Novartis Venture Fund
Basel · Seed–Late Stage · 18 people tracked
Investment thesis
The fund targets cutting-edge biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies with potential for meaningful clinical impact and unmet patient solutions. The investment approach emphasizes active involvement including board representation, with focus on understanding the underlying science and team expertise. The fund explicitly excludes medtech and diagnostics, concentrating instead on novel therapeutics and platform-based innovations that can deliver both significant financial returns and tangible clinical outcomes.
Source: firm website, verified Jul 20, 2026.
Team · 18 people
from the firm's websiteWhat they invest in
from 19 of 34 portfolio companiesBiotech ×17Medical Devices ×11Deep Tech ×5Digital Health ×3AI & Machine Learning ×2Healthtech ×2Cybersecurity ×1Defense Tech ×1
HQs:Switzerland×3United States×2Australia×1Colombia×1Spain×1France×1
Investments · 34 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathGranite Bio develops first-in-class therapeutic antibodies targeting inflammation, autoimmunity, and fibrosis for patients lacking effective treatment options. The company is based in Basel, Switzerland, with a pipeline including Minokitug for autoimmune inflammation and GRT-002 for allergy and itch conditions.
BiotechMedical DevicesBasel, CH
Patrick Loustau(President and Chief Executive Officer)
RhyGaze develops gene therapies using optogenetic proteins to restore sight in patients with vision loss caused by retinal photoreceptor dysfunction. The company combines optogenetic technology with gene therapy delivery methods to enable light detection in degenerative eye conditions.
BiotechDigital HealthMedical DevicesBasel, CH
Botond Roska(Researcher (M.D., Ph.D.))Bence György(IOB Assistant Professor & Head of Clinical Translation)Katherine High(CEO)
SpliceBio develops genetic medicines using a proprietary protein splicing platform to treat diseases caused by mutations in large genes. The company is currently in clinical stages, with its lead program targeting Stargardt Disease.
BiotechDeep TechDigital HealthBarcelona, ES
Dr. Vila-Perelló(CEO)Dr. Frutos(Co-founder)
Anaveon develops engineered antibodies targeting immune system regulatory nodes to treat autoimmune diseases by selectively eliminating or reprogramming pathogenic immune cells. The company is a late-stage preclinical biotech focused on precision biologics for immune-mediated disease.
BiotechBasel, CH
Thaminda(Chief Business Officer)Laetitia Pouzol(Chief Scientific Officer)Jill Marie JeneTom Mathers
Aravax develops immunotherapies using proprietary peptides to treat food allergies, with a focus on retraining the immune system to tolerate specific foods. The company's lead product, PVX108, is in Phase 2 clinical trials for peanut allergy treatment in children and adolescents across the United States and Australia.
BiotechHealthtechMelbourne, AU
Epibiologics develops protein degradation medicines using protein sciences and antibody engineering capabilities.
BiotechMedical Devices
Michael Kavanaugh(Founding Advisor)
Exo Therapeutics is a small molecule drug discovery company developing therapeutics through its ExoSight platform, which targets exosites—unique binding pockets on enzymes—to address previously undruggable diseases in oncology, inflammation, and other therapeutic areas.
BiotechDeep TechMedical Devices
David Liu, PhD(Founder)Alan Saghatelian, PhD(Co-Founder)David LiuAlan Saghetelian
Immunitas discovers and develops therapeutic antibodies for cancer and autoimmune diseases, with its lead program targeting CD161 for solid tumors and hematological malignancies. The company is building on research from academic institutions including Dana Farber Cancer Institute and MIT.
BiotechDigital HealthMedical Devices
Mediartx develops novel therapies for patients with fibrotic diseases.
BiotechMedical Devices
Rahul Ballal, PhD(CEO)Paul Yaworsky, PhD(CSO)
Peptone develops a product engine to design small-molecule drug candidates targeting intrinsically disordered proteins, which have been difficult to address with conventional drug discovery approaches.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep Tech
Vivet Therapeutics is a company focused on gene and cell therapy development, presenting research at major scientific conferences.
BiotechParis, FR
Tagworks Pharmaceuticals develops a controlled drug-release technology platform using click chemistry to enable targeted activation of antibody-drug conjugates and immunomodulators in tumors. The company aims to expand ADC therapy options for cancer patients by targeting non-internalizing receptors and improving therapeutic efficacy.
BiotechMedical DevicesNijmegen, NL
Epsilogen discovers and develops antibody therapeutics across multiple immunoglobulin isotypes (IgE, IgA, IgG) for cancer treatment. The company's lead candidate, MOv18 IgE, is the first therapeutic IgE antibody in clinical development, currently in phase Ib trials for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
Biotech
Averna Therapeutics develops non-viral gene delivery technology using lipid nanoparticles and engineered retrotransposons to safely insert genetic instructions into cells. The platform targets genetic medicine applications across a broad range of addressable diseases.
BiotechDeep TechMedical Devices
FORE Biotherapeutics develops next-generation targeted oncology treatments, specifically plixorafenib, a novel BRAF inhibitor designed to treat patients with BRAF-altered solid tumors and other cancers. The company is a virtual biotech firm advancing plixorafenib through registration-intended clinical trials for patients with unaddressed mutations.
BiotechMedical Devices
Sidewinder Bio develops next-generation bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) designed to treat solid tumors with enhanced specificity for difficult-to-treat cancers. The company engineers therapies targeting receptor co-complexes to improve therapeutic window and tumor cell specificity.
BiotechMedical Devices
GentiBio develops engineered T-regulatory cells (Tregs) as allogeneic therapeutics for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The company employs immune-evasive engineering to enable off-the-shelf treatments with scalable manufacturing capabilities.
BiotechHealthtechMedical Devices
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Novartis Venture Fund invest at?
- Novartis Venture Fund invests at the Seed, Growth, Late Stage stages.
- What is Novartis Venture Fund's typical check size?
- Novartis Venture Fund typically writes checks of $5M – $25M.
- What sectors does Novartis Venture Fund focus on?
- Novartis Venture Fund focuses on Biotech.
- Where is Novartis Venture Fund located?
- Novartis Venture Fund is headquartered in Basel, CH.
- Does Novartis Venture Fund lead rounds?
- Yes, Novartis Venture Fund leads investment rounds.
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