Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) Launches the BIO Investment Council (BIC) to Accelerate Capital Formation

WASHINGTON, DC (January 7th, 2026) – Today, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) announced the launch of the BIO Investment Council (BIC). The newly established council aims to serve small and emerging biotech innovators by increasing engagement between investors and BIO members to accelerate capital formation, drive innovation, and enable greater M&A activity across the biotechnology sector.

BIO Board Member, Doug Dieter, Dr.P.H., Partner at Ares Management and Co-Head of Ares Specialty Healthcare, will chair the BIC. Dr. Nessan Bermingham, Operating Partner at Khosla Ventures, will serve as Vice Chair.

“Private capital funding is the lifeblood of America’s small to midsize biotech innovators,” said John F. Crowley, President and CEO of BIO. “Today, more than half of innovative new medicines originate in small to mid-size biotech companies. Yet, despite incredible scientific progress and promise, significant challenges remain in private capital formation to support emerging companies. The launch of the BIO Investment Council, under the leadership of Doug and Ness, affirms our commitment as we seek to ensure biotech start-ups have the capital needed to innovate, grow, and ultimately deliver ground-breaking treatments that have enabled the US biotech to lead the world and improve the lives of millions of patients.”

While overall VC funding into biopharmaceutical companies has remained stable, for the first time in a decade, investments in clinical-stage companies surpassed those in preclinical-stage companies. This discrepancy underscores the urgent need to better align small and emerging biotech companies with the right investors in the earliest stages of their research.

“I am honored to take the helm of BIC at a time when urgent leadership is needed to secure U.S. advancement in biotechnology. Small and emerging biotech companies are facing unprecedented challenges, and through BIC, our goal is to remove barriers to accessing capital and improve the investment outlook for our sector. I look forward to working alongside BIO’s leadership, its members and Ness to accelerate biotech investment, drive innovation and help transform the lives of patients across the country,” said Dr. Doug Dieter, BIC Chair and BIO Board Member.

“Having founded multiple companies in the life sciences sector, I know firsthand how critical it is to match the right investors with the right science. With the launch of BIC, I am excited to engage leading investors among all major asset classes for biotechnology with the emerging innovators leading the way on cutting-edge science,” said Dr. Nessan Bermingham, BIC Vice-Chair.

In addition to accelerating biotech investment, the BIO Investment Council will advise BIO on policies that facilitate investment in the industry and on how broader policy decisions will uniquely impact emerging biotech companies. BIC will also play a critical role in BIO events, including at the BIO Investment & Growth (BIG) Summit in March 2026.

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About BIO
BIO is the premier biotechnology advocacy organization representing biotech companies, industry leaders, and state biotech associations in the United States and more than 35 countries around the globe. BIO members range from biotech start-ups to some of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical companies – all united by the same goal: to develop medical and scientific breakthroughs that prevent and fight disease, restore health, and improve patients’ lives. BIO also organizes the BIO International Convention and a series of annual conferences that drive partnerships, investment, and progress within the sector. Learn more at bio.org.