Investment Strategy
Forward Ventures, founded in 1990, has a team of investment professionals with extensive experience in entrepreneurship, venture capital, biological sciences, operations, and corporate management. The most recent fund focuses on biopharmaceutical products in early clinical development. We maximize returns through capital efficiency in our portfolio companies. We use our financial, technical and business resources to support founders and management. On a number of occasions, we have seeded companies from scratch, building strong teams to pursue compelling opportunities.
The firm is located in San Diego, an elite biomedical research and innovation community and one of the nation’s top biotechnology centers for commercialization. Though headquartered in San Diego, we have sourced assets and technologies globally and invested throughout the United States.
INVESTMENT FOCUS
ENTREPRENEURS
We assist the entrepreneur in all aspects of company building, including identifying key management hires, strategic planning, financings, IPO's, and managing exits.
INVESTMENT CRITERIA
We look for companies (1) with strong underlying technology, data, and intellectual property, (2) with a strong management team or the capacity to attract such a team, (3) which address unmet medical needs and large commercial markets, and (4) have a clear regulatory pathway.
ASSETS SOURCED GLOBALLY
Tioga Pharmaceuticals is based on a drug developed in Germany and licensed to a new company founded by Forward Ventures.
MAJOR BIOTECH LOCATION
Forward Ventures is located in San Diego, a major hub for biotech innovation.
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
Syndax, led by Briggs Morrison and Michael Metzger, is developing a new drug to enhance the effect of immuno-oncology therapeutics.
INVESTMENT
APPROACH
Each partnership provides diversification by disease, technology, and maturity. To be capital efficient, we deploy capital in a disciplined manner often tranched to clearly defined milestones.
TEAM APPROACH
The investment team provides complementary skill sets to each investment.
BOARD LEADERSHIP
The partners take leadership positions on the Board of their portfolio companies.
We invest in life sciences and biopharmaceuticals in all stages of development.
