# Petri

Petri is a Private Equity based in Boston, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Private Equity
- **Headquarters:** Boston, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Boston, MA, United States
- **Founded:** 2019
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** www.petri.bio
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/petribio

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Petri develops companies attacking the world’s largest problems at the frontier of biology and engineering. | Petri is a new approach for funding formation-stage startups at the intersection of biology and engineering.

## Sectors

- Biotech
- AI/ML
- ClimateTech
- AgriTech & FoodTech

## People

- Tony Kulesa — Co-founder
- Jamie Goldstein — Co-founder
- Russ Wilcox — Co-founder

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Petri?

Tony Kulesa serves as the primary operating principal and leads investment decisions alongside co-founders Jamie Goldstein and Russ Wilcox. The three collectively manage the firm's pipeline and portfolio support, with Kulesa acting as the main interface for founders in the program.

### How does Petri source proprietary deal flow?

Petri sources through its own community-building programs — Frequency Bio, virtual summits, and the Petri Podcast — which act as top-of-funnel engines attracting bioengineering PhDs, postdocs, and early-career scientists. The firm's connection to Pillar VC and Boston's university ecosystem provides additional proprietary access to talent before they formally enter venture markets.

### Is Petri structured as a venture capital firm or a studio?

Petri operates as a hybrid: a pre-seed venture firm with a studio-like support layer. Unlike traditional biotech VCs that invest and observe, Petri embeds founders in a structured program offering mentorship, customer introductions, talent recruiting, and intellectual property guidance alongside capital. This makes it functionally closer to a company builder than a conventional fund.

### What investment stages does Petri target?

Petri exclusively targets pre-seed companies. The firm works with founders at the earliest stage — often before incorporation — to develop scientific ideas into fundable companies, covering the gap between academic research and institutional seed rounds.

### How is Petri related to Pillar VC?

Petri was co-founded and is funded by Pillar VC, a Boston-based venture firm whose partners include the CEOs of Exact Sciences, Ginkgo Bioworks, and Iora Health. Petri draws on Pillar's operator network and resources but operates as a distinct entity focused exclusively on pre-seed bioengineering.

## Related profiles

- [Petraville Asset Management](https://altss.com/profile/petraville-asset-management)
- [Petrichor Healthcare Capital Management](https://altss.com/profile/petrichor-healthcare-capital-management)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/petri

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