| Atlas Venture | |
| Type: | Private |
| Key People: | Kevin Bitterman Bruce Booth Jean-Francois Formela Michael Gladstone David Grayzel Jason Rhodes[1] |
| Foundation: | 1980 |
| Founder: | Michiel de Haan[2] |
| Location: | Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Industry: | Venture Capital |
| Products: | venture capital funds |
| Aum: | $2.2 billion |
| Num Employees: | 29 |
| Homepage: | www.atlasventure.com |
Atlas Venture is an early-stage venture capital firm that creates and invests in biotechnology startup companies in the U.S. Atlas is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the majority of its investments are located.[3] Atlas raised its thirteenth fund totaling $450 million in March 2022,[4] after raising its Opportunity Fund II totaling $300 million in September 2021.[5]
Atlas has invested in over 150 life sciences startups since it began investing in the sector in 1990. Atlas invests in a range of therapeutic areas and modalities, including immuno-oncology, autoimmunity/inflammation, neuroscience, gene/cell therapy and editing, and anti-infectives. Atlas' current portfolio comprises biotech companies including Accent Therapeutics, Aerovate Therapeutics, Affinia Therapeutics, Akero Therapeutics, Arkuda Therapeutics, AVROBIO, Be Biopharma, Chroma Medicine, Day One Biopharmaceuticals, Disc Medicine, Dyne Therapeutics, Generation Bio, HotSpot Therapeutics, Ikena Oncology, Intellia Therapeutics, Kinaset Therapeutics, Korro Bio, Kymera Therapeutics, Mariana Oncology, Matchpoint Therapeutics, Nimbus Therapeutics, Pheon Therapeutics, Obsidian Therapeutics, Q32 Bio, Rectify Pharmaceuticals, Remix Therapeutics, Replimune, Scorpion Therapeutics, Sionna Tehrapeutics, Synlogic; Third Harmonic Bio, Triana Biomedicines, Versanis Bio, Vigil Neuroscience, and Xilio Therapeutics. Notable prior exits from Atlas’ life sciences portfolio include Actelion, Adnexus Therapeutics, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Annovation Biopharma, ArQule, Arrow Therapeutics, Arteaus Therapeutics, Avila Therapeutics, Cadent Therapeutics, Disarm Therapeutics, CoStim Pharmaceuticals, Crucell, deCODE genetics, Delinia, Exelixis, IFM Therapeutics Inc., Micromet, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, MorphoSys, Nimbus Apollo, Novexel, Padlock Therapeutics, Rodin Therapeutics, Stromedix, Translate Bio, and U3 Pharma.[6]
Originally formed in 1980 in Amsterdam as a subsidiary of NMB Bank, now part of ING Group, Atlas historically invested in both life sciences and information technology startup companies. In October 2014, Atlas announced its shift to a biotech-only venture capital firm, with the technology-focused investment team forming a new firm, Accomplice, to continue investing in information technology startups.[7] [8] Previously as a diversified firm, Atlas had raised over $3.0 billion of investor commitments across nine venture capital funds. The firm raised $705 million for its 2000-vintage fifth fund, $600 million for its 2001-vintage sixth fund, $385 million for its 2006-vintage seventh fund, $283 million for its 2009-vintage eighth fund, and $265 million for its 2013-vintage ninth fund.[9] [10] At its largest, the firm held European offices in London, Paris and Munich,[11] and a West Coast office based in Seattle, Washington, in addition to the Boston-area headquarters. Today, the firm operates from a single office in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[12] [13]
In 2015 Atlas raised its first biotech-dedicated fund, Fund X, at $280 million. In 2017, Atlas Venture announced it had raised Fund XI at $350 million in capital to invest in early stage biotech companies in the U.S. and around the world.[14] In January 2019, Atlas Venture announced its Opportunity Fund I raised $250 million.[15] In June 2020, Atlas Venture announced its Fund XII raised $400 million.