What stage does Elm Street Ventures invest at?

Elm Street Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.

What is Elm Street Ventures's typical check size?

Elm Street Ventures typically writes checks of $250K – $1M.

Where is Elm Street Ventures located?

Elm Street Ventures is headquartered in New Haven, US.

Does Elm Street Ventures lead rounds?

Yes, Elm Street Ventures leads investment rounds.

Elm Street Ventures

Venture capital

New Haven · Pre-Seed–Series A · 15 people tracked

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Investment thesis

Elm Street Ventures invests at seed and early stage in companies built on great science and led by strong teams, with a focus on Yale-connected startups commercializing university research. It primarily targets companies whose technology was developed at and licensed from Yale, and also invests in the greater New Haven area, with occasional exceptions where the team has strong personal connections or can add substantial value. In evaluating deals, the firm weighs team strength — creativity, intelligence, passion, and commitment — as heavily as or more than the technology or market. Its focus areas include therapeutics, advanced industrial tools and materials, and climate interventions, aiming for great impact.

Invests inBiotech Cleantech Climate Tech Cloud Computing Deep Tech Digital Health Healthtech IoT Medical Devices New Materials SaaSUnited States

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage

Pre-Seed–Series A

Check

$250K – $1M

New Haven, Connecticut, US

Leads rounds

Leads

Instruments

Equity

Founded

2006

Tracked investments

Team · 15 people

from the firm's website

Chris McLeod· Managing Partner· Branford, Connecticut, United Statesin

A CEO, entrepreneur, and investor with broad experience spanning software and life sciences.

c•••@elmvc.comreveal

Dean Takahashi· Founder and Executive Director, Yale Carbon Containment Lab

Advisory board member; founder and executive director of the Yale Carbon Containment Lab.

Rob Bettigole· Managing Partner· New Haven, Connecticut, United Statesin

Founder and managing partner of Elm Street Ventures, with experience as a venture capitalist, engineer, and entrepreneur.

r•••@elmvc.comreveal

Jonas Clark· Partner· United Statesin

Partner at Elm Street Ventures with extensive experience working with early-stage teams across various sectors.

j•••@elmvc.comreveal

Brian Dixon· Venture Partner

Former start-up CEO and pharma executive with experience commercializing academic technology; holds a PhD.

b•••@elmvc.comreveal

David Whittaker· Venture Partner· Potomac, Maryland, United Statesin

A retired US Navy Captain (2021) and vascular surgeon whose military roles included Chief of Vascular Surgery at Walter Reed and Chief Medical Officer for Innovation at the Defense Health Agency, later serving as CMO of dialysis-monitoring company Alio. He advises biotech entrepreneurs and consults at the intersection of life sciences and national security.

Rick Stahl· Venture Partner

A physician executive with 25 years of experience evaluating and implementing healthcare technology, devices, and services. He serves as a limited partner and Venture Partner at Elm Street Ventures, held senior executive roles at Yale New Haven Health System, and is board certified in general surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery.

r•••@elmvc.comreveal

Brian Halak· Partner, Domain Ventures

Advisory board member; partner at Domain Ventures.

David Hathaway· In Memoriam (Venrock)

Advisory board member listed in memoriam, formerly of Venrock.

Fred Frank· In Memoriam (Evolution Life Sciences Partners)

Advisory board member listed in memoriam, formerly of Evolution Life Sciences Partners.

Jimmy Lu· Managing Director, Eos BioInnovation

Advisory board member; managing director at Eos BioInnovation.

Len Baker· Managing Director, Sutter Hill Ventures

Advisory board member; managing director at Sutter Hill Ventures.

Matt Mendelsohn· Chief Investment Officer, Yale Investments Office

Advisory board member; Chief Investment Officer of the Yale Investments Office.

Matthew McCooe· CEO, Connecticut Innovations

Advisory board member; CEO of Connecticut Innovations.

Paul Anastas· Science Advisor

Director of Yale University's Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, holding the Heinz chair in Chemistry for the Environment. Widely known as the 'Father of Green Chemistry,' he previously served as Science Advisor and Assistant Administrator for Research and Development at the US EPA.

What they invest in

from 1 of 1 portfolio companies

Biotech ×1Digital Health ×1Healthtech ×1

HQs:United States×1

Investments · 1 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

Allyx Therapeutics, Inc.allyxthera.comin 𝕏✓ verified

Allyx Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapies to preserve and protect synapses in people with neurodegenerative diseases.

BiotechDigital HealthHealthtechNew Haven, US

Jennifer Gabler(Executive Officer)Robert A. Bettigole(Director)Paul Fonteyne(Co-Founder)Gregory P. Ho(Director)Stephen Strittmatter(Scientific Founder)Stephen Bloch(CEO, Co-Founder)

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

After raising $62M, New Haven biotech Allyx Therapeutics advances experimental Alzheimer’s drug

Allyx Therapeutics, Inc. · hartfordbusiness.com · Jun 15, 2026

Frequently asked questions

What stage does Elm Street Ventures invest at?: Elm Street Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
What is Elm Street Ventures's typical check size?: Elm Street Ventures typically writes checks of $250K – $1M.
What sectors does Elm Street Ventures focus on?: Elm Street Ventures focuses on Biotech, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Cloud Computing, Deep Tech, Digital Health, Healthtech, IoT, Medical Devices, New Materials, SaaS.
Where is Elm Street Ventures located?: Elm Street Ventures is headquartered in New Haven, US.
Does Elm Street Ventures lead rounds?: Yes, Elm Street Ventures leads investment rounds.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

Rob Bettigole (Elm Street Ventures) - Seed and Early Stage Venture Capital

Startup Grind Local · Rob Bettigole

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