In August, family offices made 52 direct investments in private companies, with biotechnology startups accounting for approximately 20% of these transactions, according to Fintrx.
Notably, Stanley Druckenmiller's Duquesne Family Office has been particularly active, investing in at least four pharmaceuticals or life sciences companies this year, including a $90 million Series C round for Epicrispr Biotechnologies, which is developing a gene therapy for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.
Druckenmiller emphasized the potential of artificial intelligence in biotech, particularly in drug discovery and diagnostics. Additionally, Jeff Bezos' family office participated in a $188 million Series E funding round for LifeMine Therapeutics, which utilizes AI to develop new drugs from fungal genomes. Bill Gates' venture capital firm also joined this funding round.
Overall, U.S. and European biopharma startups raised $12.6 billion in the first half of 2026, marking a five-year high. However, the trend shows that while funding is increasing for companies with drugs in testing, there is a decline in investments for early-stage startups, reflecting a more cautious approach among investors