In order to start up a company, one must have capital, and for some companies, a venture capital firm may be the best source for it. Venture capital firms, in exchange for equity in the companies in which they’re investing, can help provide funds for companies they think have high potential. So, which VC firms have helped pump up the most biotech and biopharma companies? Below is a list of top venture capital firms and broader financial firms that invest venture capital or other equity in early- to late-stage biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, ranked by total capital under management or, for some firms, total active “committed” capital from funds in use.
#20. Enterprise Partners
Location(s): La Jolla, CA
Fund size and status: More than $1.1 billion under management across six funds. Current fund: $353 million EPVI, closed 2001
Biopharma portfolio companies: Ascenta Therapeutics, Celladon, Celula, Complete Genomics
Typical investment range: Initial investment more typically ranges between $3 million and $10 million, with additional funds reserved for follow-on financings. Occasionally the partnership will invest as little as $300K in a seed stage venture. Preference for investing in California-based businesses
Year established: 1985
#19. ARCH Venture Partners
Location(s): Chicago; Austin, TX; Seattle; San Francisco; Dublin
Fund size and status: Nearly $1.5 billion under management across seven funds. Current fund: $400 million ARCH Venture Fund VII, closed 2007
Biopharma portfolio companies: Achaogen, Acylin Therapeutics, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Allozyne, Alnylam Holdings, Array BioPharma, BIND Biosciences, bluebird bio, Caliper Life Sciences, Cambrios Technologies, Chiasma, Ensemble Therapeutics, Fate Therapeutics, GenVec, Groove BioPharma, Hua Medicine, Ikaria, Illumina, ISB Accelerator, Kythera Biopharma, Limerick BioPharma, Lycera, NeurogesX, Nura, Omeros, Oncofactor, Permeon Biologics, PhaseRx, Pulmatrix, Receptos, Sorbent therapeutics, Theraclone Sciences, VBI Vaccines, VentiRx, VLST, Xcyte, XenoPort, XORI
Typical investment range: Investment average or range per-company unavailable
Year established: 1986 as not-for-profit ARCH Development Corp. by University of Chicago
#18. Burrill & Co.
Location(s): San Francisco
Fund size and status: $1.5 billion under management across eight funds. Current fund: $505 million Burrill Capital Fund IV, closed for second time August 2012
Biopharma portfolio companies: Acusphere, Adlyfe, Adma Biologics, Catalyst Biosciences, Captaris Therapeutics, Chromatin, Lentigen, Logical Therapeutics, MabVax Therapeutics, Neos Therapeutics, Neurotech, Newbridge Pharmaceuticals, Nora Therapeutics, Odyssey Thera, OncoGeneX, Scynexis, Waterstone Pharmaceuticals, XDx
Typical investment range: $5 million to $15 million over the life of a company
Year established: 1994
#17. Advanced Technology Ventures
Location(s): Palo Alto, CA, and Boston
Fund size and status: $1.6 billion under management across eight funds. Current fund: $305 million ATV Fund VIII, closed 2007
Biopharma portfolio companies: Acceleron Pharma, Calithera Biosciences, Catabasis Pharmaceuticals, Five Prime Therapeutics, Hydra Biosciences, Portola Pharmaceuticals, Second Genome, Thrasos Therapeutics, Verastem
Typical investment range: Investment average or range per-company unavailable
Year established: 1979
#16. Versant Ventures
Location(s): Menlo Park, CA; Newport Beach, CA; San Francisco; Basel, Switzerland
Fund size and status: $1.6 billion in committed capital across three funds; raising funds for fifth fund, reported to be $250 million. Current fund: $500 million Versant Venture Capital IV L.P., closed 2008
Biopharma portfolio companies: 5AM Ventures, Achaogen, Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Biotie Therapies, Five Prime Therapeutics, FLAP, Flexion Therapeutics, Fluidigm, Groove Biopharma (formerly Mirina), Helicos Biosciences, Immune Design, Inception 1, Inception 2, Inception 3, Metabolex, Okairos, OnGen, Panmira Pharmaceuticals, PathWork Diagnostics, PhaseRx, Quanticel Pharmaceuticals, RuiYi, Semprae Laboratories, Spark Diagnostics, Theraclone Sciences, Transcept Pharmaceuticals, Veracyte, Viral Logic Systems Technology (VLST).
Typical investment range: Initial investments have started at $250,000; total investments have been as large as $30 million
Year established: 1999
#15. HealthCare Ventures
Location(s): Cambridge, MA
Fund size and status: $1.6 billion under management across nine funds. Current fund: $250 million HealthCare Ventures IX L.P., closed 2010
Biopharma portfolio companies: Aciex, Anchor Therapeutics, Anexon, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Apofore, BIKAM Pharmaceuticals, Catalyst Biosciences, Cleveland HeartLab, DecImmune Therapeutics, Dekkun, Galleon Pharmaceuticals, GITR, GlobeImmune, InfaCare Pharmaceutical, Mosaic Biosciences, nanoMR, PathoGenetix, PharmAthene, Promedior, ProteoStasis Therapeutics, Radius Health, Seahorse Bioscience, Shape Pharmaceuticals, Stemgent, Synovex, Tensha Therapeutics, TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals, Theraclone Sciences, Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Trevena, VaxInnate, Vaxxas, Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals, Xencor
Year established: 1985
#14. Frazier Healthcare Ventures
Location(s): Seattle and Menlo Park, CA
Fund size and status: More than $1.8 billion under management across six funds; raising funds for seventh fund, expected to be $400 million. Current fund: $600 million Frazier Healthcare VI, closed 2008
Biopharma portfolio companies: Achaogen, Alcresta, Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Allena Pharmaceuticals, Amicus Therapeutics, Anaptys, Attercor, Cadence Pharmaceuticals, Chimerix, Clovis Oncology, Collegium Pharmac eutical, Incline Therapeutics, Kalidex Pharmaceuticals, Portola Pharmaceuticals, QuatRx, Rempex Pharmaceuticals, Silence Therapeutics, Silvergate Pharmaceuticals (formerly Intradigm), Tobira Therapeutics, VentiRx Pharmaceuticals
Typical investment range: Investment average or range per-company unavailable
Year established: 1991
#13. SV Life Sciences
Location(s): Boston; Foster City, CA; London
Fund size and status: Approximately $2 billion under management across five funds. Current fund: $524 million SV Life Sciences Fund V, closed 2010. Fund includes $11 million $513m (plus $11 million of co-investments committed by partners and individuals affiliated with SVLS).
Biopharma portfolio companies: Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Adimab, Affinium Pharmaceuticals, Alba Therapeutics, Alinea Pharmaceuticals, Allocure, Antiva, Archemix, Arsanis Biosciences, Autifony Therapeutics, Bicycle Therapeutics, Catabasis Pharmaceuticals, Cellzome, Convergence Pharmaceuticals, Cyterix Pharmaceuticals, Delenex Therapeutics, Good Start Genetics, Imagen Biotech, Itero Biopharmaceuticals, Kalvista Pharmaceuticals, Link Medicine, Logical Therapeutics, Lux Biosciences, Mpex Pharmaceuticals, NeurogesX, Neurotech, NKT Therapeutics, Ophthotech, PanOptica, Rempex Pharmaceuticals, Sutro Biopharma, TopiVert, Vantia Pharmaceuticals
Typical investment range: Investment average or range per-company unavailable
Year established: 1993 as Schroder Ventures Life Sciences, part of the Schroder Ventures Group. SVLS became independent of the Schroder Ventures Group in 2001, and changed its name in 2005
#12. Alta Partners
Location(s): San Francisco
Fund size and status: $2 billion under management across eight funds. Current fund: $500 million Alta Partners VIII, closed 2006
Biopharma portfolio companies: 7TM Pharma, Ablynx, AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Achaogen, Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Aerovance, Alba Therapeutics, Astex Pharmaceuticals, aTyr Pharma, Azelon Pharmaceuticals, Bioventus, Cara Therapeutics, Ceregene, Cerenis Therapeutics, ChemoCentryx, Chimerix, Corcept Therapeutics, Cytokinetics, DiscoveRx, Esperion Therapeutics, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, Genedata, Immune Design , Innate Pharma, Intarcia Therapeutics, Kiadis Pharma, Lithera, MacroGenics, Metabolex, Nereus Pharmaceuticals, Pathwork Diagnostics, Portola Pharmaceuticals, Proacta Therapeutics, Prolacta Bioscience, SARcode, Scynexis, Silence Therapeutics, Sonexa Therapeutics, Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Sutro Biopharma, Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Trevena, Veloxis, ViroBay, VitrOmics
Typical investment range: Investment average or range per-company unavailable
Year established: 1996
#11. Morgenthaler Ventures
Location(s): Menlo Park, CA; Boulder, CO; Boston; Cleveland; Princeton, NJ
Fund size and status: $2.5 billion under management; raising funds for 10th fund, IT Fund X, reported to be $200 million. Current fund: $400 million Fund IX, closed 2008 and used in part for investment in life-sciences companies
Biopharma portfolio companies: Calithera Biosciences, Catalyst Biosciences, Elcelyx Therapeutics, Galleon Pharmaceuticals, GlobeImmune, Mosaic Biosciences, OcoMed Pharmaceuticals, Orexigen, Principia, Promedior Pharmaceuticals, Ra Pharmaceuticals, Replidyne, Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals, Stemgent, Threshold Pharmaceutical, Tragara Pharmaceuticals, Trellis Bioscience, Vical
Typical investment range: Between $12 million and $20 million over several rounds; majority of investments in Series A
Year established: 1968