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Breakout Ventures

Last updated: 2025-08-02 10:49:27

Breakout Ventures
Breakout Ventures
FormerlyBreakout Labs
Founded2012
FounderPeter Thiel
Headquarters38 Mesa St.,
San Francisco, CA
ParentThiel Foundation
Websitebreakout.vc

Breakout Ventures, formerly Breakout Labs,[1] is a venture capital firm affiliated with the Thiel Foundation (a philanthropic organization created by Peter Thiel).[2]

Breakout Labs issued convertible grants[3] for early-stage commercialization of scientific research that was considered too speculative or long-term to interest the for-profit sector (such as angel investors and venture capitalists) but may have been unsuitable for traditional sources of funding for scientific research due to its radical or offbeat nature.[4] Grants were made through a competitive application and selection process.[5]

History

Breakout Labs was launched in November 2011.[6]

In 2016, Breakout Ventures was created.[7]

In 2017, its debut fund was closed with US$60.1 million in commitments.[8]

In December 2021, its second fund was oversubcribed with US$112.5 million in commitments.[9]

Recipients

Breakout Labs announced its first batch of grantees on April 17, 2012,[10] its second batch of grantees on August 15, 2012,[11] and its third batch of grantees in April 2013.[12] In total, Breakout Labs made 50 investments before winding down the program in 2021:[13]

The firm focuses on biotech with a mix of hardware. Its partners include Founders Fund, Formation 8, OATV, Lux Capital, Khosla Ventures among others.[14] Some of its recent investments include Noetik (cancer treatment),[15] Cytovale (medical diagnostics),[16] Passkey Therapeutics (synergistic multifunctional therapeutics),[17] Corpernic Catalysts (catalysts for ammonia production),[18] EnPlusOne Biosciences (RNA therapeutics),[19] Phantom Neuro (neurotechnology).[20]

Media coverage

The announcement of Breakout Labs (October 2011), as well as the announcements of its first batch of grantees (April 2012), received considerable media attention.[21] The first and second batches of grantees were covered by TechCrunch.[22][23] Breakout Labs was also covered in Nature[24] and Scientific American.[25]

References

  1. ↑ Loizos, Connie (2017-09-14). "Breakout Ventures, spun out of Peter Thiel's Breakout Labs, has closed its debut fund with $60M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  2. ↑ Loizos, Connie (2021-12-10). "Breakout Ventures has a new, $112.5 million fund, backed by Tony Fadell, Chris Sacca and others". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  3. ↑ Parthasarathy, Hemai; Fishburne, Lindy (2015). "Philanthropy's role in translating scientific innovation". Nature Biotechnology. 33 (10): 1022–1025. doi:10.1038/nbt.3369. ISSN 1087-0156.
  4. ↑ "About Us page on Breakout Labs". Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  5. ↑ "FAQs page on Breakout Labs". Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  6. ↑ "Thiel Foundation's Breakout Labs Announces Newest Grants at the Intersection of Biology and Advanced Technologies | Fierce Biotech". www.fiercebiotech.com. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  7. ↑ "Breakout Ventures Announces Close of $112.5M Fund II". 9 December 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  8. ↑ Loizos, Connie (14 September 2017). "Breakout Ventures, spun out of Peter Thiel's Breakout Labs, has closed its debut fund with $60M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  9. ↑ "Breakout Ventures closes USD112.5m Fund II - Private Equity Wire". 10 December 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  10. ↑ "Breakout Labs Announces First Grantees". Breakout Labs. 2012-04-17. Archived from the original on 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  11. ↑ "Thiel Foundation's Breakout Labs Announces Newest Grants at the Intersection of Biology and Advanced Technologies". Breakout Labs. 2012-08-15. Archived from the original on 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  12. ↑ Cutler, Kim-Mai (2013-04-17). "Peter Thiel's Breakout Labs Funds "Nanostraws" And A Siri-Like Natural Language Processing Startup". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2013-04-17.
  13. ↑ "Peter Thiel's 'audacious' early-stage science Breakout Labs fund is winding down". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  14. ↑ "Breakout Labs looking for robots that can change the world". Robohub. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  15. ↑ Dorbian, Iris (29 August 2024). "Biotech firm Noetik fetches $40m Series A". Venture Capital Journal. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  16. ↑ "Cytovale Completes $100 Million Series D Funding to Accelerate Commercial Expansion of its Rapid Sepsis Solution". www.prnewswire.com. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  17. ↑ "Passkey Therapeutics Raises $20M in Funding". FinSMEs. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  18. ↑ "Copernic Catalysts Closes $8M Seed Prime Led by Breakout Ventures to Scale Its Transformational Catalyst for Sustainable Ammonia Production". 12 November 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  19. ↑ Bluemner, Paul (21 February 2025). "EnPlusOne Biosciences Raises $10M Financing". citybiz. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  20. ↑ Lunden, Ingrid (15 April 2025). "Phantom Neuro grabs $19M to help amputees put their phantom limbs to use". TechCrunch.
  21. ↑ "News page on Breakout Labs website". Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  22. ↑ Tsotsis, Alexia (2012-04-17). "Peter Thiel's Breakout Labs Awards $350K Each To Six Ambitious Biotech Startups". TechCrunch.
  23. ↑ Cutler, Kim-Mai (2012-08-15). "Breakout Labs Grantees". TechCrunch.
  24. ↑ "PayPal co-founder's Breakout Labs issues first grants".
  25. ↑ "Breakout Labs – a new model for funding science and technology".

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