TAIHO VENTURES, LLC
A $400M corporate venture arm of Taiho Pharmaceutical, investing in early-stage companies in oncology, immunology, and urology — mostly research to pre-IND.
ABOUT TAIHO VENTURES
Two organizations, one operating history. The fund writes the check; the parent company provides the regulatory, clinical, and commercial muscle behind it.
The fund
Taiho Ventures is the corporate venture arm of Taiho Pharmaceutical, a Japanese specialty pharmaceutical company in oncology, allergy and immunology, and urology. With $400M under management, we invest in early-stage private companies strategically relevant to Taiho.
We consider company creation, spin-outs, option-type investments, and pure equity rounds. Most checks are written at research to pre-IND; a few are written later when the science is right.
The parent
Taiho Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings, is an R&D-driven specialty pharmaceutical company across oncology, allergy and immunology, and urology. Its corporate pledge: "We strive to improve human health and contribute to a society enriched by smiles."
In oncology, Taiho is a leading Japanese developer of innovative cancer medicines. Approved drugs are on the market across three continents, and the company has a sixty-year operating history behind it.
WHY PARTNER WITH US
You don’t get a check and a Slack channel. You get a partner who knows the regulatory path because they walked it — the people across the table from you have taken compounds through phase II, phase III, and to approval.
Taiho is a privately-held subsidiary of Otsuka with no quarterly-earnings clock. The fund’s timeline is the science’s timeline. We can hold through a difficult clinical readout and follow on through the round you didn’t plan to need.
Taiho has approved drugs on the market across three continents. When the data lands, you have a built-in conversation about co-development, licensing, or commercial partnership — with people who can actually pull the lever.
No drive-by board members, no rotating cast. Whoever shows up to your first board meeting is the person who keeps showing up — through the next round, the next readout, and the next strategic decision.
WHERE WE INVEST
Three therapeutic areas Taiho has been doing the work in for sixty years — plus the adjacent platforms that change what’s possible inside them.
Solid tumors, hematologic malignancies, and the targeted-therapy and ADC programs that come after them. The therapeutic area Taiho was founded on in 1963.
Autoimmune and inflammatory disease, with a working interest in the overlap with oncology — IO combinations, T-cell engagers, and the next wave of cell therapies.
Genitourinary cancers and the broader urology pipeline. Less crowded than the headline indications, and an area where Taiho has been operating commercially for decades.
Gene and cell therapy, RNA, AI-led drug discovery, and the tooling underneath them. We back platforms when the science applies to a program we’d back on its own.
INVESTMENT CRITERIA
The short version of how we make decisions, by therapeutic area. The long version is on the criteria page, with the diligence questions we actually ask.
| Therapeutic area | Entry stage | Initial check | Geography | Board involvement | Detail link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oncology | Research to pre-IND | $3M–$15M | US, EU, Japan | Voting seat or observer | Detail |
| Immunology | Pre-IND to phase I | $5M–$20M | US, EU, Japan | Voting seat | Detail |
| Urology | Pre-IND to proof-of-concept | $3M–$12M | US, EU | Voting seat or observer | Detail |
| Adjacent platforms | Seed to series B | $2M–$10M | Global | Observer | Detail |
A FEW FROM THE PORTFOLIO
Phosphatase-targeted small molecules
Research → IND
Immuno-oncology combinations
Phase II
Regulated induced proximity (RIPTAC)
Pre-IND
WHO YOU WORK WITH
The partnership is small on purpose. Whoever shows up to your first board meeting is the person who keeps showing up — through the next round, the next readout, and the next strategic decision.
President & CEO
Founded Taiho Ventures in 2016. Previously President & CEO at Astellas Venture Management. Has invested in 60+ biotech companies; the majority have reached IPO or M&A.
Partner & Senior Investment Director
Eighteen years across life sciences R&D, company creation, and venture investment. Twelve of those years were at Taiho Pharmaceutical in oncology, advancing multiple programs into the clinic.
Senior Investment Director
Molecular biologist with 11+ years in oncology. Led the in-licensing of AB928 from Arcus Biosciences while at Taiho Pharmaceutical. Joined Taiho Ventures in 2019.
Investment Director
Nine years at Taiho Pharmaceutical in EGFR-targeted oncology drug discovery. Earned his PhD in Pharmaceutical Science at the University of Tokyo. Joined Taiho Ventures in 2022.
Associate Investment Director
Fifteen-plus years in non-clinical drug development, focused on toxicology and IND submissions for oncology compounds. Joined Taiho Ventures in 2024.
WHERE WE ARE
Taiho Ventures, LLC
2420 Sand Hill Road, Suite 203
Menlo Park, CA 94025-6940
For deck submissions, partnership inquiries, and corporate press: a written response within ten business days, including for the ones that are not a fit.
Send a deckMORE RESOURCES
The full investment criteria
Stage, check size, geography, board involvement, the diligence questions we ask.
Submit a proposal
A short form, a written response within ten business days. Including for the ones that aren’t a fit.
Press & corporate inquiries
Quarterly portfolio updates, the Taiho parent-company filings, and a press contact for cycle-time inquiries.
