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Variant Bio
New York, US · Founded 2018 · Delaware corporation · 38 employees on LinkedIn · 5 known investors
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Variant Bio is a therapeutics company that uses human genomics to guide drug development, drawing on expertise across genetics, molecular biology, therapeutics, anthropology, and ethics.
Founders & leadership
Variant Bio was founded in 2018 by Kaja Wasik, Andrew Farnum, and Stephane Castel.
KW
Kaja WasikCo-founder · Senior Advisor
AF
Andrew FarnumCo-founder · Chief Executive OfficerAndrew Farnum holds a master's degree in international development from Harvard Kennedy School and an undergraduate degree in molecular biology from Princeton University. He previously led the Gates Foundation's Strategic Investment Fund as Director, overseeing a $2 billion global investment program in biotech, healthcare, financial services, and other sectors, and held investment roles at the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, TPG, and Goldman Sachs.
SC
Stephane CastelFounderHe previously worked as a Senior Research Fellow at the New York Genome Center studying genetic regulatory variation and disease, and co-founded Fiix, a cloud-based asset management software company.
CB
Craig BassonChief Medical Officer, President of R&DDr. Craig Basson trained in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital, cardiology at Harvard and Brigham and Women's Hospital, and human genetics, and subsequently held academic positions at Cornell University Medical College as a cardiovascular researcher. He led translational medicine and cardiovascular programs at Novartis from 2010 to 2019, contributed to multiple drug development efforts including Entresto and canakinumab, and held chief medical officer roles at Boston Pharmaceuticals and Bitterroot Bio before joining Variant Bio as Chief Medical Officer and President of R&D.
Board
JS
Julie SunderlandBoard director
JW
BM
Investors · 5
Alta Partnerslisted by Alta PartnersJackson · $1M – $12M
How we know: Alta Partners's portfolio page · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us
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General Catalystlisted by General CatalystSan Francisco · $30M
How we know: General Catalyst's portfolio page · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$127.7M disclosed across 3 of 4 rounds · 2019–2025
▶$105MraisedNov 2021 · 12 investors · BiotechnologyRule 506(b)
▶$105MraisedNov 2021 · 12 investors · Biotechnology
Rule 506(b)Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
- Stuart NagaeDirector
- Bob MoreDirector
- Andrew FarnumExecutive Officer, Director
- Elena VibochDirector
- Josh WolfeDirector
- Stephane CastelExecutive Officer, Director
- Julie SunderlandDirector
- Offering amount
- $105M
- Amount sold
- $105M
- First sale
- Oct 2021
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2018
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$6.1MraisedAug 2020 · 6 investors · BiotechnologyRule 506(b)
▶$6.1MraisedAug 2020 · 6 investors · Biotechnology
Rule 506(b)Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
- Julie SunderlandDirector
- Josh WolfeDirector
- Bob MoreDirector
- Kaja WasikExecutive Officer, Director
- Andrew FarnumExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $6.7M
- Amount sold
- $6.1M
- First sale
- Jul 2020
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2018
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$16.6MraisedOct 2019 · 2 investors · BiotechnologyRule 506(b)
▶$16.6MraisedOct 2019 · 2 investors · Biotechnology
Rule 506(b)Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
- Kaja WasikDirector
- Akhila KosarajuExecutive Officer, Director
- Adam GoulburnDirector
- Josh WolfeExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $31.5M
- Amount sold
- $16.6M
- First sale
- Sep 2019
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2018
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Founder mafia
2 people who came through Variant Bio went on to found or lead other companies.
Related companies · 2
Formation BioFormation Bio develops drugs through partnerships with health systems, academic medical centers, and research sites, focusing on clinical trials in dermatology, rheumatology, and cardiometabolic diseases. The company provides trial management infrastructure, monitoring, technology, and enrollment support to accelerate drug development.
Adaptive BiotechnologiesAdaptive Biotechnologies applies the genetics of the adaptive immune system to diagnostics and therapeutics, translating immune-system data into clinical insights for clinicians and biopharma companies. Its Immune Medicine Platform is used to detect, monitor, and treat disease.
Companies working in the same space as Variant Bio.
In the news
Frequently asked questions
- What does Variant Bio do?
- Variant Bio is a therapeutics company that uses human genomics to guide drug development, drawing on expertise across genetics, molecular biology, therapeutics, anthropology, and ethics.
- Who founded Variant Bio?
- Variant Bio was founded by Kaja Wasik, Andrew Farnum, Stephane Castel in 2018.
- Who are Variant Bio's investors?
- Variant Bio's investors include Alta Partners, General Catalyst, Lux Capital, SoftBank Vision Fund, Dimension Capital.
- How much funding has Variant Bio raised?
- Variant Bio has disclosed $127.7M raised across 3 of its 4 known rounds.
- Where is Variant Bio headquartered?
- Variant Bio is headquartered in New York, US.