# Richard King Mellon Foundation

> Richard King Mellon Foundation is a VC fund backing Health Care and Education. See 62 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Pittsburgh, United States
- Total investments: 62
- Last investment: Jul 2026
- Lead investor: 73%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/richard-king-mellon-foundation/about/
- X (Twitter): https://www.twitter.com/fdncenter
- Website: http://fdnweb.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foundationcenter

Richard King Mellon Foundation is a VC fund in Pittsburgh focused on Health Care and Education. The Richard King Mellon Foundation approved 190 grants totaling $104,578,500, and paid out commitments totaling $115,292,182.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Richard King Mellon Foundation. Shizune tracks 1 team members at Richard King Mellon Foundation. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/richard-king-mellon-foundation?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Health Care | 13 | 21% |
| Education | 11 | 18% |
| Biotechnology | 11 | 18% |
| Medical | 10 | 16% |
| Medical Device | 8 | 13% |

68 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grant | 38 | 61% |
| Seed | 4 | 6% |
| Pre-Seed | 4 | 6% |
| Series C | 3 | 5% |
| Series D | 2 | 3% |

12 stages tracked in total.

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bobby Zappala | Program Officer | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bobby-zappala |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| InnSight Technology | InnSight Technology company is a biotechnology company intended to advance diagnostics and evaluation of eye disease. | $515K | Grant | Jul 30, 2026 |  |
| HeadStrait Labs | HeadStrait Labs is a Medical Equipment Manufacturing firm offering a head device for immobilization in pre hospital care. | $350K | Seed | Jul 16, 2026 |  |
| LandSeed | Landseed is a public benefit corporation that is developing the measuring layer for nature-based Its three-layer business concept includes the Earth Pulse Node, Earth Credits, and Earth Signals. | $400K | Grant | Jun 15, 2026 |  |
| LandSeed | Landseed is a public benefit corporation that is developing the measuring layer for nature-based Its three-layer business concept includes the Earth Pulse Node, Earth Credits, and Earth Signals. | $400K | Seed | Jun 15, 2026 |  |
| LadderUp Housing | LadderUp Housing purchases and renovates homes and offers rental services. | $250K | Grant | May 28, 2026 |  |
| Rasa Legal | Rasa Legal provides software solutions to help individuals expunge their criminal records in a simple and affordable manner. The company offers services in Utah and Arizona, utilizing an eligibility app to analyze court records and determine if a record can be cleared. Rasa Legal is committed to being a second chance employer, working with peoplewho have records to design better products. The company aims to make the process of clearing a criminal record straightforward and accessible for everyone. | $6M | Seed | Mar 10, 2026 |  |
| Washington & Jefferson College | For over 200 years, Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) has been providing students with a comprehensive liberal arts education.The school offers undergraduate degrees in subjects such as: Biological Physics, Business Administration, Communication Arts, Education, and Political Science. It also has pre-professional and special academicprograms in the following types of fields: Earth and Space Science; Engineering; Mind, Brain, and Behavior; Pre-Law; and ROTC.Criteria for admission to W&J includes class rank, grades, SAT or ACT scores, and participation in extracurricular activities. Those who apply online can take advantage of the school’s free online application process.Merit and need-based financial aid is available to eligible students to help cover the cost of tuition. Veteran’s education benefits and Office of Vocational Rehabilitation benefits are considered as well.Other opportunities that are part of college life at W&J consist of community service, internships, research projects, social and recreational activities, and more. The school’s study abroad program, The Magellan Project, has been recognized as being one of the most outstanding programs of its kind in the nation.Another noteworthy feature of the college is that it promises its students on-time graduation. It guarantees that students who meet their academic requirements will graduate in four years. Otherwise they are granted a year of free tuition at W&J. | $1M | Grant | Feb 06, 2026 |  |
| STEMup | STEMup is a pioneering regional multigenerational workforce project aiming to establish Western Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh region. | $300K | Grant | Oct 21, 2025 |  |
| Earflo | Earflo is a firm that is developing a gadget to treat persistent ear infections non-invasively at home in order to avoid surgery. | $415K | Grant | Oct 07, 2025 |  |
| Zegenex | Zegenex Inc. is an innovative healthcare company specializing in wound healing technologies. They develop advanced medicated healing devices designed to promote faster recovery and reduce scar formation in various types of wounds, including lacerations, burns, and diabetic foot ulcers. Their wound healing approach is protected by a full US patent,developed in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh. With cutting-edge lab facilities and a skilled team, Zegenex aims to transform wound care and improve patient outcomes. They also engage in clinical trials to validate their treatments and invite strategic investors and partners to support their mission of advancing wound healing solutions.​ | $215K | Grant | Oct 07, 2025 |  |

10 of 62 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Morgenthaler Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/morgenthaler-ventures) — VC Fund, 7 deals together
- [Action Potential Venture Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/action-potential-venture-capital) — VC Fund, 5 deals together
- [Catalio Capital Management](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/catalio-capital-management) — VC Fund, 5 deals together
- [New Enterprise Associates](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/new-enterprise-associates) — VC Fund, 5 deals together
- [Shangbay Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/shangbay-capital) — VC Fund, 5 deals together
- [Euclidean Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/euclidean-capital) — VC Fund, 4 deals together

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## FAQ

### What does Richard King Mellon Foundation invest in?

Richard King Mellon Foundation invests primarily in Health Care, Education and Biotechnology startups, most often at Grant and Seed stage. Most of the 62 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 Richard King Mellon Foundation?

Public channels for Richard King Mellon Foundation include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at Richard King Mellon Foundation?

The team at Richard King Mellon Foundation includes Bobby Zappala (Program Officer). The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### 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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