What Corundum Systems Biology does

Corundum Systems Biology Inc. (CSB) is a Tokyo-based venture capital and venture-building firm founded on April 30, 2020, that invests in early-stage companies at the intersection of microbiome science, multi-omics data, and computational biology. The firm operates the CSB-1 (Luxembourg) SCSp fund, a €20 million vehicle anchored by Corundum Innovation Co. Ltd. in July 2020, and has deployed capital into nine disclosed portfolio companies spanning gut-brain axis therapeutics (Holobiome, Axial Therapeutics), microbial product platforms (Concerto Biosciences), women's reproductive immunotherapy (Freya Biosciences), skin microbiome (Sequential), AI-driven phenotyping (Pheno.AI), patient-powered immune profiling (ImYoo), and systems biology tooling (NimbleSci). Beyond equity, CSB pursues joint ventures and technical co-development, most notably the MANTA Project with OIST, where CSB committed ¥237.1M of a ¥301M budget to build a fully automated multi-omics and microbiome analysis platform.

CSB's go-to-market combines direct enterprise-style engagement with academic labs, biotech founders, and pharma leaders through long-term collaborations and strategic capital, supplemented by GTM partnerships such as the co-hosted Global Deep Tech VC Seminar series with Hakuhodo and the firm's intermediation of a Hakuhodo–Pangaea Ventures partnership. Revenue mechanics derive from venture fund management fees on the €20M CSB-1 vehicle (no public disclosure of fees, carry, or realized exits) and strategic advisory relationships with corporate partners including Seventure Partners, Hakuhodo, and Pangaea Ventures; the firm has no software products, API, or pricing model disclosed. The team of 1–10 employees includes scientists, strategists, and investors with prior operating roles at Takeda, Novartis, Vedanta Biosciences, Finch Therapeutics, and Enveda Biosciences, with scientific direction provided by a board chaired by Prof. Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute.

The firm has expanded operationally over 2024–2025, relocating its Tokyo headquarters in September 2024, appointing Jessica Schneider, PhD as Chief Scientific Officer, opening a US headquarters at CIC Cambridge, MA in April 2025, and adding Henry Haiser, PhD as Operating Partner and Rotem Gura Sadovsky, PhD as Senior Director, Head of Data Strategy to anchor its North American presence and data capabilities.

Name

Corundum Systems Biology

Legal name

Corundum Systems Biology Inc.

Website

https://csb.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Corundum Systems Biology is a Tokyo-based venture capital and venture-building firm, founded in 2020, that invests seed-to-Series A capital in microbiome, multi-omics, and systems biology startups across Japan, the US, Israel, and Europe through its €20M CSB-1 fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital and Investment Management

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Scientific Data Management & Data Platforms (SDMS/Data Lakehouse for R&D) (HLAGAJAC)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Microbiome investment
• Systems biology
• Biotech funding
• Life sciences

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Fund Management: CSB operates as a venture capital firm, managing investment funds (CSB-1 Luxembourg SCSp) that invest in microbiome and systems biology focused startups. Returns generated through equity appreciation and exits from portfolio companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Corundum Systems Biology is a venture capital and innovation hub that invests in and builds early-stage companies in systems biology and microbiome. The firm deploys capital through its €20 million CSB-1 Luxembourg SCSp fund, provides strategic and scientific mentorship, and supplies portfolio companies access to multi-omics datasets, computational biology expertise, and a global network across Japan, the US, Israel, and Europe.

Product overview

Corundum Systems Biology is a venture capital and innovation hub firm focused on systems biology and microbiome investments. Rather than offering traditional software products, the company provides investment capital, strategic advisory, and operational support to early-stage ventures in health and life sciences. The firm operates through its Luxembourg-based CSB-1 Fund for microbiome investments and directly supports portfolio companies with funding, mentorship, and access to networks and unique health data sources. The company's investment focus spans microbiome therapeutics, skin health, reproductive health, and AI-driven health data platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CSB-1 (Luxembourg) SCSp: The €20 million Luxembourg-based fund managed by Corundum Systems Biology (Luxembourg) S.à r.l for microbiome-focused investments.
• MANTA Project
• Corundum Systems Biology Award
• Global Deep Tech VC Seminar

Products and services

• CSB-1 (Luxembourg) SCSp Fund A €20 million venture capital fund established in Luxembourg in July 2020, managed by Corundum Systems Biology (Luxembourg) S.à r.l, that invests in seed-stage companies in microbiome and systems biology.
• Corundum Systems Biology Investment Platform A venture-building platform that supports transformative companies in systems biology through funding, mentorship, computational biology expertise, multi-omics data access, and global network connectivity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported portfolio companies achieving significant funding rounds including Sequential's $3.5M equity round, Freya Biosciences' $38M Series A, and others
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Seventure PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership formed between CSB and Seventure Partners for Japan market access. CSB-1 Fund invested in Seventure's Health for Life Capital II fund, facilitating cross-border microbiome investment opportunities.
• OIST (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint establishment of MANTA Project lab for fully automated multi-omics and microbiome analysis. CSB committed ¥237.1M of ¥301M total budget over 3 years. Project aims to standardize biodata quality for cross-border personalized medicine research.
• Weizmann Institute of SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Eran Segal serves as Chairman of CSB's Scientific Advisory Board and co-founded Pheno.AI. CSB's €20M fund was established in partnership with Weizmann researchers. Eran Segal is world-renowned microbiome and computational biology expert.
• HakuhodomajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosting Global Deep Tech VC Seminar series with Hakuhodo's MIRAI Design Unit to help Japanese companies navigate global innovation ecosystem and connect with overseas startups.
• Pangaea VenturesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCSB facilitated comprehensive partnership between Hakuhodo and Pangaea Ventures for fostering collaboration between Japanese companies and overseas startups in hard tech sector.
• Offline StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Offline Studio and Corundum Neuroscience to create new life sciences ventures using data from the Human Phenotype Project, involving staged investments and collaborative project development.
• Hakuhodo (for VC Seminar)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosting sessions of Global Deep Tech VC Seminar with Hakuhodo to promote deployment of Weizmann Institute research in Japan and explore collaborations within Japanese market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Flagship Pioneering: US-based biotech venture builder that originates and grows platform companies in human health and sustainability. Closely comparable to CSB's venture-building model — combining deep science, operating partners, and capital to launch companies in microbiome and systems biology-adjacent spaces.
• Seventure Partners: Paris-based VC with dedicated Health for Life Capital funds focused on microbiome and nutrition investments. CSB-1 has formally invested in Seventure's €200M Health for Life Capital II fund, making them direct co-investment peers with overlapping microbiome thesis and LP base.

Broad incumbents

• Andreessen Horowitz (a16z Bio): Major US venture firm with a dedicated a16z Bio fund investing across health and biology. Overlaps with CSB's thesis on data-driven biology and AI-enabled discovery, but operates globally with much larger fund vehicles.
• Leaps by Bayer: Bayer's impact investment arm funding breakthroughs in health and nutrition, with a notable microbiome investment thesis. Comparable strategic-LP-style investor that co-invests in microbiome ventures alongside dedicated VCs like CSB.
• Khosla Ventures: US venture firm with significant life sciences practice covering therapeutics, diagnostics, and digital health. Comparable as a broad bio/tech investor with willingness to back frontier science, though at much larger scale than CSB.
• ARCH Venture Partners: Large US venture firm investing in early-stage biotech, including microbiome-adjacent therapeutics. Operates at much larger fund sizes than CSB but pursues comparable science-driven life sciences bets.
• Lux Capital: US venture firm investing in frontier science and technology, including substantial biotech and health bets. Comparable as a science-led investor with operating-partner depth, though with a broader sector mandate than CSB's microbiome focus.
• Foresite Capital: US healthcare and biotech-focused investment firm with genomics and data-driven therapeutic focus. Overlaps with CSB's systems-biology and multi-omics investment thesis at larger scale.

Emerging players

• SOSV / IndieBio: Global accelerator and venture firm with IndieBio, the world's largest biotech accelerator program. Comparable as a biology-focused investor backing early-stage founders with platform support, though typically at pre-seed/seed and via accelerator cohorts.
• Petri.bio: Early-stage investor and venture studio for engineered biology, including microbiome applications. Directly comparable as a small, science-led biology venture builder, though with a different technical emphasis on engineering biology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CorundumSB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corundum-systems-biology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments6 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Corundum Systems Biology