Yosemite, a venture capital firm focused on making cancer non-lethal through a blend of academic philanthropy and for-profit investing, said it has deployed more than $18 million in grants through a donor-advised charitable vehicle since launching in 2023.
The firm said its grantmaking runs in parallel with its venture investing and is aimed at early-stage research that typically precedes traditional investment, positioning philanthropic capital to advance foundational scientific ideas as academic funding becomes more competitive.
Yosemite pointed to preclinical work led by Yale’s Craig Crews as one example of the type of early support it seeks to provide, noting the research contributed to insights that helped lead to the formation of Quarry Thera, a biotech developing small-molecule drugs designed to modulate protein interactions to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases.
A central part of Yosemite’s grant strategy is an ongoing partnership with the American Cancer Society, which the firm described as one of the largest and most established cancer research funders in the U.S. Through the collaboration, the organizations said they annually identify emerging and high-impact research areas based on shared scientific priorities. Yosemite said past focus areas have included artificial intelligence in cancer research, the tumor microenvironment, cancer vaccines, and cancer-targeted toxin delivery, and that awardees in the 2025 American Cancer Society–Yosemite cycle included a mix of newer investigators and established researchers, including Carolyn Bertozzi, Jennifer Doudna, William Kaelin, Kai Wucherpfennig, and Stephen Elledge.
The partnership has also produced early research outcomes, Yosemite said, highlighting a project led by Jeremiah Johnson’s group at MIT that was recently published in Nature Biotechnology and described a next-generation antibody-based drug delivery approach intended to enable each antibody to carry more drug molecules than conventional antibody-drug conjugates, with stronger anti-tumor activity shown in preclinical models of breast and ovarian cancer.
Beyond research grants, Yosemite said it is also supporting healthcare initiatives focused on improving cancer-care delivery at institutions including Mayo Clinic and City of Hope. The firm said these efforts span the cancer care continuum, including work on AI-enabled diagnostic tools, new digital and physiological signals to monitor patient health and predict disease risk, and integrated data and clinical intelligence to inform treatment and care decisions.
Yosemite said it expects philanthropic support to remain increasingly important for foundational research and translational efforts as competition for academic funding continues, and directed interested parties to contact the organization for more information.
KEY QUOTES:
“Academic seed funding is essential to the evolution of cancer care. Our donor-advised fund strategy enables us and our community to support ambitious, foundational work at its earliest stages and help move promising science toward translation.”
Reed Jobs, Founder And Managing Partner, Yosemite
“We are excited to partner with Yosemite for the second year, expanding our ability to fund innovative projects that can have real and practical implications for cancer patients.”
Bill Dahut, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer, American Cancer Society
“This support allowed us to pursue a high-risk, high-reward direction that would have been difficult to fund otherwise. The ACS-Yosemite partnership created the flexibility and momentum needed to move the work quickly from concept to publication.”
Jeremiah Johnson, Researcher, MIT
“This philanthropic investment will advance Mayo Clinic’s work to transform cancer research and care, from early detection through survivorship. We appreciate the support that makes this important work possible.”
Cheryl Willman, M.D., Stephen And Barbara Slaggie Executive Director Of Mayo Clinic Cancer Programs And Director, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center
“A partnership–driven approach aligns with City of Hope’s mission to translate discovery into impact at a national scale. By supporting ambitious and innovative teams in AI, diagnostics, and care delivery, we can accelerate the integration of breakthrough research into everyday clinical practice to the benefit of patients who need lifesaving care today.”
John Carpten, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, City Of Hope, And Director, City Of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
