Geoff Beattie’s Story
The T1D Fund
In 2016, a group of JDRF volunteers identified that a lack of life sciences venture capital investment in type 1 diabetes (T1D) was one of the biggest roadblocks to progress toward a cure. To overcome that obstacle, JDRF created the T1D Fund – a combination of venture capital and philanthropy focused solely on accelerating the development of commercial products and therapies for T1D.
Curing disease demands the cooperation of a mosaic of constituents. Five years ago, we were missing a critical piece of the puzzle.
When donors back this fund, their investments support companies with a focus on drugs, devices, diagnostic tools and other health solutions with applications to T1D. The T1D Fund chooses companies that can make the greatest clinical impact on T1D – leading to better disease management and potential cures.
The T1D Fund is now the largest single-disease focused venture philanthropy fund in the world. In just four years, our Fund and its alongside venture capital have invested an incredible $500 million in T1D programs. The number of companies working on T1D therapies has grown from just a handful to more than 30 pharmaceutical and biotech companies – backed by more than 85 donors worldwide and 30+ venture capital and biotech funders. It has also led to several exciting developments in T1D and major acquisitions of T1D Fund-backed startups.
Other T1D Fund-backed companies are trialing exciting potential new therapies. The T1D Fund model is working, and so in 2020, the foundation was laid to include this unique concept in JDRF Canada’s Campaign To Accelerate with a goal to raise $10 million for the T1D Fund. Two long-standing lead volunteers, Terry Jackson and Geoff Beattie stepped up to Co-Chair this initiative. Together with their families, they also become the first Canadian investors in the T1D Fund.
“When it comes to diabetes, the search for a cure can feel slow,” says Geoff, whose daughter was diagnosed at age 4. “But I focus on the progress of the last 20 years, and know that as the pace of understanding grows, a cure may well be within sight. The T1D Fund is a unique proposition to accelerate commercialization in type 1 diabetes products, combining JDRF’s global research expertise with a world-class fund management team. I feel strongly that this will be a key initiative that will shorten the race to find the cure.”
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