Tony KulesaIn 2016, we set out to build a new kind of venture firm. We wondered – if we start with raw scientific breakthroughs and the brilliant people behind them, then add capital, and the right resources + experience, could it lead to category-leading companies? Nine years later, our portfolio of 90 companies – over half with university roots – has proven the power of this approach.
Today, we’re happy to announce a new $175M Fund IV that will enable us to continue to invest in founders developing breakthrough technologies that will define our future.
Science built the world we know. A century ago, the reality we take for granted was unimaginable. In 1925, one in fourteen American children never reached their fifth birthday. Most of humanity had never made a phone call. Only 35% of American homes had electricity. Antibiotics didn’t exist. The average person would meet fewer than 1,000 people in their lifetime, most within 50 miles of where they were born.
Science will build the world we want. We want healthcare that reaches everyone, with effective and affordable treatments. We want infrastructure – energy, manufacturing, transportation – that is intelligent and resilient. We want autonomous systems that shoulder our repetitive burdens while humans push forward into new frontiers. We want a future that we’ll be proud to pass on to our children.
Our thesis is simple: scientific progress has never been more crucial or more accelerated.
Throughout history, the journey from scientific discovery to widespread impact took generations. But that timeline is compressing. It’s a fundamental transformation of how science creates value. The cycle of Science → Companies → Products → Impact has accelerated from generations to months.
Pillar VC invests in science to overcome the world’s greatest challenges. We’re entering a golden age where:
- AI systems reduce drug discovery timelines from decades to months
- Global research networks connect scientists across continents instantly
- Technological tools put once-impossible experiments within reach
We operate at the critical juncture where breakthrough science becomes world-changing companies. We’re there from the beginning, and we evaluate scientific opportunities through the lens of both commercial potential and human impact, seeking the rare innovations that promise both. Our portfolio companies aren’t just businesses—they’re scientific innovations addressing urgent human problems.
We partner at inception with founders building healthcare companies that are improving patient outcomes like Abridge, Videa Health, and PathAI; founders building companies advancing computing and enterprise intelligence, like Day AI, Jellyfish, Neural Magic and All Hands AI; founders pioneering new approaches to therapeutics like Thymmune, Latent Labs and Asimov.
Our conviction rests with science and the scientists creating tomorrow. As a team of PhDs, MDs, and founders who’ve built science-based companies ourselves, we understand what it takes to move from the laboratory to real-world application. We recognize that the greatest scientific innovations often stall not for lack of promise, but for lack of the right resources.
Beyond our core team, we surround scientific founders with support expertise from our Founding Pillar CEOs and Venture Partners, accomplished founders and executives who have built industry-leading companies.
In Fund IV, we’re pleased to welcome four new Founding Pillars to our firm: Shiv Rao (CEO, Abridge), Mike Salguero (CEO, ButcherBox), Doug Williams (Sana Biotechnology, Codiak BioSciences, Biogen) and Mike Massaro (Flywire). We’re also happy to welcome three new Venture Partners to our team, Dave Husak (Co-Founder & CTO, Plexxi), John Casey (CEO & Co-Founder, Ormoni and Co-Founder, Inari Agriculture) and Jake Becraft (CEO, Strand Therapeutics).
The world’s challenges won’t wait. Our network of technical experts, industry leaders, and customers help scientists bridge the gap between science and impact at scale.
The most consequential scientific revolution in history is underway. At Pillar VC, we’re not just observing it—we’re catalyzing it. Because when we bet on science, we’re betting on the future we all want to see.
