Bill Maris, a co-founder of conglomerate Alphabet’s corporate venturing subsidiary GV, is raising a $230m fund focused on healthcare, Recode reported yesterday.
The fund has been named Section 32, reportedly taking inspiration from television show Star Trek: Deep Space 9, where Section 31 is an autonomous intelligence agency. Maris was previously said to be considering a $350m to $500m vehicle when news first emerged in September.
Section 32 has already tapped first investors. Notably, the fund will be managed by Bill Maris without any other prominent partners and it will be based in San Diego rather than Silicon Valley.
Maris co-founded GV, then known as Google Ventures, in 2009 and acted as chief executive until he left the unit in August 2016. Maris was instrumental in making life sciences a key focal point for GV, a personal interest reflected in Section 32’s focus.
– Image courtesy of LinkedIn