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RiverVest Venture Partners

VC

USBio/PharmaHealthtechDeep Tech

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Investment thesis

RiverVest Venture Partners is a leading venture capital firm building life science companies to address significant unmet needs of patients and deliver consistently strong returns to investors. With headquarters in St. Louis and offices in San Diego and Cleveland, RiverVest accesses forward-thinking research and clinical expertise at leading institutions across the country to found and fund biopharma and medical device companies. The firm employs a dual strategy: founding and incubating very early-stage companies through its Archer Seed Fund, while also investing in select later-stage opportunities to diversify risk and maximize portfolio returns. RiverVest leads financings, builds strong investor syndicates, and provides scientific, operational, financial, and investment expertise to help entrepreneurs transform promising technologies into successful therapies.

Notable quotes

Their promotions are a testament to their impact on furthering RiverVest's mission: to improve the lives of patients, support entrepreneurs, and earn the trust of investors through science, strategy, and innovation.

Jay W. Schmelter · RiverVest Venture Partners press release, December 14, 2023 · 2023-12-14

I couldn't be more excited about the strength and cohesiveness of our team and the future of our firm.

Jay W. Schmelter · RiverVest Venture Partners LinkedIn post · 2023-12-14

It is incredibly rewarding to enable entrepreneurs to develop novel technologies and introduce them to the marketplace, potentially transforming the quality of life for patients around the world.

Jay W. Schmelter · RiverVest Venture Partners website – Jay Schmelter bio

Team

Jay W. Schmelter

Co-Founder & Managing Director

Bio/PharmaHealthtechDeep Tech

Niall O'Donnell, Ph.D.

Managing Director

Bio/Pharma

Karen Spilizewski

Managing Director

HealthtechDeep Tech

Isaac Zike, Ph.D.

Managing Director

Bio/Pharma

Pascal Krotee, Ph.D.

Principal

Bio/PharmaHealthtech

Andrew Kleiboeker

Associate

HealthtechDeep Tech

Recent investments

CompanyRoundSizeDate
Sparrow PharmaceuticalsSeries B$95m2025-09-24
WugenSeries C$115m2025-08-28
BiolinqSeries C$100m2025-04-22
GlycomineSeries C$115m2025-04-16
Atalanta TherapeuticsSeries B$75m2025-01-28
Alleviant MedicalUndisclosed$90m2025-01-15
Bluejay TherapeuticsSeries C$182m2024-05-09
Engrail TherapeuticsSeries B$157m2024-03-19
Mirum PharmaceuticalsSeries A
Avalyn PharmaSeries C$175m2023-09-27

Frequent co-investors

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