LSIPR 50 2016: Robert Nelsen and Bryan Roberts
Name: Robert Nelsen
Organisation: ARCH Venture Partners
Position: Managing director
Investing in companies all comes down to “thinking big, and taking big risks”, according to our next nominee. Robert Nelsen is a partner and managing director at venture capital firm ARCH Venture Partners, where he has been working since it was founded 30 years ago.
He has played a significant role in the early sourcing, financing and development of companies in the alternative energy, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and nanotechnology areas.
More than 30 companies have benefited from his early stage investment. Of those, 15 have reached valuations exceeding $1 billion. Companies he has worked with include genomics and molecular diagnostics business Illumina; immunotherapy company Juno Therapeutics; and Sage Therapeutics, which helps develop therapies for disorders of the central nervous system.
"Nelsen has played a significant role in the early sourcing, financing and development of companies in the alternative energy, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and nanotechnology areas."
Nelsen, who is based in the firm’s Seattle office, told local technology news website Geekwire in 2014 that ARCH’s success was due to “thinking big, and taking big risks”.
“We are true believers that technology matters and that disruptive technological innovations can solve most of our problems—and make significant returns,” he said.
Other companies he has worked with have gone on to be acquired by major pharma players including Amgen, which bought Decode Genetics for $415 million in 2012, and Pfizer, which bought IDUN Pharmaceuticals in a 2005 deal for an undisclosed amount.
(Image: ktsdesign / Shutterstock.com)
Name: Bryan Roberts
Organisation: Venrock
Position: Partner
Bryan Roberts joined Venrock in 1997 and is based in the firm’s Palo Alto, California office. Through Venrock, Roberts has made a string of investments in healthcare companies, some of which have later gone public or been acquired by larger corporations.
In 2014, four healthcare companies in his portfolio went public and two were bought out. He helped guide Castlight Health, ArchaeoGen, Cerulean and Vitae Pharmaceuticals to initial public offerings. Castlight Health is a health software company, ArchaeoGen is a clinical-stage biopharma company, Cerulean develops drugs to selectively attack tumour cells and Vitae Pharmaceuticals focuses on developing small molecule drugs for diseases that have significant unmet medical needs.
"ROBERTS HAS MADE A STRING OF INVESTMENTS IN HEALTHCARE COMPANIES, SOME OF WHICH HAVE LATER GONE PUBLIC."
Ikaria, a biotherapeutics company, was acquired by Madison Dearborn Partners in a 2015 deal that valued Ikaria at $1.6 billion.
Another company that Venrock was involved with, Ariosa Diagnostics, was acquired by Roche in 2014. Many will know Ariosa for other reasons as the company is currently engaged in a high profile dispute with Sequenom centring on a patent that covers a method of detecting foetal abnormalities in a pregnant mother and performing a prenatal diagnosis.
Roberts has ranked on Forbes’ Midas List seven times, between 2008 and 2015.
