ARTIS

What they do

Founded in 2001 by Stuart Peterson, ARTIS Ventures initially built its reputation as an early backer of foundational tech companies like YouTube, Palantir, and Aruba Networks. Over the last decade, the firm has strategically pivoted to become the first dedicated fund globally to deploy capital at the intersection of data, software, AI, and human health. They are highly regarded in the ecosystem for their "TechBio" thesis, taking an engineering-first approach to biology and healthcare. ARTIS is known for its artisanal, high-conviction investment style, often taking on hard-science problem sets that other tech VCs avoid, and supporting founders through specialized networks of medical and scientific experts.

What they look for

ARTIS Ventures focuses on "Transforming the human condition with frontier technologies." Their core thesis is centered around "TechBio"-the convergence of technology and biology. They invest in companies applying engineering principles, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data-enabled discovery to healthcare, life sciences, and global resilience. They explicitly look for visionary founders building category-defining startups that leverage frontier technologies (AI, gene editing, synthetic biology, advanced diagnostics) to create new markets or redefine existing ones. They favor companies with a "TechBio+Health" approach, meaning the technology has broad indications and the flexibility to pivot across multiple disease areas or applications, thereby increasing revenue optionality and intellectual property value. They are comfortable with pre-revenue companies if they demonstrate strong product-market fit or technical promise, though they note that about 50% of their portfolio companies are generating revenue.

Stage

Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B+

Sectors

Healthcare, AI, Deeptech, SaaS, Cybersecurity, Climate

Based

San Francisco, US