Kairos Ventures, a Beverly Hills-based venture capital firm investing in physical and life sciences, said it closed its third fund on June 20 with capital commitments of $58 million.
Since its inception, Kairos has invested in more than 55 companies, “working side-by-side with Nobel Prize and Lasker Award winners, engineers and entrepreneurs to help them realize their full scientific and business potential,” according to the firm.
These companies have included 1200 Pharma, a Pasadena-based life sciences company that uses medicinal-chemistry technology from Caltech and proprietary biomarker-driven assays from UCLA to accelerate preclinical drug discovery and clinical approval timelines.
“Our investment strategy at Kairos is driven by the belief that backing world-class scientists can have a significant positive impact on the world,” Jim Demetriades, the firm’s founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “During a time when our society is facing countless challenges – from climate change to international conflict – we are proud to be working closely with entrepreneurs at the top universities as they innovate and push the envelope to change our future.”
Through its new fund, the early stage-focused venture firm says it has invested in 27 startups thus far “that are disrupting their respective industries and establishing first-of-its-kind offerings and impact,” according to a company announcement on the funding.
The firm said the remaining funds would be primarily used to support existing investments. Kairos previously raised $25 million and $85 million in its first and second funding rounds, respectively.
“From improving disease outcomes to reducing animal cruelty, our portfolio is making a positive impact through science,” Todd Thomson, chief operating and financial officer at the company, said in a statement. “We are thankful to receive support from investors in our previous funds and new investors as we continue this work and evaluate innovative, breakthrough opportunities that can create value for our stakeholders, portfolio companies, and humankind.”
