Merck Global Health Innovation Fund
Profile, fund size and portfolio
Merck Global Health Innovation Fund is the corporate venture arm of Merck & Co., Inc. (pharmaceuticals). It was founded in 2010 and is based in Rahway, United States. It invests from Seed to Growth in drug discovery and clinical development, manufacturing, supply chain and IT, patient and provider support.
Every figure links to its source
Snapshot
Data behind this graphic
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Stage range | Seed to Growth |
| Sectors | Drug discovery and clinical, Manufacturing, supply chain and IT, Patient and provider support, Evidence-based data and analytics, Digital health and data science |
| Geography | Asia, Europe, United States |
| Offices | Rahway, New Jersey, United States, Singapore (Merck IDEA Studios), Singapore, Berlin (Merck IDEA Studios), Germany |
Sources: S1 Merck GHI Fund website (React bundle main.c806c30d.js contains team, stats, portfolio).
Data behind this graphic
The firm has not published a portfolio breakdown.
Sources: .
Data behind this graphic
| Measure | Value | Unit | Kind | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headline size | USD 600M | Evergreen allocation | Stated by the firm or its parent | S1 |
| Companies backed | 80+ | companies | Stated by the firm | S1 |
| IPOs | 5 | IPOs | Stated by the firm | S1 |
| Companies on the firm's portfolio page | 56 | companies | Counted from the firm's own list | S1 |
Sources: S1 Merck GHI Fund website (React bundle main.c806c30d.js contains team, stats, portfolio).
Where it invests and who leads it
Geography
- Headquarters
- Rahway, United States
- Offices
- Rahway, New Jersey, United States
- Singapore (Merck IDEA Studios), Singapore
- Berlin (Merck IDEA Studios), Germany
Investment regionsS1
- Asia
- Europe
- United States
LeadersS1
- Bill TarantoPresident & General PartnerLinkedInFirm page
- Joel KrikstonManaging DirectorFind on LinkedInFirm page
- David RubinManaging DirectorFind on LinkedInFirm page
- Dave StevensonManaging Director (COO)Find on LinkedInFirm page
- Joe VolpeManaging DirectorFind on LinkedInFirm page
Key facts
| Fact | Value | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent company | Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) | Single source | S1 |
| Parent industry | Pharmaceuticals | Single source | S3 |
| Founded | 2010 | Single source | S1 |
| Headquarters | Rahway, United States | Single source | S1 |
| Status | Active | Single source | S1 |
| Capital source | Parent company only | Single source | S1 |
| Headline size | USD 600M (Evergreen allocation) | Single source | S1 |
| Companies backed | 80+ | Single source | S1 |
| Exits | 29 total, 5 IPOs | Single source | S1 |
| People on the team page | 10 | Single source | S1 |
| Stages | Seed, Series B, Series C+, Growth | Single source | S1 |
Notable outcomes
IPOs and acquisitions of portfolio companies. Price shown only where published.
| Company | Type | Year | Acquirer or exchange | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AbSci | IPO | S1 | |||
| ElectroCore | IPO | S1 | |||
| Livongo Health | IPO | S1 | |||
| OpGen | IPO | S1 | |||
| Zapata | IPO | S1 | |||
| Aptus Health | Acquisition | WebMD | S1 | ||
| Asuragen | Acquisition | Bio-Techne | S1 | ||
| Aventura | Acquisition | Philips | S1 | ||
| ClevelandHeartLab | Acquisition | Quest | S1 | ||
| Humedica | Acquisition | Optum | S1 | ||
| Preventice Solutions | Acquisition | Boston Scientific | S1 | ||
| MediFind | Acquisition | 2023 | Phreesia (July 2023) | S1 | |
| Syapse | Acquisition | N-Power | S1 | ||
| Decipher | Acquisition | Verasyte | S1 | ||
| PatientSafe Solutions | Acquisition | Vocera | S1 |
For founders
Portfolio
The firm's portfolio page lists 56 companies: 15 exited.S1
The firm also states 80+ companies backed. The page list and the stated total measure different things.S1
Every company on the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund list
56 companies, as listed on the firm's own website: 41 listed, 15 exited.S1 Read the firm's list.
Listed 41
- AeroSafe Global
- Aitia
- Arcadia
- Ash Wellness
- Atropos Health
- Baseimmune
- Bighat
- CancerIQ
- CargoSense
- ClearData
- Datavant
- Delfi Diagnostics
- Emerald Cloud Labs
- Evaxion
- Infectious Disease Connect
- Koneska
- N-Power
- Octave
- PathAI
- Pragma Bio
- PreciseDx
- Prognos
- Protillion Biosciences
- Qure AI
- Redica Systems
- RxVantage
- Saama
- Strata Oncology
- Tag-N-Trac
- Tasso
- Transcarent
- Transvoyant
- TriNetX
- Turbine
- Unite Us
- Unnatural Products
- Variational
- Verana Health
- Verge Genomics
- WellDoc
- Zephyr
Exited 15
- AbSci
- Aptus Health
- Asuragen
- Aventura
- ClevelandHeartLab
- Decipher
- ElectroCore
- Humedica
- Livongo Health
- MediFind
- OpGen
- PatientSafe Solutions
- Preventice Solutions
- Syapse
- Zapata
Fund vehicles
Recent rounds
| Date | Company | Round | Amount | Led by the firm | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-26 | Faro Health | Series B | USD 37.3M | S4 |
History
Official pages
Read the firm's own pages for current information.
Sources
- S1Merck GHI Fund website (React bundle main.c806c30d.js contains team, stats, portfolio)Firm
- S2Merck GHI Fund alumni portfolio (inside site bundle)Firm
- S3MRL Ventures Fund page on merck.comParent company
- S4Faro raises $37.3M Series B co-led by Merck GHI and S32 (The Robotics Media)Press
- S5LinkedIn: William Taranto (search result headline: Founder & President, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund)Third-party report
- S6Global Venturing: MSD venture unit plans $38m in Europe and Asia (IDEA Studios)Press
- S7Equilar ExecAtlas: William J. Taranto, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund LLCThird-party report
Disclaimer and corrections
Not affiliated. This page is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Merck Global Health Innovation Fund or any company named on it. Names and trademarks belong to their owners. Informational only. This is a public-source reference. It is not investment, legal or tax advice and not an offer or solicitation. Sources. Each figure names its source. Figures may have changed. Please read the firm's official pages, linked above. Corrections and takedown. To report an error or ask for a change or removal, use the correction form or email Richard@CorporateVentureCapital.com.
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