EVPI

EVPI

EVPI is the private investment entity for Dr. Uma Valeti, a cardiologist-turned-founder who launched UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) in 2015. UPSIDE became the first cultivated-meat company to receive FDA clearance in the United States, attracting backing from Cargill, Tyson, Bill Gates, and Richard Branson. EVPI — the initials derived from Valeti’s personal mission — operates as a single-family office split between Cleveland and San Francisco, reflecting a dual footprint in the Midwest and Bay Area. EVPI allocates across early-stage venture, growth equity, and select public-market positions, with a concentration in biotechnology, food systems, and frontier hardware. The firm's mandate extends beyond alternative proteins into synthetic biology, computational health, and industrial decarbonization. Known co-investments and portfolio relationships include firms operating in cell-based manufacturing and AI-driven drug discovery, though specific positions remain largely private. The office constructs its portfolio primarily through direct deals and select fund commitments, leveraging Valeti’s network from the cultivated-meat fundraising circuit — which pulled in over $600 million across UPSIDE's rounds. The team size and total deployment remain undisclosed. The San Francisco presence places EVPI near the Bay Area venture ecosystem, while the Cleveland office anchors the firm in the Midwest's growing biomanufacturing corridor, where both supply-chain and talent advantages have drawn several UPSIDE alumni ventures. Philanthropic activity, if any, has not been separated into a named foundation. No recent vehicle launches or structural changes have been publicly announced. EVPI's structural differentiator is its concentration of both scientific and founder-operating experience inside a family-office wrapper. Valeti, as a former Mayo Clinic cardiologist, operates with clinical rigor in diligence, and his experience taking UPSIDE through FDA pre-market consultation gives the office a regulatory fluency rare among early-stage life-sciences allocators.