Fundraising Fox
Petri
AcceleratorBoston · Pre-Seed · 6 people tracked
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Investment thesis
Petri backs pre-seed, founder-led companies tackling large problems at the intersection of biology and engineering. It believes the future of biotech lies in supporting a next generation of founders and pairs them with 1:1 coaching, a network of expert mentors, a peer community of founders, pre-seed capital, and access to a broad investor network. The program also facilitates business development and corporate venture connections, and talent recruiting from top universities. Highly personalized, it is built around support from experienced operators and academics driving foundational bioengineering science, drawing on the Boston biotech ecosystem through co-founder and funder Pillar VC.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 27, 2026.
Team · 6 people
from the firm's website & curated & public directoriesFounder mafia
3 people who came through Petri went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 10 of 12 portfolio companiesBiotech ×7Healthtech ×5AgTech ×3AI & Machine Learning ×3Deep Tech ×3Digital Health ×2FoodTech ×2Circular Economy ×1
HQs:United States×6
Who they back
founder profiles across 5 portfolio companiesAccelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
Portfolio companies · 12 tracked
alumni founders can tell you what the program is really likeBy year:2023 · 12020 · 12 dated
Ginkgo Bioworks builds autonomous labs that accelerate bioengineering for applications in pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial biotechnology.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechHealthtechRoboticsBoston, US
Jason Kelly(Co-founder and CEO)inReshma Shetty(Co-founder; President, Chief Operations Officer)inBarry Canton(Co-founder)inAustin Che(Co-founder)inTom Knight(Founder; Ginkgo Fellow)inBartholomew Canton(Executive Officer)
Co-investors11.2 CapitalAllen Institute for AI (AI2) IncubatorAzure Capital PartnersB3 HoldingBlue Owl CapitalCannage Capital+60 more
Exact Sciences develops molecular diagnostic tests for cancer screening and detection, including multitarget stool DNA testing for colorectal cancer and multigene assays for breast cancer recurrence.
BiotechDigital HealthHealthtechMedical Devices
Kevin Conroy(CEO)in
Co-investorsHLM Investment Partners
The Founder-Led Biotech Tour is an event series and networking initiative that connects biotech founders, scientists, investors, and ecosystem partners through in-person and virtual events such as speed networking and co-founder matching.
Biotech
GALY develops biocrafted alternatives to conventionally extracted materials like cocoa and cotton, positioning grown products as sustainable replacements for industries reliant on extractive supply chains.
AgTechBiotechCircular EconomyFoodTechNew MaterialsBoston, US
Luciano Bueno(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardCarmichael Roberts(Director)inRyan Panchadsaram(Director)
Co-investorsAgronomicsArtesianBabel VenturesBreakthrough Energy VenturesBrincMaterial Impact+3 more
Iora Health was a primary care company focused on value-based care for Medicare-eligible seniors, operating clinics with a team-based model including health coaches.
Digital HealthHealthtechWellness & FitnessSan Francisco, US
RUSHIKA FERNANDOPULLE(Executive Officer, Director)inCHRISTOPHER J. MCKOWN(Executive Officer, Director)DAVID FIELDING(Executive Officer)ALEXANDER PACKARD(Executive Officer)inDAVID JUDGE(Executive Officer)
BoardSTEPHEN KNIGHT(Director)in
Co-investors.406 VenturesDag VenturesF-Prime CapitalFlare Capital PartnersGV (Google Ventures)Lifeforce Capital+10 more
Nabla is a drug development company that applies design discipline and scientific rigor to the development of new medicines.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechHealthtechBoston, US
Surge Biswas(Founder)inFrances Anastassacos(Founder)in
Co-investorsCantos VenturesFifty YearsPillar VCRadical VenturesSparta GroupY Combinator+6 more
BiotechBoston, US
Virginia Burger(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsPillar VCRA Capital
Latent Labs develops AI tools for drug discovery and design, enabling biotech and pharmaceutical companies to accelerate therapeutic molecule identification.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechHealthtech
Simon Kohl(Founder)in
Co-investorsKindredRadical VenturesSofinnova PartnersAnalog VenturesAndreessen HorowitzCrucible Capital+5 more
Yardstick develops soil carbon measurement technologies to reduce the cost of measuring soil organic carbon and enable evidence-based climate-positive agriculture practices.
AgTechCleantechClimate TechData & InfrastructureDover, US
Christopher Tolles(Executive Officer, Director)Kevin Meissner(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsBreakthrough Energy VenturesCultivian Sandbox VenturesLowercarbon CapitalPillar VCWorkshop Venture PartnersExtantia Capital+1 more
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
MatterworksMinus Coffee
Exits · 2
1 IPOs · 1 acquisitionsGinkgo BioworksNYSE: DNAIora Healthacq. by One Medical
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Petri made?
- Petri has 12 tracked investments, 2 of which have exited.
- What stage does Petri invest at?
- Petri invests at the Pre-Seed stage.
- What is Petri's typical check size?
- Petri typically writes checks of $100K – $6M.
- What sectors does Petri focus on?
- Petri focuses on Biotech, Deep Tech, Healthtech.
- Where is Petri located?
- Petri is headquartered in Boston, US.
- Who does Petri co-invest with?
- Petri most often shares deals with Pillar VC, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Y Combinator, among 56 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the team78. From Petri to Pillar: Culturing Entrepreneurship with Tony Kulesa
Grow Everything · Tony Kulesa
BIOS - Transitioning from Academia to Industry w/ Tony Kulesa @ Petri
BIOS Community · Tony Kulesa
Co-investors · 1
Flagship Pioneering is a firm that creates and builds companies to pioneer breakthroughs in science and technology for people and the planet, active for over 25 years.
Firms observed investing alongside Petri, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Petri's recorded portfolio.
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