Biotechnology

Early in its existence, IQT began investing in biotechnology, with an emphasis on understanding and developing capabilities that meet the mission needs of its government partners. Building upon these initial investments and insights learned, it established the B.Next team in 2015, which extended its efforts to include managing the threat posed by potential pandemics and understanding the impact of breakthrough technologies in biology and healthcare. Years ahead of theCOVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020, B.Next was prescient in identifying and stressing the importance of early detection of significant public health challenges and identifying technologies needed to better position the US for pandemic preparedness and response.   

The team also designed a biodefense technology architecture that highlighted the need for innovation in multiple areas, including digital-driven surveillance and detection of disease outbreaks, as well as the design, manufacturing, and delivery of vaccines, and the use of synthetic biology to create diagnostics and therapeutics. IQT subsequently invested in a range of startups that, in aggregate, showed what a nascent industrial base for better pandemic preparedness could look like. B.Next also shared its vision of the future for biodefense and the emerging bioeconomy with its government partners and broader audiences through many white papers and articles. 

Today, IQT continues to leverage B.Next’s extensive experience and expertise to make investments in startups whose technologies are strategically important to maintaining and extending the biotechnology and health technology leadership of America and its allies. The rise of bioengineering and biomanufacturing are exciting developments that promise to transform entire industries and to enhance national security, economic prosperity, and global health. B.Next is also exploring the impact that the convergence of biotechnology with AI and other information technologies will have on the next wave of innovation. Its pioneering work will ensure that IQT is at the leading edge of this critical and rapidly evolving technology frontier.

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