Johnny Hu, Ph.D.
PrincipalBio + Healthcare
As a principal at Menlo Ventures, Johnny invests in biotech and life science companies with a focus on novel therapeutics and new technologies for improving medical outcomes. He has firsthand experience working at the bench on engineering new tools for the clinic. While completing his Ph.D., Johnny helped develop gene editing technologies that were licensed by companies such as Editas Medicine (NASDAQ: EDIT) and Beam Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BEAM). He is excited about partnering with founders at the beginning of the company journey to translate groundbreaking science into new medicines.
Prior to Menlo, Johnny was a vice president at Longitude Capital, where he made several investments in early-stage biotech companies. He was a board observer at Lexeo Therapeutics, Endeavor Biomedicines, and Opna IO, and was on the investment team for Amunix Pharmaceuticals. Before Longitude, he was an associate at Omega Funds, where he worked on the firm’s investment in Nuvation Bio (NYSE: NUVB).
Johnny received his Ph.D. from Harvard University as a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellow and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. He holds an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates Cambridge Scholar, and an A.B., summa cum laude, in Chemical and Physical Biology from Harvard. He relishes the opportunity to continue learning from innovators and to explore new science.
After 14 years in Boston, Johnny now lives with his wife in Seattle, where you can find him road and gravel biking, as well as hiking the Pacific Northwest terrain.
Supported by: Lauren Etienne, [email protected]
As a principal at Menlo Ventures, Johnny invests in biotech and life science companies with a focus on novel therapeutics and new technologies for improving medical outcomes. He has firsthand experience working at the bench on engineering new tools for the clinic. While completing his Ph.D., Johnny helped develop gene editing technologies that were licensed by companies such as Editas Medicine (NASDAQ: EDIT) and Beam Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BEAM). He is excited about partnering with founders at the beginning of the company journey to translate groundbreaking science into new medicines.
Prior to Menlo, Johnny was a vice president at Longitude Capital, where he made several investments in early-stage biotech companies. He was a board observer at Lexeo Therapeutics, Endeavor Biomedicines, and Opna IO, and was on the investment team for Amunix Pharmaceuticals. Before Longitude, he was an associate at Omega Funds, where he worked on the firm’s investment in Nuvation Bio (NYSE: NUVB).
Johnny received his Ph.D. from Harvard University as a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellow and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. He holds an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates Cambridge Scholar, and an A.B., summa cum laude, in Chemical and Physical Biology from Harvard. He relishes the opportunity to continue learning from innovators and to explore new science.
After 14 years in Boston, Johnny now lives with his wife in Seattle, where you can find him road and gravel biking, as well as hiking the Pacific Northwest terrain.
Supported by: Lauren Etienne, [email protected]
Investments
Our Portfolio
Opna Bio a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel oncology therapeutics.
Milestones
- 2021 → Founded
- 2021 → Partnered, Series A
Partner
Vilya is creating a novel class of medicines to treat disease targets inside cells, leveraging its proprietary AI engine to design for drug-like properties and ultimately generate new drug candidates.
Milestones
- 2022 → Founded
- 2023 → Partnered, Series A
Partner
