IMPACTASSETS 50™
An Annual Showcase of Impact Investment Fund Managers
ImpactAssets 50
An Annual Showcase of Impact Investment Fund Managers
Global Health
Investment Corporation
Disaster Relief
Global Health
Microfinance and Low-income Financial ServicesFirm Overview
GHIC is a mission-driven, independent, non-profit corporation established in 2012. GHIC catalyzes the development of technologies to improve global health through investments in vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices and other technologies that save and improve lives. GHIC mobilizes private, public and philanthropic capital via innovative partnership models, and leverages the engagement, networks and funding of its key strategic partners and stakeholders to drive innovation. At the core of GHIC’s mission is a double bottom line investment model—applying traditional life science investing tools to fund lifesaving innovations that generate distinctive and measurable health impact, while also seeking to generate attractive financial returns. GHIC has launched multiple investment strategies in collaboration with core strategic partners, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, and KfW Development Bank.
Years of Operation: 10 years or more
% of Capital from Top 3 Investors: 50% – 99%
Through a diversified portfolio of investment vehicles, GHIC mobilizes public, private, and philanthropic capital to accelerate the development of transformative health technologies that address critical gaps in global health and health security. GHIC’s investment strategy integrates deep domain expertise, mission-driven financing models, and a differentiated global partner network.
GHIC employs a venture capital strategy to invest in early-stage life science, biotechnology, and health technology companies in the process of developing technologies and products that strengthen global health security and improve global health. Consistent with the mission-orientation and strategy of GHIC, the Firm prioritizes a mission-driven view of technology investment thematic areas with the potential of generating global health impact. GHIC advances global health security by developing solutions that apply across a spectrum of response, including threat detection and awareness, development of novel countermeasure technologies, rapid scale up of manufacturing capacity, and fast and equitable distribution of MCMs and products during a health security response. GHIC improves global health by catalyzing a vibrant, sustainable ecosystem to develop and deliver health innovations in LMICs.
GHIC is a mission-driven not-for-profit corporation with a dual focus on generating both global health impact and financial returns with deep domain expertise in the field of global health impact investment. GHIC has a long-term commitment to global health impact and to ensuring the success of its portfolio companies. GHIC’s network includes entrepreneurs, industry executives, venture investors, and a wide range of leading global health stakeholders. This broad network enables sourcing, due diligence, and ecosystem engagement in global health, health security, and government ecosystems. GHIC’s strategic investment partnerships significantly enhance its strategic reach, providing scientific, technical, clinical and regulatory expertise, and access to non-dilutive funding and potential partnerships. GHIC plays an active role in portfolio company governance, including company boards and committees. GHIC also seeks to provide value beyond capital, engaging directly with company management and co-investors to identify partnering and funding opportunities to maximize company progress and success.
Investment Example
In November of 2022, GHIC co-led Micron Biomedical’s $14M Series A financing and has a seat on Micron’s Board of Directors. Micron is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing dissolving microneedle-based vaccine and drug products, designed to achieve better health outcomes. The micro-needle-mediated delivery system is designed to enable patients to self-administer vaccines and therapeutic drugs, addressing a growing need to administer vaccines and therapeutics at home or in other medical caregiver settings, leading to a potential reduction in total health care delivery costs. Following positive readout data from Micron’s Phase I/II measles-rubella vaccine clinical trial in Q1 2023, the Company raised an additional Series A-1 financing and has received a $23.6M grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate the measles rubella program.
Leadership and Team
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Labeeb Abboud – Chairman and CEO More Info
Labeeb Abboud has served in various leadership roles in global health product development and innovative financing, including the establishment of GHIC and the launch of its inaugural Global Health Investment Fund (GHIF). As Chairman since 2014, he has led GHIC’s engagement with government, philanthropic and private sector stakeholders and investors, oversight of GHIF’s investment management and operations, and third-party fund investments. In 2021, Labeeb joined GHIC as CEO as the organization expanded its mission to include global health security and launch its BARDA partnership and has led the evolution of organizational strategy and growth across key partnerships, investment management, and operational capabilities. |
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Vidya Vasu-Devan – Chief Investment Officer and Senior Managing Director More Info
Vidya Vasu-Devan leads GHIC’s investment team and chairs its investment committee. Most recently, Vidya was the Chief Strategy Officer of a venture-backed newco focused on development of best-in-class vaccines. Prior to that, she spent over a decade at the Gates Foundation where she led the $2.5bn Strategic Investment Fund (“SIF”) and chaired the SIF Investment Committee. In this capacity, Vidya worked across sectors and geographies to source, structure, and manage venture capital, debt, and guarantee investments. |
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Charlie Petty – Managing Director More Info
Charlie Petty helps lead the investment team and is a member of GHIC’s investment committee. Charlie serves as a board director or observer for GHIC’s investments in Endpoint Health, Vaxess Technologies, Centivax and Monod Bio. Previously, he was a co-founder and Principal of Adjuvant Capital, an investment fund focused on infectious diseases, where he was involved in the firm’s investments in Codagenix, Vitrivax, Minervax, Curevo, Excision Biotherapeutics, and ChromaCode and serves as a board director or observer on VitriVax, and Curevo. |
Financial Performance
Impact Performance
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Percentage of Total Assets Under
Management that are Impact Investments: |
100%
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GHIC invests in companies and technologies that are aligned with our global health/health security mission. This alignment amplifies our impact and increases the likelihood of achieving our dual objectives of health impact and financial return. The Global Health Security Portfolio invests in mission-aligned technology companies that are developing medical countermeasures and other technologies that strengthen global health security and build resilience to future public health threats. GHIC’s Catalytic Health Investment Platform makes investments to develop and deliver health innovations in LMICs.
GHIC considers environmental sustainability practices through our Environmental and Social (E+&S) framework. As a part of our mission, we operate in an ecologically and socially sustainable manner through our own business practices and the active management of our investees and investment portfolio. As a part of our pre-investment due diligence, we submit an E&S questionnaire to all potential investments for completion and we work with prospective portfolio companies to (i) evaluate gaps between existing and desired E&S-related systems and practices, and (ii) develop a corrective ESCP (environmental and social commitment plan) (where applicable) to support monitoring and/or corrective action over a time deemed appropriate for the stage and size of the investee company.
Impact Tracking and Monitoring
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