close
close

Life science investor BEVC raises $25 million for climate fund


Life science investor BEVC raises  million for climate fund

Life science investor BEVC is raising a $25 million fund for climate-related startups, according to an SEC filing.

BEVC is new on the scene, having only been founded last year. Its three co-founders all have life sciences backgrounds, and its first two investments, Radar Therapeutics and Insamo, were in life sciences. But the new filing suggests its first official fund will target climate technology startups.

With this dual focus, BEVC would be the latest life sciences investor to broaden its remit to look not just at human health but also at planetary health. Last year, veteran life sciences investor RA Capital hired a planetary health team, and last month, Flagship Pioneering, one of the largest biotech VCs, raised $3.6 billion to invest in health, sustainability and AI startups.

Why this dual focus? “There are simply no healthy people in an unhealthy environment,” Kyle Teamey, managing partner of RA Capital Planetary Health, told me in December.

BEVC’s co-founders all have PhDs in life sciences and backgrounds as operators and investors. Rowan Chapman has a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology and was previously head of innovation at Johnson & Johnson and led healthcare investments for GE Ventures. Widya Mulyasasmita has a PhD in bioengineering, co-founded OliLux Biosciences, and was most recently a senior principal at B Capital Group. Risa Stack has a PhD in immunology, co-founded electronics startup Menlo Micro, and previously worked at RA Capital, GE Ventures, and Kleiner Perkins.

The company’s advisors also have extensive experience in the life sciences, including Nobel Prize winners Jennifer Doudna and Carolyn Bertozzi, David Schaffer, executive director of UC Berkeley’s QB3 life sciences institute, and Robert Tjian, former president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *