Fundraising FoxClarus Ventures
Venture capitalMenlo Park · Pre-Seed–Late Stage · 9 people tracked
Also known as Clarus
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Investment thesis
Clarus Ventures is a life sciences investment firm, now part of Blackstone Life Sciences (BXLS), that funds drug development, including late-stage Phase III programs. Based in Menlo Park, California, its team has been involved in bringing numerous medicines to market across pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
Team · 9 people
from public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 22 of 22 portfolio companiesBiotech ×19Healthtech ×13Medical Devices ×5AI & Machine Learning ×1Deep Tech ×1FemTech ×1Hardware ×1
HQs:United States×19Netherlands×1
Investments · 22 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2025 · 12023 · 12021 · 12018 · 22017 · 22016 · 72015 · 22012 · 12009 · 118 dated
CalciMedica is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing CRAC (calcium release-activated calcium) channel inhibition therapies for serious acute and chronic inflammatory, immunologic, and cardiopulmonary diseases.
BiotechHealthtechLa Jolla, US
Kenneth A. Stauderman(Co-founder)inGonul Velicelebi(Co-founder)Daniel Geffken(Executive Officer)A. Rachel Leheny(Executive Officer, Director)Michael J. Dunn(Executive Officer)inStephen Bardin(Chief Financial Officer)in
Board seatEmmett Cunningham· per SEC Form D · $80.4M raise · filed Jun 2018
Co-investorsAisling CapitalMESA VERDE VENTURE PARTNERSRevelation PartnersSanderling VenturesClarus LifesciencesOrbiMed
Praxis Precision Medicines is a central nervous system precision neuroscience biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for CNS disorders characterized by neuronal excitation-inhibition imbalance, with a pipeline spanning movement disorders and epilepsy.
BiotechDeep TechHealthtechBoston, US
Steve Petrou(Co-Founder, President of Research & Development)inKiran Reddy(Executive Officer, Director)inMarcio Souza(President & Chief Executive Officer)in
Board seatNicholas GalakatosNicholas G. Galakatos· per SEC Form D · $10M raise · filed Jun 2019
Co-investorsAvoro Capital AdvisorsCapria VenturesOCV PartnersAlameda ResearchAPOLLO PROJECTSBlackstone+6 more
Annexon Bio develops early complement inhibitors that target C1q, the initiating molecule of the classical complement pathway, to treat autoimmune, neurodegenerative, and ophthalmic diseases.
BiotechHealthtechSo. San Francisco, US
Ben Barres(Scientific Co-Founder)Douglas Love(Founder)inMark L Smith(Executive Officer)Campbell Murray(Director)inThomas Wiggans(Director)Ricky Sun(Director)
Board seatEmmett Cunningham· per SEC Form D · $85M raise · filed Dec 2018
Co-investorsBain Capital Life SciencesCorrelation VenturesNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)BlackRockBlackstone Life SciencesDeerfield Management Company+2 more
BiotechCambridge, US
Jill C. Milne(Executive Officer, Director)inIan Sanderson(Executive Officer)in
BoardRon Laufer(Director)Jean George(Director)Michael Ross(Director)
Board seatNicholas Galakatos· per SEC Form D · $20.4M raise · filed Mar 2015
Co-investorsLightstone Ventures
HealthtechMt Olive, US
Louis Altieri(Executive Officer)Larry Heaton(Executive Officer)in
BoardSteven C. Adler(Director)David Jenkins(Director)Donald P. Carson(Director)
Board seatKurt Wheeler· per SEC Form D
Tectonic is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapeutic proteins and antibodies that target G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) using a proprietary platform called GEODe™.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechMedical DevicesWatertown, US
Timothy A. Springer(Co-Founder)Andrew C. Kruse(Director)Alise Reicin(Executive Officer, Director)inDaniel Lochner(Executive Officer)Marc Schwabish(Executive Officer)inPeter McNamara(Executive Officer)in
Board seatScott Requadt· per SEC Form D · $25M raise · filed Aug 2016
Co-investorsEcoR1 CapitalVida VenturesAlly Bridge GroupPolaris PartnersSoleus Capital
Venus develops non-invasive, energy-based medical aesthetic devices for body, face, skin, and hair treatments, integrating robotics, AI, and IoT technologies.
BiotechHardwareHealthtechMedical DevicesToronto, US
Domenic Serafino(Executive Officer, Director)inKirk Gunhus(Executive Officer)inRoss Portaro(Executive Officer)inAnna Georgiadis(Executive Officer)inMelissa Kang(Executive Officer)inMichael Mandarello(Executive Officer)in
Board seatEmmett CunninghamEmmett Cunningham, Jr.· per SEC Form D · $26M raise · filed Aug 2017
Co-investorsAPERTURE Venture PartnersEssex Woodlands Healthcare PartnersLongitude CapitalHealthQuest Capital
Abcuro develops therapies that target highly cytotoxic T cells for autoimmune diseases, including its lead candidate ulviprubart for inclusion body myositis.
BiotechHealthtechNewton, US
Steven A. Greenberg(Chief Scientific Advisor & Co-Founder)Steven A. Greenberg, MD(Chief Scientific Advisor & Co-Founder)John Alexander Martin(Executive Officer, Director)Stefano Gulla(Executive Officer)Evan Thompson(Executive Officer)David de Graaf(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsBain Capital Life SciencesNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)RA CapitalSamsara BioCapitalSanofi VenturesMass General Brigham Ventures+9 more
BiotechBurlingame, US
Mark Rolfe(Executive Officer)Laura Shawver(Executive Officer, Director)inTimothy Smith(Executive Officer)
BoardAlfred Scheidegger(Director)inPeter Thompson(Director)inCarol Gallagher(Director)in
Co-investorsAstellas Venture Management LLCNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Nextech InvestOUP (Osage University Partners)5AM VenturesOrbiMed+2 more
Developed a next-generation iron chelator for iron overload in transfusion-dependent anemia; acquired by Shire in 2012.
BiotechSan Carlos, US
Hugh Y. Rienhoff, Jr., M.D.(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardMarten Steen(Director)inDennis Henner, Ph.D.(Director)Bryant E. Fong(Director)
Co-investorsHealthCapMC Healthcare Ventures
Gilead discovers, develops, and delivers therapeutic medicines for life-threatening diseases, with focus on virology, oncology, and inflammation across 35+ countries.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesPalo Alto, US
Ravindra Majeti(Director)Irving Weissman(Director)Eric Jensen(Executive Officer)
BoardChristopher Schaepe(Director)inJeffrey Bird(Director)Dennis Henner(Director)
Co-investorsBluebird VenturesGV (Google Ventures)Lightspeed Venture PartnersSofinnova VenturesSutter Hill VenturesWellington Management
A pharmaceutical company that develops medicines and vaccines, with research pipelines and clinical trials aimed at new treatments.
BiotechHealthtech
Co-investorsFrazier Life SciencesHighlight CapitalMRL Ventures FundXeraya CapitalAmgen VenturesBlackRock+5 more
Lumos Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for rare diseases, with a lead candidate targeting Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency.
BiotechHealthtechAustin, US
Richard John Hawkins(Executive Officer, Director)John C. McKew(President and Chief Scientific Officer)inPisit "Duke" Pitukcheewanont(Chief Medical Officer)inLori Lawley(Chief Financial Officer)inBrad Powers(Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel)inCampbell Murray(Executive Chairman)in
Co-investorsNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Deerfield Management CompanySante Health VenturesSante VenturesWellcome Trust
BiotechNew York, US
David Guyer(Executive Officer, Director)Glenn Sblendorio(Executive Officer, Director)Mike AtiehinDavid Redlick(Director)Keith Westby(Executive Officer)David Carroll(Executive Officer)
Co-investorsSofinnova VenturesSV Health InvestorsSV Life Sciences
Revelle Aesthetics develops and commercializes the Avéli device, a precision medical technology for cellulite reduction.
FemTechHealthtechMedical DevicesMountain View, US
Eb Bright(Co-Founder and Chief Administrative Officer)inJonathan Podmore(Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer)inJoshua Makower(Director)Earl A. Bright II(Director)Caroline Van Hove(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardPhilippe Schaison(Director)in
Co-investorsNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Runway Growth CapitalWindham Capital Partners
Tagworks Pharmaceuticals develops cancer therapies using its Click-to-Release platform, a chemical reaction that activates antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), masked immunomodulators, and other prodrugs on-target while deactivating radioimmunotherapies off-target.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesNijmegen, NL
Co-investorsBifLightstone VenturesNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Novartis Venture FundYsios CapitalGilde Healthcare+1 more
VBI Vaccines is a biopharmaceutical company developing vaccine candidates using virus-like particle (VLP) platforms, including proprietary enveloped VLP and mRNA-launched eVLP technologies.
BiotechHealthtechCambridge, US
Marc Kirchmeier(Vice President, Formulation Development)Egidio Nascimento(Chief Financial Officer)inDavid Anderson(Senior Vice President, Research)inJeff Baxter(President and Chief Executive Officer)inAdam T. Buckley(Vice President, Business Development)inMurray G. Smith(Executive Officer)
Co-investors5AM VenturesARCH Venture PartnersK2 HealthVentures
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
ESSA PharmaSilk TechnologiesVBI Vaccines Inc/BCImago BioSciences, Inc.Lycera
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Exits · 5
2 IPOs · 3 acquisitionsCalcimedicaNASDAQ: CALCPraxisNASDAQ: PRAXFerroKin Biosciencesacq. by ShireForty Seven Incacq. by GileadImagoacq. by Merck
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesAbcuro · finsmes.com · Aug 18, 2026
Fund performance · per public LP disclosures · 2
as of Sep 2021| Fund | Vintage | Committed | Net IRR | TVPI | DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarus Lifesciences II, L.P.LPs: California Public Employees' Retirement System | 2008 | — | 14.7% | 1.84x | 1.79x |
| Clarus Lifesciences I, L.P.LPs: California Public Employees' Retirement System, Michigan Municipal Employees' Retirement System | 2006 | — | 4.0% | 1.26x | 1.15x |
Source: public limited-partner disclosures (CalPERS, CalSTRS). Net IRR / TVPI / DPI as reported by the limited partner; a fund's early-year IRR is an interim estimate (J-curve).
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Clarus Ventures made?
- Clarus Ventures has 22 tracked investments, 5 of which have exited, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Clarus Ventures invest at?
- Clarus Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Late Stage stages.
- What sectors does Clarus Ventures focus on?
- Clarus Ventures focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Consumer, Crypto & Web3, Fintech, LegalTech, Logistics & Supply Chain, Media & Entertainment, SaaS, Social, Travel & Hospitality.
- Where is Clarus Ventures located?
- Clarus Ventures is headquartered in Menlo Park, US.
Co-investors · 5
New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is a venture capital firm that invests in and provides long-term support to founders building new companies.
Lightstone Ventures is a life sciences venture firm founded in 2012 that invests in biotech and medtech companies, backing founders translating scientific breakthroughs into therapies and medical technologies.
Sanofi Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of Sanofi, investing in early-stage biotech and digital health companies aligned with Sanofi's mission of advancing human health.
The Novartis Venture Fund invests in innovative life science companies, primarily in biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals, at various stages of development across North America and Europe.
Pontifax is a venture capital firm focused on life sciences and healthcare technologies, investing across all development stages from early-stage startups to clinical-stage growth companies.
Firms observed investing alongside Clarus Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Clarus Ventures's recorded portfolio.
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