science and technology complexes across North America – such as the Alexandria Center for Life Science in New York City.

Moving beyond their land-based holdings, they established a strategic venture investment arm in 1996. Currently, they target life sciences and tech companies who are working on breakthrough therapies and treatments that will transform the industry. Alexandria recently took first place on Forbes list of venture capital investors in the healthcare sector with a total of $688 in committed capital and also took top spot on Silicon Valley Bank’s most active investor in healthcare startups.

In January 2018, the firm launched their Alexandria Seed Capital Platform. According to their site, it is an “innovative funding model that brings together leaders from across the life science community to catalyze seed-stage investment in the most promising life science startups”. The initiative will be led by Alexandria Venture Investments and an advisory board made up of industry experts in biopharma and venture capital from Accelerator Life Sciences Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, Eli Lilly and Company, Pfizer and Roche will guide the process.

“Supporting leading entrepreneurs who are focused on translating early discoveries into transformative new treatments for patients is core to Alexandria’s mission to advance human health and improve quality of life,” said Joel Marcus, CEO and founder of Alexandria Venture Investments. “We are thrilled to be launching the Alexandria Seed Capital Platform, backed by an impressive Advisory Board with a shared commitment to foster and grow every facet of the life science ecosystem.”

The new platform exists as a natural extension of Alexandria’s LaunchLabs – an initiative meant to foster the next generation of life science leaders and innovators. Their Cambridge installment celebrated the inaugural member class of seed and early-stage life sciences business in April 2019. LaunchLabs offers their chosen companies innovative office and laboratory space; extensive mentorship opportunities; access to Alexandria’s wide-ranging network and a chance to raise funding through their seed capital initiative.

Alexandria is emerging as a leader within the life sciences sphere and their collaborative efforts has helped innovators build impactful relationships with potential funders and industry partners. Biotech firm Holobiome is one member of thirteen in the Cambridge LaunchLab class and recipient of the Alexandria’s Seed Fund Platform’s first investment.

“Innovation is happening at an unprecedented pace, and we are truly at a pivotal moment in the biology revolution with more new innovative medicines coming to market than ever before,” said Marcus. “Biomedical research is imperative to ensuring we advance the development of the most leading-edge treatments for patients who need them most.”