Drew Yashar is a Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory, where he leads life sciences investing and supports early-stage deeptech startups across the portfolio. Combining the perspectives of both founder and investor, Drew approaches the life sciences space with a deep passion for patient impact, innovation, and community building. Coming from a family of physicians, he initially pursued a pre-med track before transitioning into startups—joining early teams at Sympto Health (Kleiner Perkins) and Memora Health (a16z, Sequoia, acq. by Commure). In these roles, he drove business development, product strategy, and health system partnerships, contributing to the launch of virtual care tools during the pandemic and gaining exposure to leading accelerators like Y Combinator and Pear VC.
While completing his business education at Babson College, Drew built an angel syndication platform (which led to a small exit) and co-led eTower, the university’s student-run accelerator. After graduation, he joined UC Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) under Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna, helping launch and continuing to advise the Women in Enterprising Science (WIES) accelerator for academic biotech ventures. He later joined Alix Ventures, a TechBio-focused pre-seed and seed fund, and served as Head Editor at BIOS Community, reaching over 40,000 global readers. At Capital Factory, Drew is expanding the fund’s Texas life sciences ecosystem by supporting next-generation biotech and TechBio startups that reduce healthcare inequities and advance patient outcomes.
