Monod Bio
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle, Washington, USA
- Sectors
- Biotechnology, Biosensors
- Stage
- Seed
Trump-Era Funding Cuts and Hiring Freeze Stall UW Protein Design Startups Led by Nobel Laureate David Baker
The University of Washington's Institute for Protein Design, led by Nobel laureate David Baker, faces a hiring freeze and funding cuts under the Trump administration, stalling its promising protein design startups and reducing opportunities for graduate students and postdocs. Despite Nobel-driven interest and advances in AI-designed proteins, budget constraints threaten future innovation and company spinoffs.
Pack Ventures Seeks $30M for Second Fund to Invest in University of Washington-Linked Startups
Pack Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on University of Washington-linked startups, raised $5 million for its first fund and is now aiming to raise $30 million for a second fund to expand its investments. The firm has established a preferred partnership with UW and co-invests with other Seattle VCs in companies across life sciences, software, and healthcare sectors.
University of Washington Launches Vilya with $50 Million to Develop Membrane-Permeable Peptide Drugs
University of Washington researchers developed custom peptides that penetrate cell membranes, enabling a new class of drugs with combined benefits of small molecules and protein therapeutics. They founded Vilya, backed by $50 million from Arch Venture Partners, to commercialize this drug platform described in Cell.
Pack Ventures launches Seattle syndicate to back UW-linked startups, pledges 10% of future profits to University of Washington
Pack Ventures, a new early-stage Seattle VC, will invest $100K–$200K checks in startups tied to the University of Washington and has already backed five companies including Jeeva Wireless, Talus.bio and Monod Bio; the firm will return 10% of individual future profits to UW. The syndicate includes more than 35 founding investors from the Seattle VC and entrepreneur community and will target AI, robotics, computational biology, enterprise software and other high-growth areas.
