Sectors
- Drug discovery — first-in-class or new biology
- Innovative platform technologies for drug discovery
- Spin-out opportunities from Taiho pipelines
- Medical device, diagnostics, digital health (opportunistic)
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Investment criteria
A specific filter, applied for ten years.
Taiho Ventures invests where Taiho Pharmaceutical has clinical, regulatory, and commercial standing — oncology first, immunology and orphan indications second, platforms and modalities where they extend the pipeline. The filter has not changed since 2016. The names on the cap table have.
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Investment
A specific filter, applied for ten years.
Taiho Ventures invests where Taiho Pharmaceutical has clinical, regulatory, and commercial standing — oncology first, immunology and orphan indications second, platforms and modalities where they extend the pipeline. The filter has not changed since 2016. The names on the cap table have.
Therapeutic areas
- Oncology
- Non-oncology (immunology, allergy, bone, muscle, orphan)
Modality
- Small molecules
- Biologics
- Gene and cell therapy
Stage
- Research to pre-IND
- IND to PoC (opportunistic)
Plate 03 — section break — slow stroke (kasure tail), pending
A note on stage
Most positions go in at Series A or B. The earlier we go, the more the round looks like a thesis investment — research to pre-IND, sometimes a spin-out from Taiho Pharmaceutical itself. The later rounds we touch (IND to proof-of-concept) are opportunistic, meaning we already knew the team. Median check is $4M. We co-lead when warranted and follow when correct. The cap-table seat is the point; the wire size is the cost of admission.
A note on the parent’s areas
Taiho Pharmaceutical was founded in 1963 and shipped its first cancer therapeutic in 1967. Six decades of commercial standing in oncology mean a Series B board call from the parent’s oncology leadership carries weight a Boston-side strategic call rarely does. Immunology and urology are the parent’s second and third commercial areas. We invest where that standing is real — not where a deck makes it sound real.
If the filter fits
Write the partners.
If a round fits this filter, write. The intake form lives on the contact page; the email itself goes to partners@taihoventures.com. We read every note.