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CRV<\/a>, an early-stage venture firm that made headlines last year for its stance<\/a> on then-candidate Donald Trump\u2019s campaign, is looking to get out a new (non-political) message: It\u2019s diving more deeply into the business of AI-driven biotech.<\/p>\n The move comes years after some other venture firms have taken a deep dive into biotech, including\u00a0True Ventures<\/a> and Andreessen Horowitz<\/a>. But CRV general partner George Zachary would argue that CRV\u2019s timing is pretty good, given both the burgeoning\u00a0opportunity and the potential\u00a0outcomes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Consider that late last year, Stanford researchers trained a computer to identify images of skin cancer moles and lesions as accurately as a dermatologist<\/a>. Entrepreneur and computer scientist Sebastian Thrun\u00a0\u2014 who was\u00a0involved in the project as an adjunct professor in the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory\u00a0\u2014\u00a0told us earlier this year that the researchers are forming a startup around their findings. (Natch.)<\/p>\n Another young company, Viz<\/a>,\u00a0is applying deep learning to ultrasounds, which typically require either a radiologist or other technician\u2019s expertise\u00a0(which can translate into a long wait for anxious patients). More specifically, Viz\u2019s\u00a0software compares ultrasounds\u00a0with millions of other images and videos, ostensibly empowering primary care physicians to interpret the images and quickly take action.<\/p>\n And these are but two in a sea of examples that range from cancer screening<\/a> to blood testing<\/a> to human microbiome<\/a>-focused startups (which alone number in the\u00a0dozens<\/a>).<\/p>\n What finally captured CRV\u2019s interest? In part, it was personal, says Zachary, who had his own health scare several years ago when a large tumor was detected near his hip. For weeks, doctors thought he had sarcoma;\u00a0they later discovered he did not, but today\u2019s more advanced testing would have saved him a month\u2019s worth of anguish.<\/p>\n Zachary doesn\u2019t say so, but likely institutional investors see the same opportunity that VCs have spied, too, and CRV\u00a0closed its most recent fund with $393 million<\/a> in 2014. You\u2019d expect that it might raise another fund in 2017 (if it\u2019s not actively in the market already); you might also expect that some focus on biotech might elicit even more enthusiasm from\u00a0those investors.<\/p>\n For what it\u2019s worth, Zachary \u2014 whose\u00a0past investments include the enterprise social network Yammer (acquired<\/a> in 2012), the genealogy-focused social networking platform Geni (also acquired<\/a> in 2012) and the education platform Udacity<\/a> (co-founded by Thrun) \u2014 says CRV doesn\u2019t plan to create a separate fund around advanced bioengineering. But he says that going forward, it will be his focus exclusively.<\/p>\n \u201cIt took me awhile to figure this out,\u201d he says. But \u201clike something staring me in the face,\u201d he finally decided to \u201cput my work behind my passion.\u201d<\/p>\n Founders, take note.<\/p>\n Featured Image: Bryce Durbin\/TechCrunch<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/dna-basket1.png?w=680\")
CRV, an early-stage venture firm that made headlines last year for its stance on then-candidate Donald Trump’s campaign, is looking to get out a new (non-political) message: It’s diving more deeply into the business of AI-driven biotech. Read More<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/img><\/a>
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