Anja König, global head at Novartis Venture Fund, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2026 Powerlist.
Anja König has led Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis’ investment unit since 2017. As global head of the Novartis Venture Fund, she oversees a team of 10 investing in next-generation therapeutics and life sciences platforms based out of Basel and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The early-stage fund backs biotechnology and pharmaceuticals startups from seed stage through to late-stage development, typically investing with a long-term clinical and strategic horizon.
König has a background in science, having studied physics at the University of Oxford and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich before completing a PhD in theoretical physics at Cornell University. She joined Novartis in 2006, following several years at McKinsey & Company where she advised healthcare and pharmaceutical groups across Europe and North America. König moved to the Novartis investment fund in 2007 and went on to take on the role of global head in 2017.
NVF has doubled down on therapeutics under König while maintaining a reputation for backing scientifically ambitious founders early. The fund has now completed over 130 investments and recorded over 70 exits through IPOs and acquisitions. Some of the portfolio successes associated with König include biotech company Bicycle Therapeutics, pharma company Heptares Therapeutics, clinical stage drug development company Forendo Pharma, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company Forma Therapeutics, and most recently, in vivo RNA treatments for autoimmune diseases developer Capstan Therapeutics.
König has steered NVF towards startups developing novel modalities in areas such as neurodegeneration, fibrosis and gene therapy. Among the fund’s newer bets are US-based developer of antibody-based therapeutics for cancer and immunology EpiBiologics, developer of therapies targeting AL amyloidosis for clinical studies Protego Biopharma and stealth-mode immunology player Granite Bio.
Considered to be a steady hand during a difficult biotech financing cycle, König has previously spoken to GCV on how weak public markets can create opportunities for patient investors willing to support strong science through turbulent periods. That philosophy has helped NVF remain active while many crossover investors retreated from the sector.
Outside venture investing, König is active in Switzerland’s innovation ecosystem, serving on scientific and entrepreneurial boards, including sensor manufacturer Sensirion. She was also elected to the board of Switzerland’s innovation agency Innosuisse in 2025.
The GCV Powerlist represents the 100 individuals spearheading the future of the corporate venturing industry.
These individuals excel in terms of their venturing approach and structure, number and quality of portfolio companies and in their contributions to the corporate venturing profession.
Here’s a snapshot of their recent deals:
