# Edward Penhoet

> Edward Penhoet is a Series B investor at Alta Partners backing Biotechnology and Biopharma. See 6 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [Alta Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alta-partners)
- Location: San Francisco, United States
- Total investments: 6
- Last investment: Oct 2013
- Lead investor: 33%
- Last updated: Aug 2026

Edward Penhoet is a Series B investor at Alta Partners in San Francisco focused on Biotechnology and Biopharma. Ed joined Alta in 2000 as a Director and has been full time at Alta since 2008. He currently serves on the board of directors of Immune Design, Metabolex, and Scynexis. A co-founder of Chiron, Ed served as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer from its formation in 1981 until April 1998. He served as Vice-Chair of thegoverning board of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) from 2005 to 2010, and served as the President of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation from 2004 to 2008. Ed was recently appointed to President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). PCAST is an advisory group comprised of 20 of the nation’s leading scientists and engineers who directly advise the President and the Executive Office of the President. PCAST makes policy recommendations in the many areas where understanding of science, technology, and innovation is key to strengthening our economy and forming policy that works for the American people. For 10 years prior to founding Chiron, Ed was a faculty member of the Biochemistry Department of the University of California, Berkeley. Ed is the immediate past Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a member of both the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has co-authored more than 50 scientific articles and papers.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Biotechnology | 2 | 33% |
| Biopharma | 1 | 17% |
| Health Care | 1 | 17% |
| Therapeutics | 1 | 17% |
| Pharmaceutical | 1 | 17% |

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series B | 2 | 33% |
| Series A | 1 | 17% |
| Series C | 1 | 17% |
| Series D | 1 | 17% |
| Series E | 1 | 17% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Immune Design | Immune Design Corp. (IDC) uses breakthrough technology to develop safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics, with emphasis on the prevention and treatment of infectious disease. This goal is being achieved through dedicated research aimed towards a greater understanding of the immune system, and by developing a new generation of immune-basedproducts for the pharmaceutical industry. IDC is passionate about its mission to alleviate human suffering and pursues this goal with high energy and an unsurpassed standard of excellence | $49M | Series C | Oct 30, 2013 |  |
| Immune Design | Immune Design Corp. (IDC) uses breakthrough technology to develop safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics, with emphasis on the prevention and treatment of infectious disease. This goal is being achieved through dedicated research aimed towards a greater understanding of the immune system, and by developing a new generation of immune-basedproducts for the pharmaceutical industry. IDC is passionate about its mission to alleviate human suffering and pursues this goal with high energy and an unsurpassed standard of excellence | $32M | Series B | Jul 26, 2010 |  |
| CymaBay Therapeutics | CymaBay Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company located in the San Francisco Bay Area focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary new medicines for important human diseases. We are committed to developing breakthrough medicines that improve the lives of patients and their families. CymaBay was seeded with theassets from an earlier metabolic disease company in which more than $120M was invested to produce a robust pipeline.Arhalofenate is a novel oral small molecule being developed to treat the approximately 1 million gout patients that flare three or more times per year. Gout flares are painful inflammatory episodes caused by crystals of monosodium urate (MSU) that result from excess serum uric acid (sUA). In three Phase 2 studies in gout patients arhalofenate was shown to reduce the incidence and duration of flares while simultaneously lowering sUA. If confirmed in additional clinical studies, arhalofenate’s dual acting profile would be unique since all other urate lowering therapies paradoxically increase flares as they lower sUA over the first 6 to 12 months of treatment. Increased flares lead many patients to stop or avoid treatment leading to progression of disease with pain and suffering, erosion of joint structure and functionality, lost time from work, and increased healthcare costs. | $8.6M | Series E | Nov 05, 2009 |  |
| Immune Design | Immune Design Corp. (IDC) uses breakthrough technology to develop safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics, with emphasis on the prevention and treatment of infectious disease. This goal is being achieved through dedicated research aimed towards a greater understanding of the immune system, and by developing a new generation of immune-basedproducts for the pharmaceutical industry. IDC is passionate about its mission to alleviate human suffering and pursues this goal with high energy and an unsurpassed standard of excellence | $18M | Series A | Jul 07, 2008 |  |
| CymaBay Therapeutics | CymaBay Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company located in the San Francisco Bay Area focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary new medicines for important human diseases. We are committed to developing breakthrough medicines that improve the lives of patients and their families. CymaBay was seeded with theassets from an earlier metabolic disease company in which more than $120M was invested to produce a robust pipeline.Arhalofenate is a novel oral small molecule being developed to treat the approximately 1 million gout patients that flare three or more times per year. Gout flares are painful inflammatory episodes caused by crystals of monosodium urate (MSU) that result from excess serum uric acid (sUA). In three Phase 2 studies in gout patients arhalofenate was shown to reduce the incidence and duration of flares while simultaneously lowering sUA. If confirmed in additional clinical studies, arhalofenate’s dual acting profile would be unique since all other urate lowering therapies paradoxically increase flares as they lower sUA over the first 6 to 12 months of treatment. Increased flares lead many patients to stop or avoid treatment leading to progression of disease with pain and suffering, erosion of joint structure and functionality, lost time from work, and increased healthcare costs. | $32M | Series D | Apr 19, 2007 |  |
| CymaBay Therapeutics | CymaBay Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company located in the San Francisco Bay Area focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary new medicines for important human diseases. We are committed to developing breakthrough medicines that improve the lives of patients and their families. CymaBay was seeded with theassets from an earlier metabolic disease company in which more than $120M was invested to produce a robust pipeline.Arhalofenate is a novel oral small molecule being developed to treat the approximately 1 million gout patients that flare three or more times per year. Gout flares are painful inflammatory episodes caused by crystals of monosodium urate (MSU) that result from excess serum uric acid (sUA). In three Phase 2 studies in gout patients arhalofenate was shown to reduce the incidence and duration of flares while simultaneously lowering sUA. If confirmed in additional clinical studies, arhalofenate’s dual acting profile would be unique since all other urate lowering therapies paradoxically increase flares as they lower sUA over the first 6 to 12 months of treatment. Increased flares lead many patients to stop or avoid treatment leading to progression of disease with pain and suffering, erosion of joint structure and functionality, lost time from work, and increased healthcare costs. | $44M | Series B | Dec 01, 2004 |  |

6 of 6 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Versant Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/versant-ventures) — VC Fund, 5 deals together
- [Bay City Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bay-city-capital) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [KBC](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/kbc) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [The Column Group](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/the-column-group) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Birchmere Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/birchmere-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Novo Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/novo-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together

## About Alta Partners

VC Fund · San Francisco, United States

Alta Partners is a venture capital firm investing in the healthcare and life sciences sector. Their diverse and integrated team brings together a powerful depth of knowledge and experience, delivering tangible results for their companies and their investors.

5 contacts available at Alta Partners.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dan Janney | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/dan-janney |
| Peter Hudson | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/peter-hudson-2 |
| Alison de Bord | Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alison-de-bord |
| Bob More | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bob-more |
| Edward Penhoet | Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ed-penhoet |

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## FAQ

### What does Edward Penhoet invest in?

Edward Penhoet invests primarily in Biotechnology, Biopharma and Health Care startups, most often at Series B and Series A stage. Most of the 6 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Edward Penhoet last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Edward Penhoet closed in Oct 2013. Shizune tracks 6 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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