Jason Hafler, managing partner at Sanofi Ventures, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2026 Powerlist.
Jason Hafler, managing partner and head of Sanofi Ventures, has significantly expanded the unit’s investment footprint over the past year, supported by a $625m capital infusion from its parent company and a broader strategic push into artificial intelligence.
Since its inception in 2012, Sanofi Ventures has deployed more than $800m across over 70 biotechnology and digital health companies, with at least 35 investments completed since the start of last year. The increase in pace reflects both expanded resources and a clearer alignment with Sanofi’s evolving priorities.
Now managing a fund of approximately $1.4bn, Sanofi Ventures is placing a greater emphasis on AI-enabled drug discovery and digital health. Hafler, who joined the unit in 2014 and became managing director in 2019, has guided its evolution from a traditional biotech-focused CVC into a broader platform encompassing therapeutics, AI, company building and strategic optionality for the parent organisation. As he has noted, the objective is to support Sanofi’s ambition to position itself as a leading AI-driven drug discovery company.
This strategic shift mirrors developments within Sanofi itself, which now characterises its business as an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharma company. The group has increased its use of generative AI to streamline operations and applied machine learning to drug discovery, including partnerships with organisations such as OpenAI and Formation Bio, alongside its participation in Formation’s $372m series D round. Complementing this, Sanofi Ventures has invested in companies such as QuantHealth, whose platform simulates clinical trials to predict patient responses to therapies.
Recent deal activity highlights the unit’s momentum. Investments include Alveus Therapeutics’ series A round, which reached $197m, a co-led $125m series D round for Star Therapeutics and participation in Character Biosciences’ series B extension of more than $110m, with Hafler joining the boards of the latter two companies.
Exit activity has also been robust. Portfolio companies Agomab, MapLight and Omada Health have all listed publicly over the past year, underlining the maturity of the portfolio despite wider market volatility.
Taken together, these developments illustrate a shift in Sanofi Ventures’ role. Under Hafler, the unit has become less a passive balance-sheet investor and more a strategic engine, capable of generating both optionality and measurable outcomes as Sanofi seeks to embed AI more deeply across its research and development pipeline.
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:
