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Alafi Capital
Alafi Capital is a private venture capital firm that has been active in healthcare investing for over 25 years. The firm considers early and mid-stage...
Alafi Capital
Alafi Capital is a private venture capital firm that has been active in healthcare investing for over 25 years. The firm considers early and mid-stage investments in the U.S. and Europe, focusing on product-oriented biotechnology, life science technologies, imaging and diagnostics, and medical devices. Alafi Capital has made 48 investments, including past successes such as Amgen and Biogen, and has 14 portfolio exits, including Bolt Threads.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
1999
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
San Francisco
Corporate office
San Francisco, CA, United States
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who makes investment decisions at Alafi Capital?
Christopher Alafi, who holds a PhD in molecular and cell biology from UC Berkeley, and his father Moshe Alafi jointly manage the firm. Investment decisions rely on Christopher Alafi's scientific training combined with Moshe Alafi's five decades of venture experience in biotechnology. The firm has not publicly disclosed a broader investment committee structure.
What is the relationship between Alafi Capital and the early biotech industry?
Moshe Alafi was a founding figure in biotechnology venture capital, co-founding one of the sector's first dedicated funds and serving as an early backer of Amgen and Applied Biosystems. Alafi Capital represents an extension of that legacy, with Christopher Alafi carrying forward the family's specialization in science-driven, early-stage investing. This historical positioning gives the firm a deep network within academic research institutions and biotech ecosystems.
Does Alafi Capital invest outside of biotechnology?
While biotechnology and life sciences form the historical core of the Alafi portfolio, the firm has also selectively backed enterprise software and AI/ML companies with biological or healthcare applications. The unifying thread is technical complexity and scientific defensibility, not a single industry category. The team's primary competence remains at the intersection of biology and engineering.
How does Alafi Capital source its deals?
The firm's deal flow is heavily relationship-driven, leveraging generational ties to University of California campuses, particularly UC Berkeley and UCSF, as well as Stanford. Moshe Alafi's reputation as a biotech venture pioneer provides access to seasoned scientific founders, while Christopher Alafi's PhD background enables credible technical evaluation of early-stage research. This dual-pronged sourcing has sustained the firm without a large business development function.
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