Woodline Partners

Woodline Partners is a San Francisco-based investment firm with a primary focus on the healthcare and technology sectors, particularly known for its significant activity in biotechnology. Unlike traditional private equity firms that primarily engage in buyouts, Woodline operates as a "crossover" fund, actively investing in both public and private companies. This hybrid approach allows them to support promising businesses across various stages of their growth, from late-stage private rounds through their public market journey. The firm emphasizes a strategy rooted in deep fundamental research and a long-term investment horizon, aiming to partner with exceptional management teams to build market-leading businesses.

The firm's investment philosophy is geared towards identifying companies with strong potential for sustained growth and market leadership. Their portfolio showcases a clear preference for capital-intensive sectors like biotech, where they have participated in substantial funding rounds. For instance, Woodline was a key investor in Sana Biotechnology, participating in a massive $700 million Series A round in 2020, followed by a $350 million Series B later that year. This indicates their capacity and willingness to deploy significant capital into high-growth, innovative companies that require substantial funding to scale their operations and research.

Given their status as a multi-billion dollar investment firm, Woodline Partners typically deploys substantial capital in their private investments. While they are not known for leading early-stage seed or Series A rounds, they are significant participants in later-stage growth equity rounds for companies nearing or preparing for public market entry. Their typical first check size for private companies generally ranges from approximately $25 million to $150 million, reflecting their role as a major institutional investor in large, syndicated rounds. For example, they also participated in Recursion Pharmaceuticals' $436 million Series F round in 2021, further illustrating their commitment to substantial, later-stage investments in the life sciences.