Samsara BioCapital

Samsara BioCapital is a venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, California, that focuses on biotechnology and life sciences companies in the United States. The firm seeks to invest in pharmaceutical and biotechnology ventures, including oncology and other healthcare technologies, with a goal of supporting entrepreneurs in turning ideas into developed therapies. It emphasizes collaboration with ambitious partners and aims to advance biotech innovation and important new therapies by providing capital and advisory support. The organization also operates as a registered investment adviser, offering investment advisory services to guide portfolio companies through growth and development.

Srinivas Akkaraju Ph.D

Founder and Managing Partner

Srini Akkaraju

Managing Partner

Aditya Asokan

Associate

Robert Baffi

Venture Partner

Abraham Bassan

Principal and Vice President

Abe Bassan

Principal

Mike Dybbs

Partner

Cory Freedland

Principal

Perry Karsen

Venture Partner

Donald McCarthy Ph.D

Principal

Donnie McCarthy

Principal

Marcos Milla

Venture Partner

David Parry Ph.D

Venture Partner

Gunaretnam Rajagopal Ph.D

Venture Partner

Steve Shuttleworth

Venture Partner

Robert Stein

Venture Partner

Roger Zhang

Associate

Past deals in Massachussets

Abcuro

Series C in 2025
Abcuro develops immunotherapies targeting autoimmunity and cancer. Founded in 2015, the company uses bioinformatics and ex-vivo validation to uncover novel immune system targets.

Normunity

Series B in 2025
Normunity is a biotechnology company that develops precision immuno‑oncology medicines, termed immune normalizers, designed to restore the body’s natural immune response against cancer. Leveraging a partnership with Dr. Lieping Chen’s laboratory at Yale School of Medicine, the company focuses on newly discovered mechanisms of immune disruption, such as the exclusion of T‑cells from immune‑sensitive tumors and other barriers to normal immune function. Its pipeline includes programs targeting these mechanisms to enable clinicians to treat cancer by reactivating the patient’s own immunity. Normunity operates from offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and West Haven, Connecticut.

Elektrofi

Series C in 2024
Founded in Boston in 2016, Elektrofi is a preclinical-stage company focused on revolutionizing drug delivery. Its proprietary formulation system can efficiently process a wide range of therapeutic molecules, including large and complex proteins like monoclonal antibodies.

Eliem Therapeutics

Post in 2024
Eliem Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for nervous system disorders driven by neuronal hyperexcitability. It leverages neuroscience and translational medicine to advance analgesics and other therapies for conditions such as chronic pain, aiming to deliver best-in-class drug candidates that alleviate suffering and improve function. Founded in 2018 and based in Boston, Eliem concentrates on translating scientific insights into clinical solutions to address unmet medical needs in hyperexcitability disorders.

Leap Therapeutics

Post in 2024
Leap Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing targeted and immuno-oncology therapeutics. Its primary focus is to advance translational-stage molecules in cell signaling and immuno-oncology areas.

Abcuro

Series B in 2023
Abcuro develops immunotherapies targeting autoimmunity and cancer. Founded in 2015, the company uses bioinformatics and ex-vivo validation to uncover novel immune system targets.

ElevateBio

Series D in 2023
Founded in 2017, ElevateBio operates a portfolio of companies focused on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing transformative cell and gene therapies for severe diseases. Through strategic partnerships with leading scientists and inventors, along with a centralized facility for efficient translation of R&D into viable therapies, the company aims to deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

Scholar Rock

Post in 2022
Scholar Rock is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing innovative therapies targeting dysregulated growth factors in disease microenvironments. Its proprietary platform enables the creation of monoclonal antibodies that selectively modulate these proteins at the cellular level, potentially avoiding historical challenges associated with inhibiting growth factors. The company's lead product candidate, SRK-015, is a selective inhibitor of myostatin activation for treating neuromuscular disorders like spinal muscular atrophy.

Dewpoint Therapeutics

Series C in 2022
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Dewpoint Therapeutics is a biotechnology company dedicated to researching biomolecular condensates and cellular function. The company aims to develop innovative treatments for various diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, immunology, cardiovascular conditions, women's health, and virology.

Exo Therapeutics

Series B in 2021
Exo Therapeutics, Inc. is a drug discovery and development company focused on addressing challenging pharmaceutical targets. Founded in 2018 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the company utilizes its proprietary ExoSight platform to create a pipeline of drug candidates that target exosites, which are unique and distal binding pockets on enzymes. This innovative approach aims to reprogram enzyme activity, leading to precise and effective therapeutic outcomes, particularly in oncology and inflammation, while also minimizing potential side effects for patients. Exo Therapeutics is committed to unlocking breakthrough therapeutics through its team of experienced researchers and a deep understanding of complex disease mechanisms.

HilleVax

Venture Round in 2021
HilleVax is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 2021. The company specializes in the development and commercialization of innovative vaccines. Its primary focus is on HIL-214, a virus-like particle (VLP) based vaccine candidate aimed at preventing moderate-to-severe acute gastroenteritis (AGE) caused by norovirus infection. HilleVax is dedicated to addressing significant public health challenges through its vaccine initiatives.

Tango Therapeutics

Post in 2021
Tango Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing cancer therapies based on the genetic principle of synthetic lethality. It aims to counteract tumor suppressor gene loss, reverse immune evasion in cancer cells, and identify effective drug combinations.

ElevateBio

Series C in 2021
Founded in 2017, ElevateBio operates a portfolio of companies focused on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing transformative cell and gene therapies for severe diseases. Through strategic partnerships with leading scientists and inventors, along with a centralized facility for efficient translation of R&D into viable therapies, the company aims to deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

Egenesis

Series C in 2021
Egenesis is a biotechnology company focused on gene editing and genome engineering to develop human-compatible organs, tissues, and cells for transplantation. Its platform enables the creation of solid organs and therapeutic cells intended for transplantation, addressing the global organ shortage. The company pursues programs in kidney and islet cell transplantation and related regenerative approaches. It is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an additional office in New York.

Abcuro

Series A in 2021
Abcuro develops immunotherapies targeting autoimmunity and cancer. Founded in 2015, the company uses bioinformatics and ex-vivo validation to uncover novel immune system targets.

Decibel Therapeutics

Series D in 2020
Decibel Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing innovative therapies aimed at protecting, repairing, and restoring hearing. The company addresses various hearing disorders, including those related to pediatric cancers, cystic fibrosis, noise exposure, age-related and genetic hearing loss, as well as conditions characterized by persistent tinnitus. Decibel Therapeutics employs a multifaceted approach that includes drug delivery to the inner ear, advanced imaging techniques, and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling. The company leverages its expertise in inner ear biology, single-cell genomics, and bioinformatics to develop effective treatments for hearing loss and related disorders. Established in 2013 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Decibel Therapeutics was originally known as Hearing, Inc. before rebranding in 2014.

Dewpoint Therapeutics

Series B in 2020
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Dewpoint Therapeutics is a biotechnology company dedicated to researching biomolecular condensates and cellular function. The company aims to develop innovative treatments for various diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, immunology, cardiovascular conditions, women's health, and virology.

Fulcrum Therapeutics

Post in 2020
Fulcrum Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, dedicated to developing novel therapies for patients with genetically defined diseases that have significant unmet medical needs. The company's lead product candidate, losmapimod, is a small molecule currently undergoing Phase 2b clinical trials for the treatment of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, a rare condition characterized by progressive muscle wasting and disability. Another key candidate, FTX-6058, aims to upregulate fetal hemoglobin to treat sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia. Fulcrum is also actively researching drug targets for other genetic disorders, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Friedreich ataxia, as well as neurological and pulmonary diseases. The company has established collaborations with Acceleron Pharma to explore biological targets in pulmonary disease and with MyoKardia to develop therapies for genetic cardiomyopathies. Founded in 2015, Fulcrum Therapeutics continues to focus on improving patient outcomes in rare disease contexts.

ElevateBio

Series B in 2020
Founded in 2017, ElevateBio operates a portfolio of companies focused on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing transformative cell and gene therapies for severe diseases. Through strategic partnerships with leading scientists and inventors, along with a centralized facility for efficient translation of R&D into viable therapies, the company aims to deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

Forma Therapeutics

Series D in 2019
Forma Therapeutics, headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics for rare hematologic diseases and various cancers. The company is advancing several key product candidates, including FT-4202, currently in Phase 1 trials for sickle cell disease and other hemoglobinopathies, and FT-7051, targeting metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Additionally, Forma is developing FT-2102, a selective small molecule designed to inhibit mutated IDH1 enzymes, which is being evaluated in Phase 2 trials for relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia and in exploratory trials for glioma. Other candidates include FT-4101 and FT-8225, selective inhibitors of fatty acid synthase. The firm integrates advanced drug discovery technologies with deep oncology expertise to address challenging targets, contributing to a robust pipeline aimed at transforming patient outcomes in oncology.

Pieris Pharmaceuticals

Post in 2019
Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Boston, Massachusetts, focused on the development of anticalin-based therapeutics for treating various medical conditions, including cancer and severe asthma. Anticalins are engineered proteins derived from lipocalins, naturally occurring human proteins that can bind and transport a variety of molecules. The company's lead programs include PRS-060, a drug candidate in Phase I clinical trials targeting IL-4Ra for asthma and inflammatory diseases, and PRS-343, a bispecific protein in Phase I trials for oncology. Pieris is also advancing PRS-344, a bispecific anticalin-antibody fusion protein in preclinical development, and PRS-080, currently in Phase IIa trials for targeting hepcidin in patients with functional iron deficiency. Pieris collaborates with strategic partners and research institutions to enhance its development efforts, showcasing a robust pipeline aimed at addressing significant unmet medical needs. The company was founded in 2000 and is recognized for its innovative approach in biotherapeutics.

AlloVir

Series B in 2019
AlloVir is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing allogeneic T-cell therapies to combat viral diseases. Its proprietary virus-specific T cell (VST) therapy platform enables the creation of off-the-shelf VSTs, designed to restore immunity in patients with T cell deficiencies at risk from life-threatening viral infections.

ElevateBio

Series A in 2019
Founded in 2017, ElevateBio operates a portfolio of companies focused on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing transformative cell and gene therapies for severe diseases. Through strategic partnerships with leading scientists and inventors, along with a centralized facility for efficient translation of R&D into viable therapies, the company aims to deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

Dewpoint Therapeutics

Series A in 2019
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Dewpoint Therapeutics is a biotechnology company dedicated to researching biomolecular condensates and cellular function. The company aims to develop innovative treatments for various diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, immunology, cardiovascular conditions, women's health, and virology.
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