KdT Ventures Raises Oversubscribed $50m Fund II to invest in frontier science

AUSTIN, Texas, March 23, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- KdT Ventures, the standard for early-stage frontier science investing, today announced a new oversubscribed $50M fund dedicated exclusively to backing companies that are re-architecting the world at the molecular level.

This is KdT's second fund, following a $15M inaugural fund in 2017. With their inaugural fund, KdT made 18 investments in early-stage science companies at the intersection of data, engineering, and biology including: PathAI, 54Gene, Checkerspot, Dyno Therapeutics, Terray and Solugen. Fund I is currently performing in the top decile of all VC funds according to Cambridge Associates.

Fund II will focus broady on cutting-edge science which includes areas such as gene and biological circuit fabrication, novel delivery technologies, biomaterials innovation, and consumer biology. KdT has already deployed capital from Fund II in several investments including Elegen, Xilis, STRM, Abridge, Dimension Inx, and Andes.

"We believe that science is entering a golden age. We now have the source code to the physical world. Computation applied to biology and chemistry is redefining what's possible in major industries from chemicals to agriculture to medicine," said Cain McClary, Founder and Managing Partner of KdT Ventures. "The great investment of our lifetime is in companies rewriting the physical layer. With Fund II, we will steward the next-generation of science companies that are dramatically changing how the world works, from nano to whole earth scales."

The pace of scientific innovation is accelerating exponentially as new tools allow us to engineer the physical layer in new and faster ways. KdT's portfolio companies pave the way for these developments.

For example, Dyno Therapeutics, designs novel adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors that enable safe, efficient and targeted in vivo delivery for revolutionary new gene therapies.

PathAI has developed a platform that provides data-driven pathology analysis, resulting in both unique image based insights for the biopharmaceutical industry as well as faster, more accurate, and standardized pathologic diagnoses.

Andes leverages Microprime, a low-cost, scalable delivery system to incorporate microbes directly into the seed itself, accessing beneficial genes from the plant's own soil microbiome to boost crop production and protection, ushering in the next wave of agricultural innovation.

Checkerspot empowers product designers with knowledge and access to a new breed of performance ingredients and materials that expands the possibilities beyond commodity oils.

"The KdT team speaks the language of science, making them an outlier in this area of venture investing," said JD Montgomery of Canterbury Consulting, a limited partner in KdT's first and second fund. "They are passionate about building the science companies of the future that will tackle some of the significant challenges our world faces in the next decade and beyond."

KdT's portfolio of 24 seed-stage companies are rewriting the physical layer in areas from synthetic biology to gene therapy. KdT was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Austin, TX with offices in Houston, TX and Raleigh-Durham, NC.

To learn more about KdT, please visit: https://www.kdtvc.com/.

About KdT Ventures

KdT is the standard for early-stage frontier science investing. We help founders and their companies re-architect the world at a molecular level.

We invest in companies creatively applying computation to chemical and biological systems. Our portfolio companies are dramatically changing how the world works, from nano to whole earth scales.

We are often the first check into a company. Our unique model for early-stage investment allows us to have an outsized impact on the earliest stages of a venture.

From benchside to bedside to boardroom, our team has been on the front lines. Our understanding of the science and technology breakthroughs we're evaluating is personal.

To learn more, say hello at: http://www.kdtvc.com.

Media Contact

Cam Wilson, JDI, 6179979715, [email protected]

SOURCE KdT Ventures