Crossroads Health Ventures (CHV) announced its launch of a new early-stage venture fund created to accelerate the growth of Indiana’s life sciences startups and reinforce the state’s global leadership across human, animal, and plant health innovation.
The fund has secured more than $21 million in commitments from strategic and institutional partners such as Eli Lilly and Company, Corteva, Elanco Animal Health, Indiana University, Parkview Health, and the State of Indiana through the Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). CHV will begin deploying capital in early 2026.
“Indiana is one of the nation’s strongest and most vibrant life sciences hubs, and Crossroads Health Ventures is an important next step in fueling our state’s innovation economy,” said Vince Wong, President and CEO of BioCrossroads and Crossroads Health Ventures. “With the State of Indiana’s transformational commitment and the leadership of our industry, academic, and investment partners, Crossroads Health Ventures fills a critical early-stage funding gap to help translate breakthrough ideas into high-growth Indiana companies that ultimately make a global impact.”
“This collaborative initiative is a transformative opportunity to propel Indiana’s already strong One Health economy,” said Secretary of Commerce David J. Adams. “Through Crossroads Health Ventures, the state–in partnership with industry and regional leadership–is lifting up entrepreneurs and startups to drive innovation across human, animal and plant health, creating next-generation solutions and solidifying Indiana’s global leadership.”
Indiana’s life sciences sector is already experiencing historic momentum. The state now ranks #1 in the U.S. for life sciences exports driven by global industry leaders, world-class research universities, and a highly skilled workforce. Access to early-stage capital is important to startups, and CHV is designed to address this need. With coordinated statewide leadership, a strong pipeline of promising innovations, and a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem, the fund will help ensure that more of Indiana’s life science discoveries grow into Indiana-based companies, creating jobs, attracting investment, and advancing solutions that improve health around the world.
“Indiana University is proud to join this collaborative effort to advance life-changing innovation across our state,” said Pamela Whitten, President, Indiana University. “Crossroads Health Ventures will help ensure that breakthrough discoveries—from IU researchers and entrepreneurs throughout Indiana—have the support they need to reach patients, clinicians, and communities. This initiative reflects the strength of Indiana’s research ecosystem and our shared commitment to fueling economic growth through scientific discovery.”
CHV will invest in 15–20 early-stage U.S.-based companies with assets that align with the strategic priorities of its partners, with the flexibility to concentrate investments in Indiana-based startups where there is strong alignment, differentiated opportunity, and potential for outsized return. The fund will support companies through key development and commercialization milestones and will provide follow-on capital to help founders reach critical inflection points.
“At Elanco, we know that innovation flourishes in strong, connected ecosystems that serve as pipelines for the next generation of technologies. Leveraging the strong support from Indiana’s unique One Health ecosystem with global leaders in human, animal, and plant health sectors, Crossroads Health Ventures provides the early-stage capital and strategic partnerships necessary for emerging life sciences companies to thrive,” said Jeff Simmons, President and CEO of Elanco Animal Health. “We believe Indiana is the most ideal location to accelerate life sciences innovations given the collaboration of leading global companies, top-tier research universities, and a strong public partnership that creates access to capital, expertise and manufacturing and pilot capabilities.”
A cross-initiative collaboration among BioCrossroads, TechPoint, and AgriNovus Indiana, CHV leverages more than 60 years of combined investment, startup, and corporate operating experience. Through deep networks, proprietary deal flow, and an integrated platform of entrepreneurial support, CHV is designed to accelerate startups’ growth, attract outside capital, and expand Indiana’s life sciences economy.