Alexis Ji

Founder & Managing Partner at Primer Ventures

Speaker

Dr. Alexis Ji is the founder and managing partner of Primer Ventures, a life science venture capital firm focused on investing in disruptive early-stage companies in life science tools and therapeutics. Founded in 2023 in Silicon Valley, Primer Ventures has rapidly made its mark in backing exceptional entrepreneurs and startups to transform innovative science and technologies into groundbreaking products and therapies.

Alexis brings two decades of expertise in venture capital and R&D in the biotech and genomics sectors. Before founding Primer Ventures, she spent over a decade at leading venture capital firms, including six years as a partner at Illumina Ventures, preceded by WuXi Ventures and ARCH Venture Partners. Her investment portfolio included early bets on industry disruptors such as Twist Bioscience (TWST) and Juno Therapeutics (JUNO, acquired by Celgene). Alexis began her professional journey in biotech R&D at major companies including Merck, Roche, and Life Technologies (Thermo Fisher).

Alexis was featured by CNBC in its report on “11 women health tech VC investors” in 2017 and named a Rising Star by Global Corporate Venture in 2018 and 2019. She holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.