Biotech VC, Chicago

ARCH Venture Partners

Venture capital firm · Chicago · Founded 1986

Quick read

ARCH Venture Partners is an early-stage biotech and deep-science VC founded in 1986, headquartered in Chicago with a secondary office in Seattle. The firm manages approximately $12 billion in AUM across 17 funds, most recently closing Fund XIII at $3 billion in September 2024. ARCH co-founds companies directly with university researchers and national lab scientists, placing concentrated bets on breakthrough life sciences platforms before most investors show up.

Key facts

Founded
1986
Founders
Steven Lazarus
Employees
93
Sectors
biotech, healthcare, ai, hardware
Website
www.archventure.com

Investment thesis

ARCH co-founds companies at the concept stage directly with university researchers and national laboratory scientists, taking contrarian positions in early-stage life sciences, deep science, and physical sciences where the potential for disease prevention, detection, and cure is largest. The firm writes large checks and builds concentrated portfolios, repeatedly leading $100M+ formation rounds.

Recent activity

  • Jun 2026investment
    ARCH's latest portfolio exit was Kardigan, which exited on June 18, 2026. cbinsights.com
  • Jun 2026investment
    ARCH invested in City Therapeutics as part of a Series B round on June 8, 2026. cbinsights.com
  • May 2026investment
    CREATE Medicines announced a $122 million Series B to advance an in vivo CAR pipeline in autoimmune disease and oncology, with ARCH listed among investors. crunchbase.com
  • Apr 2026investment
    Moleculent raised a funding round from ARCH Venture Partners and two other investors. crunchbase.com
  • Apr 2026investment
    Project Prometheus raised a round from ARCH Venture Partners and three other investors. crunchbase.com
  • Apr 2026press
    ARCH-backed Paradigm Health announced a partnership with the FDA to provide a technology platform for real-time clinical trial monitoring. archventure.com
  • Dec 2025investment
    ARCH-backed Paradigm acquired Flatiron's clinical research business. cbinsights.com
  • Nov 2025press
    Pfizer acquired ARCH portfolio company Metsera in a $10 billion deal to accelerate obesity drug development. archventure.com
  • May 2026investment
    CREATE Medicines closed a $122M Series B to advance in vivo immune programming therapies, with ARCH participating alongside Newpath Partners, Hatteras Venture Partners, and Alexandria. tracxn.com
  • May 2026investment
    Moleculent raised $20M to scale cell communication mapping technology, with ARCH participating alongside Rubicon Healthcare Partners and Eir Ventures. tracxn.com
  • Feb 2026investment
    Generate Biomedicines exited ARCH's portfolio on February 27, 2026 — the firm's most recent portfolio exit. cbinsights.com
  • Feb 2026investment
    Salma Health closed a Series A on February 26, 2026, marking ARCH's most recent disclosed investment per CB Insights. cbinsights.com

Notable investments

Key people

Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.

  • Robert Taylor Nelsen · Managing Director
  • Paul Berns · Partner
  • Robert Nelsen · Co-founder & Managing Director
  • Steven Lazarus · Co-founder
  • Keith Crandell · Managing Director
  • Kristina Burow · Managing Director

Sources

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Frequently asked

What is ARCH Venture Partners?+

ARCH Venture Partners is an early-stage biotech and deep-science VC founded in 1986, headquartered in Chicago with a secondary office in Seattle. The firm manages approximately $12 billion in AUM across 17 funds, most recently closing Fund XIII at $3 billion in September 2024.

Where is ARCH Venture Partners headquartered?+

ARCH Venture Partners is headquartered in Chicago, United States.

When was ARCH Venture Partners founded?+

ARCH Venture Partners was founded in 1986 by Steven Lazarus.

What sectors does ARCH Venture Partners invest in?+

ARCH Venture Partners focuses on biotech, healthcare, ai, hardware. They primarily invest in these sectors.

How do I prepare for a meeting with ARCH Venture Partners?+

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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources. Last updated July 8, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.

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