Bayer (Leaps by Bayer)

Strategic venture arm of Bayer AG, a global pharmaceutical and life sciences company. Leaps by Bayer invests in breakthrough technologies that could solve some of humanity's biggest health challenges.

Location
Leverkusen, Germany
Founded
2015
AUM
$1B+ (Leaps by Bayer fund)
Investment Range
$5M - $50M
Focus
cvc
Fund Stages
seed, series-a, series-b, series-c

Investment Thesis

Leaps by Bayer invests in companies developing breakthrough solutions in health and agriculture, focusing on technologies that can fundamentally improve human health and nutrition. They take bold bets on transformative science including gene editing, regenerative medicine, and novel therapeutic modalities.

Team

Partners / Managing Directors (Health & Bio Focus)

  • Juergen Eckhardt, MD - Head of Leaps by Bayer
  • Dirk Haussecker, PhD - Partner

Other Key Team Members

  • Investment team with deep pharmaceutical R&D experience

Focus Areas

  • Gene Editing (CRISPR)
  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Cell & Gene Therapy
  • Oncology
  • Cardiovascular
  • Agriculture Technology
  • Women's Health

Notable Exits

  • BlueRock Therapeutics - Acquired (2019, by Bayer for up to $1B)
  • Casebia Therapeutics - JV with CRISPR Therapeutics (restructured)
  • Portfolio companies advancing through clinical development

Portfolio Companies

  • CRISPR Therapeutics (strategic partnership)
  • Recursion Pharmaceuticals
  • Khloris Biosciences
  • Joyn Bio

Sources