# University of Florida

> University of Florida is a VC fund backing Health Care and Therapeutics. See 2 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Gainesville, United States
- Total investments: 2
- Last investment: Dec 2020
- Lead investor: 0%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/edu/school?id=18120&trk=edu-up-nav-menu-home
- X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/UF
- Website: http://www.ufl.edu
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/uflorida

University of Florida is an educational and research institution. It provides associate, bachelors, masters, doctoral, and professional degrees in the languages, arts, sciences, engineering, media, distance education, and part time programs. University of Florida was founded in 1853 and is based in Gainesville, Florida. The university has endowmentassets worth $730.6 million.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for University of Florida. Shizune tracks 9 team members at University of Florida. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/university-of-florida?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Health Care | 1 | 50% |
| Therapeutics | 1 | 50% |
| Biotechnology | 1 | 50% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Baba Vemuri | Professor | 0 | — |
| Beverly Jones | Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine | 0 | — |
| Daniel Ferris | Professor of Engineering Innovation | 0 | — |
| Derek Archer | Graduate Research Assistant | 0 | — |
| G. Martin Wynkoop | Entrepreneur-in-Residence | 0 | — |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Atsena Therapeutics | Atsena Therapeutics is a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases. Their clinical programs include therapies for X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) and GUCY2D-associated Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA1). Atsena utilizes an adeno-associated virus (AAV) technology platform, including a novelspreading capsid (AAV.SPR), to target specific retinal conditions. Their ongoing research aims to prevent blindness caused by genetic mutations and is powered by their innovative approach to ocular gene therapy. | $55M | Series A | Dec 16, 2020 |  |
| Atsena Therapeutics | Atsena Therapeutics is a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases. Their clinical programs include therapies for X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) and GUCY2D-associated Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA1). Atsena utilizes an adeno-associated virus (AAV) technology platform, including a novelspreading capsid (AAV.SPR), to target specific retinal conditions. Their ongoing research aims to prevent blindness caused by genetic mutations and is powered by their innovative approach to ocular gene therapy. | $8.2M | Series A | Apr 01, 2020 |  |

2 of 2 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Foundation Fighting Blindness](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/foundation-fighting-blindness) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Hatteras Venture Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/hatteras-venture-partners) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [OUP (Osage University Partners)](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/osage-university-partners) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Abingworth](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/abingworth-management) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Lightstone Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/lightstone-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- Manning Family Foundation — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## Similar investors

### Similar stage
- [Antler](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/antler-be9c) — VC Fund
- [Alumni Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alumni-ventures-group) — VC Fund
- [General Catalyst](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/general-catalyst-partners) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does University of Florida invest in?

University of Florida invests primarily in Health Care, Therapeutics and Biotechnology startups, most often at Series A stage. Most of the 2 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 University of Florida?

Public channels for University of Florida 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 University of Florida?

The team at University of Florida includes Baba Vemuri (Professor), Beverly Jones (Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology, Immunology & Laboratory Medicine) and Daniel Ferris (Professor of Engineering Innovation), among 9 team members tracked by Shizune. 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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