Founded in 2016, Samsara BioCapital is a prominent venture capital firm headquartered in Palo Alto, California, specializing in investments in the life sciences, oncology, and digital healthcare sectors. The firm provides comprehensive capital support throughout the entire risk cycle for both private and public companies.
Dr. Srinivas Akkaraju serves as the Founder and Managing General Partner at Samsara BioCapital. Previously, from April 2013 to February 2016, he held the position of General Partner at Sofinnova Ventures, followed by a tenure as Managing Director at New Leaf Venture Partners from January 2009 to April 2013. Before that, he co-founded Panorama Capital and was a Partner at J.P. Morgan Partners. Dr. Akkaraju began his career in business and corporate development at Genentech, Inc. He holds an MD and a PhD in Immunology from Stanford University, complemented by undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry and Computer Science from Rice University. Dr. Akkaraju is actively involved in the boards of several biotech companies.
Mike Dybbs has been a Partner at Samsara since its inception in 2017. He plays a pivotal role in overseeing various portfolio companies, including Delfi Diagnostics, Enara Bio, Fluent, Ionpath, Nkarta Therapeutics (NKTX), and Sutro (STRO). Prior to joining Samsara, Mike was a Partner at New Leaf Venture Partners, where he served on the boards of companies like Versartis, Dimension Therapeutics, and Principia. His extensive background includes leadership roles at the Boston Consulting Group, focusing on healthcare strategy. Mike holds an A.B. in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University and a PhD in Molecular Biology from UC Berkeley.
Samsara BioCapital manages discretionary assets totaling $1,622,845,390 for 3 clients, as reported in their Form ADV dated March 2024. Their Q1 2024 13F filing disclosed $646,373,019 in managed 13F securities, with a top 10 holdings concentration of 76.2%. Their largest holding is Scholar Rock Holding Corp, with 6,788,609 shares held.