Versant Ventures
Versant Ventures is a healthcare-focused venture capital firm (founded 1999, $5.5B AUM) that operates three in-house Discovery Engines to incubate and invest in biotech newcos alongside global pharma partners via build-to-buy structures, serving academic founders, limited partners, and large pharmaceutical acquirers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersMenlo Park, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Versant Ventures does
Versant Ventures is a healthcare-focused venture capital firm founded in 1999 that operates a proprietary company-creation platform built around three in-house Discovery Engines: Inception Sciences in San Diego (founded 2011, ~35 drug discovery scientists spanning small molecules, biologics, and nucleic acids), Ridgeline Therapeutics in Basel, Switzerland (operational since 2017), and Frontier in Toronto. The firm raises capital from limited partners via dedicated healthcare-focused venture funds — a $400M vehicle in 2017, $700M and a separate $100M Canadian Fund in 2018, and $950M across three vehicles in 2021 — and reports $5.5B in assets under management with 50+ IPOs and 50+ M&A exits since inception. Versant originates investments by partnering with academic principal investigators through 30+ academic relationships, then launching newco-style biotech companies often with simultaneous build-to-buy pharma partnerships (e.g., BlueRock/Bayer $225M Series A in 2016 and $1B acquisition in 2019, Quanticel/Celgene $45M in 2011 and $485M exit in 2015, Therachon/Pfizer $340M exit in 2019).
The firm's portfolio spans 80+ biotech and medtech companies across gene therapy (Capsida, CRISPR Therapeutics, Passage Bio, Graphite Bio, Audentes), radiopharmaceuticals (RayzeBio, Abdera's ROVEr platform), RNA medicines (Borealis Biosciences with Novartis), cell therapy (BlueRock, Century Therapeutics), targeted protein degradation (Monte Rosa, Lycia's LYTAC platform), bispecific antibodies (Dualitas, Pandion), cardiometabolic/obesity (Helicore, SixPeaks, Pep2Tango, Antag, Akero), and inflammatory/autoimmune diseases (Santa Ana Bio, Jecure, Pandion). Versant earns revenue through management fees on committed and invested fund capital plus carried interest on successful portfolio exits; specific fee economics are not publicly disclosed.
Versant maintains six offices (San Francisco headquarters, San Diego, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Basel), a 27-person investment team plus 9 operations staff and the ~35 Inception Sciences scientists, and senior leadership drawn heavily from former heads of Roche business development, Novartis M&A, Eli Lilly drug discovery, and AbbVie CSO roles — credentials used to source deals and negotiate build-to-buy structures with global pharma. The legal entity is Versant Venture Management, LLC (US) with a Swiss affiliate, Versant Ventures (Switzerland) GmbH. Recent flagship pharma partnerships include Novartis (Borealis, August 2024, $150M), Biogen (Dayra, November 2024, $70M+), and Merck KGaA (Saturnus Bio, June 2026, $50M upfront plus acquisition option).
Versant Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Versant Ventures
- Legal name
- Versant Venture Management, LLC
- Website
- https://www.versantventures.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Versant Ventures is a healthcare-focused venture capital firm (founded 1999, $5.5B AUM) that operates three in-house Discovery Engines to incubate and invest in biotech newcos alongside global pharma partners via build-to-buy structures, serving academic founders, limited partners, and large pharmaceutical acquirers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Versant Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Menlo Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Versant Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Venture capital fund management fees and carried interest: Versant generates revenue as a venture capital firm managing $5.5 billion across multiple healthcare/biotech-focused funds. Revenue derives from periodic management fees on committed and invested capital in its funds (including Versant's Sixth Healthcare Fund, Canadian Fund, and successor vehicles totaling $950M raised in April 2021 and $700M in 2018) and from carried interest on successful portfolio exits including 50+ IPOs and M&A transactions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Fund economics not publicly disclosed; investments made via closed-end venture funds. |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Versant Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Versant Ventures is a healthcare-focused venture capital firm that manages $5.5B across multiple dedicated funds and originates biotech investments through in-house Discovery Engines (Inception Sciences in San Diego, Ridgeline Therapeutics in Basel, and Frontier in Toronto) that partner with pioneering academics to launch new portfolio companies. The firm then leads Series A/B/C financings into these companies and supplements them with co-investments from global pharma partners via build-to-buy structures providing upfront payments, equity, milestones, and acquisition options.
Product overview
Versant Ventures is a healthcare-focused venture capital firm with $5.5B under management that operates a platform-plus-portfolio architecture rather than a single unified software product. Its core operational "product" is its Discovery Engines — in-house scientific infrastructure comprising Inception Sciences in San Diego (founded 2011, ~35 drug discovery scientists covering small molecules, biologics, and nucleic acids) and Ridgeline Therapeutics in Basel, Switzerland (operational since 2017, based in Basel Technology Park) — which serve as the engine for company creation across more than 30 academic partnerships. Built atop this platform is an investment portfolio of 80+ biotech and medtech companies spanning gene therapy (Capsida Biotherapeutics, CRISPR Therapeutics, Passage Bio, Graphite Bio, Audentes Therapeutics), radiopharmaceuticals (RayzeBio, Abdera Therapeutics), RNA medicines (Borealis Biosciences, Lycia Therapeutics with LYTAC degraders), cell therapy (BlueRock Therapeutics, Century Therapeutics), targeted protein degradation (Monte Rosa Therapeutics, Lycia), small molecule oncology (Black Diamond Therapeutics, Nexo Therapeutics, Nested Therapeutics), bispecific antibodies (Dualitas Therapeutics, Pandion Therapeutics), cardiometabolic/obesity (Helicore Therapeutics, SixPeaks Bio, Pep2Tango Therapeutics, Antag Therapeutics, Akero Therapeutics), inflammatory/autoimmune diseases (Santa Ana Bio, Adaxion Therapeutics, Jecure Therapeutics), nephrology (Chinook Therapeutics, Borealis Biosciences), and AI-enabled antibody discovery (Fable Therapeutics). Supporting the limited-partner relationship is an external LP Access portal hosted by Sungard DX.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Inception Sciences: Versant's first Discovery Engine, headquartered in San Diego; in-house team of drug discovery scientists forming new biotech companies with academic founders.
- Ridgeline Therapeutics
Products and services
- Inception Sciences Discovery Engine Inception, Versant's first Discovery Engine, headquartered in San Diego, translates new opportunities from academics into biotechnology company launches. The in-house team of about 35 drug discovery scientists covers small molecules, biologics, and nucleic acids and partners with pioneering academics to launch new biotech companies.
- Ridgeline Therapeutics Discovery Engine Ridgeline, Versant's European Discovery Engine based in Basel, Switzerland, deploys resources to launch companies derived from European academic institute discoveries. It operates laboratory facilities in Basel Technology Park and employs R&D veterans.
- Versant Ventures Portfolio (Biotech and Medtech Companies) Versant's portfolio comprises 80+ biotech and medtech companies it has created, launched, or invested in across therapeutics (gene therapy, radiopharmaceuticals, RNA medicines, cell therapy, antibody discovery, immunotherapy) and medical devices/diagnostics. Notable current and exited portfolio companies include CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), BlueRock Therapeutics, RayzeBio, Lycia Therapeutics, Vividion Therapeutics, Capsida Biotherapeutics, Chinook Therapeutics, Repare Therapeutics, Akero Therapeutics, Black Diamond Therapeutics, Monte Rosa Therapeutics, Century Therapeutics, Passage Bio, and others.
- Versant Ventures LP Access Portal External limited partner (LP) access portal hosted at https://services.sungarddx.com via Sungard DX, providing LP-facing content and access for limited partners in Versant's venture funds.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50+ IPOs and M&A exits since 1999
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Versant Ventures
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Versant Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature5 records
Versant Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Merck KGaAflagshipMerck KGaA announced a strategic research-stage collaboration with Saturnus Bio, a biotech founded by Versant Ventures, to develop treatments for rare genetic cardiomyopathies using targeted gene modulation. Deal includes $50 million upfront, minority equity stake, and preclinical milestones, with Merck holding exclusive acquisition option plus earnouts.
- BiogenflagshipVersant launched Dayra Therapeutics with $70 million in funding, including a $50 million collaboration with Biogen. Biogen will lead clinical development and commercialization of oral macrocyclic peptides for immunological targets, with options to acquire specific programs.
- NovartisflagshipIn August 2024, Versant and Novartis launched Borealis Biosciences with $150 million in funding. Borealis is a next-generation RNA medicines company focused on kidney disease.
- Genentech (Roche)flagshipVersant portfolio company Belharra Therapeutics announced a broad collaboration with Genentech to discover and develop novel medicines across multiple therapeutic areas. Genentech has also previously acquired Versant portfolio companies Jecure Therapeutics and Inception 5, and acquired Enterprise Therapeutics in 2020.
- AbCelleracoreVersant Ventures collaborated with AbCellera to accelerate drug development for its portfolio of biotech companies.
- Eli LillyflagshipEli Lilly and Versant portfolio company Lycia Therapeutics entered into a strategic collaboration to discover and develop novel Lysosomal Targeting Chimera (LYTAC) degraders.
- CRISPR TherapeuticsflagshipCRISPR Therapeutics and Versant portfolio company Capsida Biotherapeutics announced a strategic collaboration to develop gene-edited therapies for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Friedreich's Ataxia.
- PfizercorePfizer acquired clinical-stage Versant portfolio company Therachon in May 2019 for $340 million up front.
- Vividion Therapeutics (later acquired by Bayer)flagshipVividion Therapeutics (Versant portfolio company) announced a strategic research collaboration with Celgene Corporation in March 2018 to discover therapies against transformative, first-in-class targets. Versant later announced the acquisition of Vividion Therapeutics in August 2021.
- BayerflagshipIn December 2016, Bayer and Versant joined forces to launch stem cell therapy company BlueRock Therapeutics with a USD 225 million Series A financing. BlueRock was subsequently acquired by Bayer for up to $1 billion in August 2019, validating Versant's company-creation partnership model.
- Johnson & JohnsoncoreJohnson & Johnson acquired Versant portfolio company Novira Therapeutics in December 2015 (now part of Janssen). J&J Innovation – JJDC also led Bright Peak Therapeutics' $90 million Series C round in 2024, with additional participation from Versant.
- CelgeneflagshipQuanticel, Celgene and Versant formed a scientific collaboration in November 2011 to discover first-in-class cancer drugs. Celgene committed $45 million to Quanticel and received a 40-month technology license, equity, and time-based acquisition options. Celgene acquired Quanticel in April 2015 for $100M upfront plus up to $385M in contingent payments. Celgene also co-invested in Northern Biologics' build-to-buy agreement.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Versant Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- VenBio Partners: VenBio is a biotech-focused venture firm that invests in late-preclinical through commercial-stage therapeutic companies, with a similarly concentrated healthcare mandate. It is comparable to Versant in therapeutic-area focus and stage range, though typically operating without the in-house Discovery Engine infrastructure.
- MPM Capital: MPM Capital is a dedicated healthcare venture firm that both invests in and co-creates biotech companies, with co-founding activity alongside Versant (e.g., CODA Biotherapeutics). It is a directly comparable peer in company-creation and co-investment activity.
- Flagship Pioneering: Flagship Pioneering is a venture creation firm that originates and builds biotech platforms (e.g., Moderna) using in-house scientific teams — directly analogous to Versant's Discovery Engine model in approach, scale and fund structure.
- Atlas Venture: Atlas Venture is a biotech-focused early-stage venture firm that builds companies from scratch with academic founders — directly mirroring Versant's Discovery Engine model. Its fund size, therapeutic-area breadth (oncology, immunology, rare disease) and company-creation approach make it a strong direct peer.
- ARCH Venture Partners: ARCH is one of the largest and most established U.S. healthcare/biotech-focused venture capital firms, with a similar company-creation orientation, large dedicated funds, deep pharma partnerships, and a long track record of IPOs and M&A exits. It is the closest direct comparable to Versant in scale and strategy.
- OrbiMed Advisors: OrbiMed is a dedicated healthcare investment firm spanning venture, growth and public equities with multi-billion AUM. Like Versant, it focuses exclusively on healthcare and has a large, established LP base, making it a closely comparable peer in fund structure and sector focus.
- 5AM Ventures: 5AM Ventures is a dedicated life-sciences venture firm investing across biotech platforms and therapeutic areas, with a comparable fund size and stage focus to Versant. Both firms translate early academic science into portfolio companies with strong pharma-partnered exit profiles.
- Frazier Healthcare Partners: Frazier is a longstanding healthcare-dedicated venture and growth firm with multiple fund vehicles. Its sector focus, fund-raise cadence and stage range (Series A through growth) closely overlap with Versant's, making it a relevant direct peer.
- Third Rock Ventures: Third Rock is a biotech venture firm that builds companies from inception with in-house scientific and operational teams — analogous to Versant's Discovery Engine approach. It is one of the most comparable company-creation venture firms in healthcare.
Broad incumbents
- New Enterprise Associates (NEA): NEA is a much broader multi-sector VC firm but maintains a sizable dedicated healthcare practice that has co-invested with Versant (e.g., Oyster Point Pharma). Its healthcare investing activities and ability to lead large biotech rounds make it a relevant broad incumbent peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Versant Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceVersant Ventures compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Versant Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Versant Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles44 records
Versant Ventures subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Versant Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Versant Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments400 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Versant Ventures
What does Versant Ventures do?
Versant Ventures is a healthcare-focused venture capital firm that manages $5.5B across multiple dedicated funds and originates biotech investments through in-house Discovery Engines (Inception Sciences in San Diego, Ridgeline Therapeutics in Basel, and Frontier in Toronto) that partner with pioneering academics to launch new portfolio companies. The firm then leads Series A/B/C financings into these companies and supplements them with co-investments from global pharma partners via build-to-buy structures providing upfront payments, equity, milestones, and acquisition options.
Is Versant Ventures a public or private company?
Versant Ventures is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Versant Ventures founded?
Versant Ventures was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Versant Ventures based?
Versant Ventures is headquartered in Menlo Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Versant Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture capital fund management fees and carried interest.
Who are Versant Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are VenBio Partners, MPM Capital, Flagship Pioneering, Atlas Venture, ARCH Venture Partners, OrbiMed Advisors, 5AM Ventures, Frazier Healthcare Partners and Third Rock Ventures. New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Versant Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Versant Ventures.