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TeamAboutPortfolio
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Shaping the future ofhealth

North South Ventures is a seed-stage fund investing in companies that aim to significantly improve patient health and enhance the performance of healthcare systems. We are based in the top medical research hubs of Stanford/UCSF and the University of Toronto.
An artistic rendition of DNA

Team

The NSV team is uniquely positioned to identify and support promising new ventures in healthtech and biotech due to having expertise in medicine, science, healthcare innovation, and software engineering, along with experience in investing, entrepreneurship, and operations across startups to multi-billion-dollar enterprises.
bust photo of David Naylor

David Naylor

MD, PhD, Rhodes Scholar, president emeritus and former dean of medicine at the University of Toronto. Award-winning researcher, co-chaired Canada's COVID-19 Immunity Task Force.
bust photo of Ilse Treurnicht

Ilse Treurnicht

PhD, Rhodes Scholar, led the development of MaRS, North America's largest innovation hub, from idea to scale. Experienced operator, impact investor, advisor, and director.
bust photo of Paul Kudlow

Paul Kudlow

MD, PhD, co-founded TrendMD, the world's largest native ad network in the pharma space. Teaches psychiatry at the University of Toronto and is a practicing physician.
bust photo of Andrew Lee

Andrew Lee

MD, PhD, co-founded unicorn company Clipboard Health. Created Stanford's StartX Med, which has seeded 500+ biotech startups, leading to 100+ FDA approvals and 20 IPOs/unicorns.

Strategy

Our strategy is shaped by the limited number of biotech and healthtech companies with the potential to become high-impact decacorns. We use general qualitative guidelines to carefully build the portfolio. While these conceptual allocations are flexible, they are essential for planning the scale of our future investments.

Deals

NSV investors capitalize directly on early-stage investment opportunities arising from Bay Area/Silicon Valley and top US and Canadian institutions. These communities are highly competitive and challenging for outside investors to break into, particularly at the seed stage.

Support

Real work begins once we invest. With our deep expertise and broad networks, we can identify and support solutions that build on breakthrough science or novel technologies; from early-stage research to market launch, we aim to work alongside founders to enable them to do what they do best.
A futuristic building complexA futuristic building complex

Investment criteria

When evaluating a company, we focus on key areas to ensure the startup has both a strong foundation and significant growth potential. We assess the founders' mix of qualities alongside their motivations for solving a particular problem. The problem itself must have a vast impact and market potential.

We look for solid intellectual property or patents that can secure the company's competitive advantage over time while ensuring the product is better than existing market options. It's essential that the startup provides robust data to support its strategies.
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Regulatory and legal compliance is thoroughly evaluated to ensure no future barriers to market entry. We pick companies that are well-informed about their regulatory obligations and clear on the pathway to approvals.

Portfolio

Collectively, our team has invested in over 800 companies, resulting in 16 unicorns, more than 100 FDA approvals in biotech, medical devices, and digital health/AI, and 5 IPOs on NASDAQ/NYSE. These investments have collectively raised over $10 billion in funding.

Non-hormonal, reversible male contraceptive pill

Advanced genetic screening on embryos

T-cell receptors developed by AI for cancer treatment

Cancer immunotherapies via machine learning

All-inclusive services for orthopedic care

Online personalized skincare treatment plans

At-home microbiome testing kits to support newborn development

Microbiome-based treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases

Reversible neural implant for hearing loss

AI-guided molecular extraction for pathology

AI-guided relationship counseling

Microbiome-based therapeutics for cancer treatment

Precision mRNA drug delivery

AI-powered insurance claims support for healthcare providers

On-demand insurance for surgery

Digital tools for women’s health management

Surgical devices to improve patient outcomes and reduce recovery times

Advanced microfluidic technology for drug delivery and diagnostics

Computational biology platform for bioinformaticians

Real-time dashboard that integrates data from clinical trial platforms

Platform for data integration, quality, and governance

Automates negotiating and settling medical bills on behalf of patients

Predicting cancer-immunotherapy toxicity and response

At-home oral microbiome test to identify potential oral health issues

Affordable agricultural genetic testing

Simplifies insurance processes for health plans

Plant-based supplements to support overall health

Wearable EEG to monitor for strokes in the community

Retail dental health services

Cancer therapeutics modeled from the immune system

Enzyme supplements to support gut health

Making growth factors and enzymes for food and healthcare using insects

AI-powered, non-invasive diagnostic tools

Drugs targeting previously "undruggable" transcription factors

Behavior improvement app that helps children build positive habits

Digital mental health platform for women