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.