About
Leaps by Bayer is the corporate venture capital and strategic impact investment arm of Bayer AG, founded in 2015 to pursue paradigm-shifting breakthroughs in life sciences that address fundamental global challenges. Based in Boston with headquarters support from Leverkusen, Germany, Leaps operates with a distinctive dual mandate: achieving financial returns through acquisition or exit while generating measurable "return on humanity" impact. The firm invests across life sciences, biotechnology, and agriculture, organizing its strategy around ten major global challenges it calls "the Leaps." The organization employs a custom impact measurement framework called WALY to track portfolio company progress against humanitarian outcomes. Investment activity spans early to late stage, with documented Series A investments averaging $48.1 million, Series B averaging $50.4 million, and Series D averaging $114 million. As of late 2024, Leaps had made 136 total investments across approximately 58 active portfolio companies, with 12 documented exits to date. The firm commits significant capital: prior to 2024, Bayer had invested approximately €1.3 billion across more than 50 companies over seven years, with an additional €1.3 billion commitment announced to double the investment pace through 2024. Recent portfolio activity includes participation in Series B rounds for companies like Indapta Therapeutics. Notable verified portfolio companies span drug discovery, therapeutic devices, and clinical services sectors. Leaps targets teams with game-changing science and involves hands-on mentorship and sourcing support. The firm positions acquisitions by Bayer as optimal outcomes, enabling portfolio technologies to reach market impact while validating strategic fit with the parent company's life sciences capabilities. Investors and founders benefit from access to Bayer's global infrastructure, regulatory expertise, and commercial networks alongside traditional venture capital support and board participation.