Our mission is to help entrepreneurs build market-leading companies

Atlas Venture invests primarily in early stage technology and life sciences businesses in the U.S. and Europe.

We invest more than capital - we also invest our time, expertise, and network in our portfolio companies. Venture capital for us is not just about investing in the "right" companies. It is about partnering with entrepreneurs to make their companies successful.

We bring decades of collective experience transforming new ideas into high-growth global businesses. Since we started in 1980, our Partners have helped build over 300 companies in more than 16 different countries. Since 1995, 47 of our investments have been acquired and more than 40 have gone public, with an aggregate market capitalization in excess of $20 billion. We are currently investing from our seventh fund and manage over $2 billion in capital.

Technology Sector

Our technology team has invested in over 200 innovative and trend-setting companies. We have helped build companies such as Business Objects, Element 14, Omnia Communications, OnDisplay, RightPoint Software, SpeechWorks, Trading Dynamics and Vermeer.

Our investments can be broadly categorized into:

• Components, consisting of advanced building blocks based on technologies including silicon, MEMs, nanotechnology and new materials;
  
  
• Systems, such as enterprise storage and security appliances, networking and wireless systems, alternative energy and cleantech, and consumer electronics devices that are created from components and software;
  
  
• Software such as business applications, infrastructure, and tools. We also invest in software for vertical industries like communications, healthcare and consumer markets;
  
  
• Services for businesses and consumers, typically on the Internet, and including eCommerce and digital media.

Life Sciences Sector

Our life sciences team has been an early investor in over 95 biotechnology companies. We actively manage 32 of these companies today while making new investments in drug discovery and biotechnology.

Nineteen of our investments have gone public, with an aggregate market capitalization in excess of $11 billion, and include companies such as Actelion Pharmaceuticals (SWX: ATLN.ZUR); Alnylam (NASDAQ: ALNY); Anadys (NASDAQ: ANDS); Crucell (NASDAQ: CRXL); deCODE genetics (NASDAQ: DCGN); Exelixis (NASDAQ: EXEL); Helicos (NASDAQ: HLCS); Momenta (NASDAQ: MNTA); Morphosys (Frankfurt: MOR); Nitromed (NASDAQ: NTMD); NxStage (NASDAQ: NXTM); Renovo (LSE: RNVO) and SGX Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SGXP).

We typically invest in:

• Product companies with clinical candidates or molecules in the clinic;
  
  
• Drug discovery companies with best in class technologies to accelerate and improve lead generation and optimization, make new targets accessible to drug intervention, shorten the path to the clinic or change the overall cost equation;
  
  
• Select medical device, technology and tool companies.