BEVC

BEVC Research

Investment Thesis

BEVC (BEVC Management, LLC) is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2023 by three PhD scientist-investors: Rowan Chapman, Widya Mulyasasmita, and Risa Stack. The firm invests in pioneers transforming cutting-edge science into disruptive companies, backing technical founders who are translating breakthroughs born in academia into startups that scale to impact in enterprises. BEVC describes its core values as "Be Bold, Be Exceptional, Be Visionary, Be Credible." The firm is based in Berkeley, California and positions itself as the preferred early investor for the UC Berkeley and UCSF innovation ecosystems, working closely with Bakar-funded initiatives including Bakar Labs (powered by QB3), the Bakar Fellows program, ImmunoX, the Bakar Aging Research Institute/geroscience program, the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, and BIDMAP.

Sector Focus

BEVC invests across two thematic pillars:

• Health — AI-native platforms and molecular design that speed discovery, enhance diagnosis, and optimize therapeutics; platforms engineering molecular therapeutics; computationally enabled discovery and diagnostics; software advancing research, diagnostics, therapeutics, and healthcare operations; and technologies that reduce cost and bring treatments closer to patients.
• Energy & Materials — materials-enabled solutions supporting an electrified economy and industrial decarbonization; disruptive AI and quantum technologies maximizing compute efficiency; platforms optimizing synthetic chemistry pathways; and engineered or nature-based solutions reducing GHG footprint and increasing environmental resilience.

In August 2024, BEVC filed with the SEC to raise a dedicated $25M climate-focused fund, extending its original life sciences focus into planetary health and deep tech/materials.

Stage Focus

BEVC invests at Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A.

Check Size

No specific check-size range is published on the firm's website or in available press coverage; typical rounds cited (e.g., $12M–$20M seed and seed-extension rounds) suggest participation as one of several investors rather than disclosed lead check sizes.

Lead Tendency

Not clearly established from public sources. BEVC has been listed alongside other institutional investors (e.g., Blue Venture Fund, Sandbox Clinical Ventures, Playground Global, venBio, MRL Ventures Fund) in portfolio company rounds, suggesting a syndicate-participant posture at least as often as a lead role.

Recent Activity

BEVC's first two investments (early 2024) were in life sciences companies Radar Therapeutics and Insamo. Since then, its eight portfolio companies have continued to raise capital and hit milestones through 2025 and into 2026, including Montara Therapeutics' $20M oversubscribed seed expansion (March 2025), Addition Therapeutics' $100M funding round (December 2025), and PinkDx's upsized Series A second close (January 2025), which added BEVC as a new investor alongside Blue Venture Fund and Sandbox Clinical Ventures.

Portfolio Highlights

BEVC's eight disclosed portfolio companies span both thematic pillars:

• Addition Therapeutics — RNA-only genetic medicines that "PRINT" genetic elements at safe harbor sites
• AIMATX — AI-powered discovery and synthesis of breakthrough materials
• Dextera Biosciences — synthetic D-protein drugs overcoming limits of conventional antibodies
• Insamo Therapeutics — oral macrocyclic peptide drugs enabled by AI/ML and a trillion-molecule display library
• Khemia Metals — earth-abundant alloys replacing critical metals for lighter, cheaper, more sustainable batteries
• Montara Therapeutics — brain-selective therapies for neurological diseases (BrainOnly platform)
• PinkDx — non-invasive diagnostics for women's health conditions
• Radar Therapeutics — precision therapeutics built on smart mRNA logic

Team

• Rowan Chapman, Ph.D. — Co-Founder; formerly partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures, global head of healthcare investing at GE Ventures, and head of innovation at Johnson & Johnson
• Widya Mulyasasmita, Ph.D. — Co-Founder and Managing Partner; formerly senior principal at B Capital Group, founding investment team at Red Tree VC, and Chief Business Officer at InterVenn
• Risa Stack, Ph.D. — Co-Founder; formerly partner at Kleiner Perkins, co-founded Veracyte and Menlo Micro, and worked at RA Capital and GE Ventures
• Joshua James, Ph.D. — Investor
• David Schaffer, Ph.D. — Founding Advisor; executive director of UC Berkeley's QB3 and director of the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub
• Marianne Wu, Ph.D. — Venture Partner
• Jocelyne Cooke — CFO (fractional); formerly CFO at DCVC and VP of Finance/Controller at Venrock

Advisors include Nobel laureates Carolyn Bertozzi and Jennifer Doudna, along with Mike Biddle, Jennifer Chayes, Christina Curtis, Regis Kelly, Joshua Posamentier, Robert Tjian, and Greg Went.

Decision Process

BEVC operates as a partnership among its three co-founders, supported by a fractional CFO and a deep advisory bench rather than a single decision-maker.

Founder Preferences

BEVC backs technical, scientist-entrepreneurs who are translating cutting-edge academic research — often from the Berkeley/UCSF ecosystem — into commercial products, valuing creativity and innovation above pedigree alone.

Geographic Focus

BEVC prioritizes the San Francisco Bay Area, reflecting its deep ties to UC Berkeley and UCSF research institutions.