Our team combines entrepreneurial expertise, excellence in neuroscience and intensely personal dedication to curing spinal cord injury.
Our approach
Catalyzing the development of next generation treatments
We follow a venture philanthropy model, inspired by successful initiatives in other disease areas, to catalyze an investment market aimed at reversing paralysis.
We focus on investing in companies advancing cures for paralysis-related challenges, prioritizing both long-term neural pathway restoration and immediate clinical impact. Our investments are guided by community priorities and scientific rigor, leveraging our team's expertise and the support of research foundations.
Backed by leading foundations
Backed by 5 leading foundations addressing spinal cord injury in the US, UK and EU, we leverage the combined network and expertise of the foundations to select, support and bring the most promising therapies from the lab to the clinic.
A new wave of innovation
For the first time, the combination of breakthroughs in biology, engineering and computing make a cure to paralysis a real possibility.
An evergreen fund that redeploys 100% of its returns
Venture philanthropy has been adopted by a number of disease-
focused organisations, including JDRF’s T1D Fund and the Cystic
Fibrosis Foundation, to deploy their own capital to produce a tangible impact and to attract the traditional life-science venture capital industry to their cause.
SCI Ventures is making investments with the intent of generating a financial return. All returns will be recycled and reinvested within the
fund to take more targeted shots at the goal of curing paralysis.
All initial operating costs of SCI Ventures are being met by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, allowing all donated
capital to be invested in cutting-edge, early-stage companies.
Investment focus
Our investment focus areas have been selected following extensive input from the fund’s Scientific Advisory Committee. We evaluate potential investments against three essential criteria: clinical impact, scientific maturity and potential for financial return.
Team
Professionals with a personal investment
Tom Londres
Board Member, Reeve Foundation
CEO, Metro Commercial, Inc.
Ian Curtis
Board Member, ISRT and Reeve Foundation
Chairman, HPC plc, Former PwC Partner
Adrien Cohen
Founding Managing Director,
Board & Investment Committee Member
Roman Rothaermel, PhD
Investment Principal
Biotech Operator, PhD Neuroscience University of Oxford