- Halda Therapeutics acquired by Johnson & Johnson for $3.05 billion – the largest acquisition ever across any therapeutic area for a Phase 1 company
- Scorpion Therapeutics acquired by Eli Lilly for Up to $2.5 billion – one of the highest-value strategic transactions announced in early 2025
- Vigil Neuroscience acquired by Sanofi for a $470 million upfront plus contingent value right (CVR) – advancing a potential breakthrough in Alzheimer’s disease
- Capstan Therapeutics acquired by AbbVie for a record-breaking $2.1 billion – the highest ever for a company with only healthy-volunteer data
- Halda and Capstan each broke industry records in 2025, marking a historic year for Vida and underscoring the firm’s ability to identify breakthrough science and support and scale it from the earliest stages
LOS ANGELES & BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Vida Ventures (“Vida”), a next-generation life sciences venture firm, today announced its fourth major Vida portfolio acquisition of 2025, capping an unprecedented year of strategic exits and reinforcing the firm’s disciplined, science-first approach to company building and investing.
Earlier today, Halda Therapeutics announced its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) for $3.05 billion, marking a historic moment for the Vida III portfolio. Halda’s first-in-class Regulated Induced Proximity TArgeting Chimera (RIPTAC™) platform represents one of the most innovative approaches in cancer therapeutics. Some of the most promising early signals have emerged in patients with advanced prostate cancer who have failed multiple other therapies, a disease area where the Vida team has long-standing expertise, including foundational contributions to Cougar Biotechnology and the development of Zytiga®, a therapy that continues to be a cornerstone of prostate cancer treatment. This transaction now stands as the largest acquisition ever completed across any therapeutic area for a Phase 1 stage company.
In 2025, four Vida-backed companies were acquired by global pharmaceutical leaders focused on developing new treatments for cancer, autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease. In addition to Halda, Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) acquired Scorpion Therapeutics for up to $2.5 billion, adding a next-generation targeted therapy platform to its growing oncology portfolio. Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NASDAQ: SNY) completed its acquisition of Vigil Neuroscience for an upfront of $470 million plus potential CVR payment up to $600 million, advancing a first-in-class TREM2 agonist with the potential to meaningfully impact Alzheimer’s disease. AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) acquired Capstan Therapeutics for a record-breaking $2.1 billion upfront, the highest upfront ever paid for a company with only healthy-volunteer data, underscoring interest for in vivo cell engineering.
Collectively, these outcomes reflect not only the strength of individual portfolio companies, but also Vida’s multi-pillar investment strategy, which combines deep scientific expertise, disciplined capital deployment, and the ability to engage at multiple entry points across the life sciences landscape. From early platform creation, as demonstrated by Capstan and Scorpion, to later-stage conviction investments such as Halda, Vida’s approach is designed to recognize differentiated mechanisms early, support them with technical rigor, and scale value through clinical and strategic inflection points.
“These milestone transactions reinforce the principles upon which we’ve built Vida, putting patients first and backing the science that can truly change their lives,” said Arie Belldegrun, M.D., Founder of Vida Ventures and Senior Managing Director. “When you pair transformative science with disciplined company building and exceptional teams, meaningful value follows. We’re proud of what these companies have achieved, and even more excited about what lies ahead across the portfolio.”
With Halda and Capstan breaking two industry records this year, the largest-ever acquisition of a Phase 1 company and the largest acquisition based solely on Phase 1 healthy-volunteer data, respectively, Vida has delivered one of the sector’s most notable investment years.
“Two record-setting acquisitions in one year – Halda and Capstan – are a powerful validation of our model,” said Rajul Jain, M.D., Managing Director at Vida Ventures. “We focus on mechanisms that can fundamentally change patient outcomes. Halda’s first-in-class RIPTAC™ platform, and Capstan’s pioneering in vivo cell engineering approach, each represent bold science that is now showing early signs of clinical impact in patients. I’ve had the privilege of working closely with both teams, and I’m incredibly proud to see their science advance within global pharmaceutical leaders.”
Vida enters 2026 with strong momentum, a differentiated model, and a diversified portfolio poised to deliver continued clinical progress. As biotech becomes more data-driven and capital-efficient, Vida’s approach, spanning company creation, classic venture, and a venture-like strategy for public opportunities, positions the firm to continue advancing innovative science and enduring value for patients, partners, and investors alike.
About Vida Ventures
Vida Ventures, LLC (“Vida”), founded by Arie Belldegrun, MD, is a next-generation life sciences investment firm comprised of scientists, physicians, entrepreneurs and investors, who are passionate about building and funding breakthroughs in biomedicine. Vida’s mission is to bring science to life and advance transformative biomedical innovations that have the potential to make a meaningful difference for patients. Vida currently has approximately $1.8 billion of capital commitment from blue-chip institutional investors, including top-tier endowments and foundations, sovereign wealth funds, pensions, financial institutions, family offices, fund-of-funds, and high net worth individuals. Vida has offices in Los Angeles, Boston, New York, and Fort Worth and is focused on identifying groundbreaking science and building innovative companies that lead to new areas of drug discovery and development. For more information on Vida Ventures, please visit www.vidaventures.com, on LinkedIn or follow on X @Vida_Ventures.
Contacts
Jean-Philippe Kouakou-Zebouah
Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer
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