Ralph Christoffersen
Partner @ Morgenthaler Ventures
Detroit, United States
Ralph Christoffersen is a Series A investor at Morgenthaler Ventures in Detroit focused on Biotechnology and Health Care. Ralph Christoffersen joined Morgenthaler Ventures in 2001. Based in Boulder, Colorado, he focuses on biotechnology investments.Previously, Ralph was the President and CEO of Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Morgenthaler portfolio biotechnology company with a mission to commercialize the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of ribozymes for use ashuman therapeutics. He currently serves on seven corporate boards. Chris has been involved with a number of other successful ventures in the biotechnology field including Threshold Pharmaceuticals, Avidia Biosciences, and Morphotek, Inc. He has also served as the Senior Vice President of Research at SmithKline Beecham, Vice President of Discovery Research at The Upjohn Company, and President of Colorado State University.Ralph received an honorary doctor of law degree from Cornell College in 1983, the “Outstanding Researcher of the Year” Award from the International Society of Quantum Biology in 1981, the “W.E. Upjohn Award” for contributions in biotechnology in 1988, and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 from the Colorado Biosciences Association.Ralph received his B.S. in chemistry and mathematics and an Honorary J.D. from Cornell College. He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Indiana University.
- Total investments:
- 13
- Last investment:
- Lead investor:
- 8%
Last updated:
For AI agents: llms.txt
Industries Ralph Christoffersen invests in
Stages Ralph Christoffersen invests in
Countries Ralph Christoffersen invests in
Contacts
| Type | Contact | Validation |
|---|---|---|
| Work email | ||
| Personal email | ||
| Work phone | ||
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Investment Focus
Industry
- Biotechnology 6 (46%)
- Health Care 4 (31%)
- Pharmaceutical 4 (31%)
- Medical 2 (15%)
- Therapeutics 2 (15%)
Stage
- Series A 2 (15%)
- Series B 2 (15%)
- Series C 2 (15%)
- Funding Round 2 (15%)
- Series D 1 (8%)
Investments
| Company | Description | Round | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elcelyx was founded in 2010 with venture capital backing based on Gut Sensory Modulation (GSM) technology. Elcelyx’s proprietary, first-in-class Gut Sensory Modulators are delivered directly to the lower gut where they act on molecular targets to elicit physiological and pharmacological effects. The Elcelyx proprietary product candidate, NewMetfor Type 2 diabetes is entering Phase 2b development and is a blockbuster opportunity designed to address the unmet needs in the oral anti-diabetic market.Elcelyx is led by an experienced management team and Board of Directors with track records of success in drug development and commercialization. Premier investors along with seasoned scientists and clinicians support the team. In September 2013, Elcelyx announced the formation of NaZura BioHealth Inc, a separate company established to focus on the development on non-NewMet assets.Elcelyx is headquartered in San Diego, California. | $40M / Series E / Oct 01, 2015 | ||
| Elcelyx was founded in 2010 with venture capital backing based on Gut Sensory Modulation (GSM) technology. Elcelyx’s proprietary, first-in-class Gut Sensory Modulators are delivered directly to the lower gut where they act on molecular targets to elicit physiological and pharmacological effects. The Elcelyx proprietary product candidate, NewMetfor Type 2 diabetes is entering Phase 2b development and is a blockbuster opportunity designed to address the unmet needs in the oral anti-diabetic market.Elcelyx is led by an experienced management team and Board of Directors with track records of success in drug development and commercialization. Premier investors along with seasoned scientists and clinicians support the team. In September 2013, Elcelyx announced the formation of NaZura BioHealth Inc, a separate company established to focus on the development on non-NewMet assets.Elcelyx is headquartered in San Diego, California. | $24.7M / Series C / Feb 20, 2014 | ||
| Calithera is a development stage pharmaceutical company committed to discovering and developing novel small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. They are applying Their scientific expertise to build a pipeline of unique anti- cancer drugs that selectively target metabolic and apoptotic pathways critical to tumor growth and survival. | $35M / Series D / Oct 29, 2013 | ||
| Scioderm is a privately held, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing topical products to address critical medical needs in the treatment of chronic skin diseases. | $16M / Series A / Apr 26, 2013 | ||
| Catalyst Biosciences is a drug discovery and development company. It is creating novel catalytic biopharmaceutical products based on engineered human proteases. The mission is to establish protease therapeutics as a new therapeutic platform comparable in depth and scope to antibody pharmaceuticals. The Company is developing proteases for thetreatment of a broad range of diseases with a strong focus on hemostasis and inflammation. Founded in 1997, the company is headquartered in South San Francisco, California. | Post-IPO Equity / Apr 01, 2013 | ||
| Calithera is a development stage pharmaceutical company committed to discovering and developing novel small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. They are applying Their scientific expertise to build a pipeline of unique anti- cancer drugs that selectively target metabolic and apoptotic pathways critical to tumor growth and survival. | $2M / Series C / Dec 28, 2012 | ||
| Catalyst Biosciences is a drug discovery and development company. It is creating novel catalytic biopharmaceutical products based on engineered human proteases. The mission is to establish protease therapeutics as a new therapeutic platform comparable in depth and scope to antibody pharmaceuticals. The Company is developing proteases for thetreatment of a broad range of diseases with a strong focus on hemostasis and inflammation. Founded in 1997, the company is headquartered in South San Francisco, California. | Post-IPO Equity / Sep 25, 2012 | ||
| Elcelyx was founded in 2010 with venture capital backing based on Gut Sensory Modulation (GSM) technology. Elcelyx’s proprietary, first-in-class Gut Sensory Modulators are delivered directly to the lower gut where they act on molecular targets to elicit physiological and pharmacological effects. The Elcelyx proprietary product candidate, NewMetfor Type 2 diabetes is entering Phase 2b development and is a blockbuster opportunity designed to address the unmet needs in the oral anti-diabetic market.Elcelyx is led by an experienced management team and Board of Directors with track records of success in drug development and commercialization. Premier investors along with seasoned scientists and clinicians support the team. In September 2013, Elcelyx announced the formation of NaZura BioHealth Inc, a separate company established to focus on the development on non-NewMet assets.Elcelyx is headquartered in San Diego, California. | $4M / Series B / Aug 13, 2012 | ||
| Calithera is a development stage pharmaceutical company committed to discovering and developing novel small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. They are applying Their scientific expertise to build a pipeline of unique anti- cancer drugs that selectively target metabolic and apoptotic pathways critical to tumor growth and survival. | $4M / Nov 09, 2011 | ||
| Stemgent works alongside some of the world's leading stem cell scientists in developing innovative technology and application solutions that provide researchers the tools to investigate and understand cellular reprogramming. Our mission is to help simplify and support stem cell research by producing products and services being designed byleading stem cell researchers.SpecialtiesCellular Reprogramming, iPS Cells, Media, Human iPSC Training & Services, mRNA Reprogramming, Stem Cell Research, Custom iPS cell lines, Pluriton, WIT, StainAlive, NutriStem | $10.6M / Series B / Jun 10, 2011 | ||
| See all 13 investments → | |||
Co-Investors
About Morgenthaler Ventures
Morgenthaler Ventures has been in the venture capital business for more than 45 years, steadily investing through every market cycle. Select past and present portfolio companies in the IT space include: Evernote, Lending Club, Siri, MuleSoft, Practice Fusion, Adara Media, Check, Doximity, PeopleMatter, Socrata, NuoDB, Jaspersoft, VoltageSecurity, Rhythm NewMedia, Nominum, Wize Commerce (NexTag) and back in the day, Apple.
Morgenthaler Ventures Contacts
| Name | Phone | Socials | |
|---|---|---|---|
Bob Pavey
Partner
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Gary Morgenthaler
Partner
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Hank Plain
Partner
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Ralph Christoffersen
Partner
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Bridget Odorcic
Operations & Fund Compliance Manager
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FAQ
What does Ralph Christoffersen invest in?
Ralph Christoffersen invests primarily in Biotechnology, Health Care and Pharmaceutical startups, most often at Series A and Series B stage. Most of the 13 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.
How do I contact Ralph Christoffersen?
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When did Ralph Christoffersen last invest?
The most recent investment recorded for Ralph Christoffersen closed in Oct 2015. Shizune tracks 13 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 Oct 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.
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