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Third Rock Ventures

About

When we founded the firm in 2007, our imaginations were on fire with the possibility of translating scientific discoveries to breakthrough medicines. Could we finally find cures for cancer? Would we be able to diagnose diseases before they even appear? How far could we go in restoring hope and quality of life to patients with incurable conditions? We dared to believe that nothing was impossible. To achieve what hadn’t been done before, we created a process that hadn’t been done before. By starting with big ideas and fostering collaboration among brilliant people with expertise in science, medicine, business and strategy, we set out to do more than fund startups – we aim to build sustainable, innovative companies that can transform the lives of patients.

Discover

Our Discovery effort is a collaborative and iterative process. We look for emerging fields of science and medicine where the time is right for us to bring transformative change to areas of unmet medical need. Working with leading scientific founders and expert advisors, we then develop a clear vision and strategy for a company with the patient front and center. With 12 years and over 50 companies worth of experience, we have created an industry-leading and differentiated approach to bring breakthrough science to patients.

Launch

Once a company concept has been refined and optimized through our Discovery process, we Launch the company with the necessary financial, technical and human resources to enable it to reach milestones critical for its growth and success. We become active members of the company’s leadership team, serving in interim roles to ensure the execution of the company’s R&D strategy, and to build a world-class team that shares the company’s scientific vision. Importantly, we work to establish a dynamic and innovative culture at launch where the growing team has a unified passion and commitment to make a difference in the lives of patients.

Build

Next, we Build on that foundation. We transition out of our interim roles and establish experienced and motivated management teams. As board members and domain experts, we work with these teams for as long as is needed to relentlessly execute on the strategy, bringing whatever resources are required from within the firm to deliver on our commitment to patients. An important element is the work we do to cultivate future partnerships and drive value creating transactions. Our companies also have access to our Beyond Great learning community, which provides peer-to-peer networking for leaders across the portfolio as well as tools and resources focused on shared elements of building successful and sustainable companies.

Transform

Our companies are now bringing products to patients – Transforming their lives, and the lives of their families. Third Rock portfolio companies have now launched 16 products. It is this that we are most proud of, as it means we are delivering on our mission of creating great companies that discover and develop products that make a difference for the patients we serve.

Mission & Core Values

Third Rock's mission is to be the preferred partner for entrepreneurs, investors, employees and industry to build great companies that discover and develop products that make a difference for the patients we serve.

  • Integrity: always do the right thing
  • Attitude: nothing is impossible
  • Patients: making a difference through breakthroughs in medicine
  • Partners: make them raving fans
  • Organization: great people, great culture, great accomplishments
  • Entrepreneurs: passionately innovate, found, build, have fun

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