• Fund starting with $3.5 million of commitments; targeting $20 million
• Venture Philanthropy model to transform the therapeutic development landscape for disease category impacting more than 20 million people

NEW YORK National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF), the leading global organization funding inheritable blood disorders research, education, and community advocacy, today announced the launch of Pathway to Cures (P2C), a new venture philanthropy investment fund focused on creating transformational impact across all inheritable blood disorders. Investing alongside and partnering with traditional private capital funds and other industry organizations, P2C will spur the development of inheritable blood disorder therapies, treatments, and technologies, changing the lives of the inheritable blood disorders community.

P2C is being launched as an open-ended fund with an initial $3.5 million commitment from the NHF as it begins fundraising and partnership outreach to raise $20 million over the next several years as it invests in companies that demonstrate significant potential for transformational impact for the inheritable blood disorders community.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to use impact investing to innovate disease philanthropy and advance cures for inheritable blood disorders,” said Teri Willey, who will be joining NHF as the Managing Director at P2C. “We believe there is a significant untapped investment opportunity and unmet need for supporting biotech companies in the clinical development of inheritable blood disorders therapies regardless of the indication or the size of the affected population.”

One of the critical components of P2C’s investment strategy is attracting outside private capital from traditional venture capital funds to invest alongside the Fund and fill the early-stage funding gap that has been a major roadblock to development of therapies available for treating inheritable blood disorders thus far. P2C offers the unique competitive advantage of its team’s deep expertise in inheritable blood disorders research, coupled with access to NHF’s strong relationships with leading scientific research organizations and clinical experts. This will help P2C to identify the best and highest-impact investment opportunities and, in –turn, reduce risk for its private capital partners (many of which may not otherwise have access to these resources). Governed separately from NHF, P2C will have an investment committee comprised of experienced life sciences investors and an independent scientific advisory board. P2C’s Willey has over 35 years of experience commercializing early-stage research results. Most recently, she was a founding Managing Director of IU Ventures’ Indiana Philanthropic Venture Fund.

The global inheritable blood disorders treatment market is worth 14.04 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to 20.61 billion by 2027, according to Marketdataforecast.com.

According to Willey, this market data is incomplete and only looks at treatments for the three disorders with the highest prevalence, and it doesn’t account for the hundreds of other inheritable blood disorders that exist and can’t be treated. “This to us signals a significant unmet need and investment opportunity,” she says.

Ms. Willey brings a deep understanding of life sciences to her role at P2C, having served as Vice President of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, as well as Vice President for Technology and Business Development for the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Prior to life sciences, Ms. Willey successfully founded three venture capital funds affiliated with academic institutions including, Indiana University, the University of Cambridge in England, and the University of Chicago. Ms. Willey graduated from the University of Idaho and received her MBA from Indiana State University.

“NHF has done an amazing job catalyzing inheritable blood disorders research and awareness,” said Kevin Mills, Chief Scientific Officer at NHF and Head of P2C’s scientific advisory board, adding, “P2C will work in support of NHF’s overarching mission of a world without inheritable blood disorders as we create and accelerate the pathway for new life-changing therapies and treatments.”

As a venture philanthropy vehicle, P2C’s fund allows any realized gains from investment to be recycled back into the Fund for re-investment, magnifying the impact of donor dollars in as many high-quality opportunities as possible.

Inheritable blood disorders is a category consisting of a wide range of disorders caused by any mutation in the clotting cascade of arteries that affects the normal properties of blood. The impact on those living with these disorders can range from benign to severe, and currently there are more than 20 million people living with inheritable blood disorders that have no cures, many of which don’t have an approved option for treatment, according to the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine.

“P2C will address global unmet needs and generate the greatest impact for the most people in the shortest time possible,” added Lenard Valentino, Chief Executive Officer and President of NHF, adding that “NHF will continue in its role as the global leader in inheritable blood disorder research and community advocacy.”

P2C is currently in discussions for investment opportunities with the goal of investing capital in 2023. Potential partners, investors and donors can get more information by visiting www.pathwaytocures.org or contacting Renee Peck at rpeck@pathwaytocures.org.

About P2C

Pathway to Cures (P2C) is a venture philanthropy fund created specifically to accelerate the development of cures across all inheritable blood disorders. As a flexible partner working collaboratively with other organizations, P2C makes investments in innovative therapies, and technologies, leveraging the deep resources and scientific community relationships of its parent organization, the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF). By reinvesting proceeds from investments back into the Fund, P2C will amplify our impact by supporting the progress of promising companies and building a deep and diverse portfolio of investments that further our mission. For more information, please visit pathwaytocures.org.

About NHF

The National Hemophilia Foundation is dedicated to finding better treatments and cures for inheritable bleeding disorders and to preventing the complications of these disorders through education, advocacy and research. Its programs and initiatives are made possible through the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations as well as through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For more information, please visit hemophilia.org.

Media Contacts:
Renee Peck
Pathway to Cures
rpeck@pathwaytocures.org
212-328-3790