Elanco launches $25 million venture fund to boost animal health innovation and expand One Health ties

Elanco Animal Health plans to establish a $25 million corporate venture capital platform aimed at supporting early-stage innovation in animal health, signalling a strategic shift beyond its traditional drug portfolio and strengthening ties with the One Health ecosystem.

Elanco Animal Health plans to set up a $25 million corporate venture capital platform aimed at backing early-stage innovation in animal health, as the Indianapolis company looks beyond its core drug portfolio for new technologies and therapeutics. The business said the initiative will target start-ups developing treatments and supporting tools, with a possible interest in wider One Health opportunities linking animal, human and plant health.

The programme, called Elanco Ventures, is expected to begin operating in late 2026 and will be overseen by Eric Steager, who has experience in corporate venture capital. Elanco said the fund will concentrate on pre-seed, seed and Series A companies, giving it exposure to the earliest rounds of commercial development.

Chief executive Jeff Simmons said in a company statement that innovation is not confined to a single organisation and that the venture arm would help Elanco track emerging technologies while responding to changing expectations in pet care and demand for animal protein. Tim Bettington, an executive vice-president at Elanco’s Centre for Strategic Growth, said the plan would strengthen collaboration around the One Health Innovation District in Indianapolis.