
Science Media
Investments
42Funds
5Partners & Customers
1Service Providers
1About Science Media
Science creates, scales and acquires successful digital businesses by bringing together the best ideas, talent, resources and financing through a centralized platform. Science focuses on three things: developing new businesses, providing emerging startups with operational strategy and capital, and transforming later-stage Internet ventures with new talent and innovations.
Science Media Headquarter Location
1447 Second Street Suite 200
Santa Monica, California, 90401,
United States
310-393-3024
Expert Collections containing Science Media
Expert Collections are analyst-curated lists that highlight the companies you need to know in the most important technology spaces.
Find Science Media in 1 Expert Collection, including Fitness Tech.
Fitness Tech
227 items
We define fitness tech as companies leveraging software and technology to augment approaches to developing or maintaining physical fitness. Companies in this category develop tools and services including workout apps, wearables, and connected fitness equipment.
Science Media Web Traffic
Science Media Rank
Latest Science Media News
May 27, 2022
Global Gene Editing Regulation Tracker Our interactive GLP global map explains the status of each country’s regulations for human and agricultural gene editing and gene drives. GLP 2021 Annual Report The GLP is committed to full transparency. Science Media Centre: Independent scientists react to Britain’s sudden embrace of CRISPR and agricultural biotechnology May 27, 2022 Credit: Phil Partridge/GNM This article or excerpt is included in the GLP’s daily curated selection of ideologically diverse news, opinion and analysis of biotechnology innovation. The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill, removing barriers to research into new gene editing technology, will be introduced in Parliament May 25. Follow the latest news and policy debates on agricultural biotech and biomedicine? Subscribe to our newsletter. Dr Adrian Ely Dr Adrian Ely, Reader in Technology and Sustainability at the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex, said: That these important decisions will be debated in parliament is to be welcomed. The issues go beyond technical risks and benefits, and any decisions will help to shape the future of the UK’s agri-food system. Allowing sufficient time for democratic inputs to the debate will be vital. Numerous studies show that most of the British public want GE food and ingredients to be labelled. How to deliver on these demands remains a key challenge for the Bill. Decisions in the UK are taking place in a dynamic trade context. They have implications not only for trade with the EU, but also with other countries that regulate GE differently or not at all. There are environmental opportunities associated with this technology, but also possible risks. Gene-editing can be used to develop herbicide tolerant crops, which under some management conditions can harm farmland biodiversity. How will the Bill address these types of concerns? Dr Penny Hundleby Dr Penny Hundleby, Senior Scientist at the John Innes Centre, said: Consumers are all too aware of the challenges that war, drought and climate change are having on our collective food security. If we are to meet the ambitious targets of addressing the demands of a growing population without further adding to the cost of living, and while also reducing the environmental impact of agriculture, we need to embrace all safe technologies that help us reach these goals. Gene editing and genome sequencing are great UK strengths, and through the new Genetic Technology Bill, they will move us into an exciting era of affordable, intelligent and precision-based plant breeding. Prof Jonathan Jones, Plant Scientist, The Sainsbury Laboratory, said: The proposed changes in regulation of gene edited crops are a very positive step in the right direction and will align the UK better with regulations outside the EU. I very much hope that in the future we will be able to go further. Crop varieties should be regulated on their properties rather than the method used to improve them, especially at a time when food prices are soaring. These new proposals, while enabling many useful innovations to go forward, will still leave crops improved with the GM method – such as blight resistant potatoes, or oilseeds that produce fish oil, or purple tomatoes – subject to the same excessive regulation as before. Prof Bruce Whitelaw Prof Bruce Whitelaw, Prof of Animal Biotechnology and Director of The Roslin Institute, said: The Precision Breeding Bill is great news for science. It is also great news for the diverse societies across our planet that benefit from the UK’s research and innovation. The opportunity offered by precision breeding to directly tackle food security and the many health challenges that we collectively face, is huge. This opportunity comes with responsibilities. We all want safe and appropriate food. We want the secure supply of food. We need to ensure the health and welfare of the many animals we farm while reducing the environmental footprint caused by agriculture. We want to sustain biodiversity and our rural communities in a fair manner. Precision breeding technologies can contribute to all these aspects addressing planet resilience. At the Roslin Institute we pioneer precision breeding applications across all farmed animal species with focus on mitigating external stresses farmed animals face. Indeed these stresses are not that distinct from ourselves, with disease resilience top of the list. The Precision Breeding Bill will better enable Roslin’s research, and that of colleagues across the UK research & innovation community, to provide leadership in this exciting field. Prof Andrew Thompson Prof Andrew Thompson, Head of Cranfield University’s Soil and Agri Food Institute, said: GMO technology from the 1980s has allowed us to create crop plants that use water more efficiently, generating “more crop per drop”- vital where food production is limited by water availability. These advances have had limited traction under the GMO regulatory system. More precise gene editing technologies, alongside a simpler regulatory regime proposed in the Genetic Technology Bill, will certainly help such advances to be fully exploited for the benefit of farmers, consumers and the environment. At Cranfield we are also helping commercial breeders to take up gene editing technology so they can more rapidly breed soft fruit varieties that have tastier, more nutritious and longer lasting fruit. Prof David Rose, Professor of Sustainable Agricultural Systems at Cranfield University, said: Gene editing has the medium-term potential to address food production and environmental challenges – for example, creating crop varieties that are higher yielding, with better nutritional benefits, and that are more tolerant to pest and disease, reducing fuel and chemical usage. However, there are legitimately held concerns about the potential for gene editing to consolidate power inequalities in the food supply chain, ethical concerns particularly about usage in animals, and the potential to facilitate greater intensification of farming which could harm the environment. All points of view need to be considered in the pursuit of development and regulatory principles that foster responsible innovation. Due to the time needed to pass legislation, consider a wide range of views, and produce and sell seeds to farmers, it is not a short-term fix to the cost of production crisis facing farmers. The Defra Chief Scientific Adviser in January said it was five years away. Prof Martin Warren Prof Martin Warren, Chief Scientific Officer at the Quadram Institute, said: The Genetic Technology Bill provides a wonderful opportunity to explore ways to address the nutritional-deficiency that is found in many crop-based foods. Gene editing allows for the development of plants with improved qualities that normally take many years to produce using traditional breeding programs. The ability to increase levels of key minerals such as iron and zinc and vitamins A, B and D in plants holds significant potential as a way to improve lifelong health through biofortification. As we move towards more crop-based sustainable diets the need to develop sustainable and healthy functional foods is clear. Prof Maurice Moloney Prof Maurice Moloney, Founder and managing partner of AgriTecKnowledge, and former CEO of Rothamsted Research, said: Moving modern breeding techniques into UK law is way overdue, but it was impossible under EU Commission Rules. It is a tangible example of how Brexit can deliver positive opportunities. However, moving forward with rational, science-based policies is urgent. North and South America are already there, China and India are now enacting new laws and the EU will revisit their 2018 ruling (which was against their own legal advice) soon. This is a great milestone, but the UK must accelerate this initiative or we shall be ‘also-rans’. The good news is that this change will also facilitate free-trade deals, where food and agriculture are always massive impediments. This is the opportunity to harmonize these regulations and remove non-tariff trade barriers. Prof John Dupré Prof John Dupré, philosopher of science from the University of Exeter, said: The relaxation of obstacles to the application of genome modification technologies to plants is to be welcomed. This technology undoubtedly presents very significant opportunities to improve the qualities of crop varieties in dimensions including disease resistance and thereby reduced pesticide use, climate adaptability and nutritional value. It is also good to see that, in accordance with the major recommendation of the recent Nuffield Council on Bioethics report on genome editing of farmed animals, no changes are to be made to the regulation of this technology for animals prior to the development of regulations to protect animal welfare. It will, of course, be vital to retain robust regulations and monitoring of new crop varieties on a range of properties ranging from effects on human health to potential environmental impact before licensing the introduction of new varieties. But shifting this regulation from a concern with the process of development to the characteristics of the specific product is entirely sensible. The successful implementation of this change of regulations will ultimately depend on public acceptance, and serious public engagement regarding the rationale and implications of this change will be essential. A version of this article was originally posted at the Science Media Centre and is reposted here with permission. The Science Media Centre can be found on Twitter @SMC_London The GLP featured this article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. The viewpoint is the author’s own. The GLP’s goal is to stimulate constructive discourse on challenging science issues. The GLP Needs Your Help It is easier than ever for advocacy groups to spread disinformation on pressing science issues, such as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. No, vaccines are not harmful. Yes, the use of biotechnology, GMOs or gene editing to develop antigens for treatments including vaccines are part of the solution. To inform the public about what’s really going on, we present the facts and challenge those who don't. We can’t do this work without your help. Please support us – a donation of as little as $10 a month helps support our vital myth-busting efforts.
Science Media Investments
42 Investments
Science Media has made 42 investments. Their latest investment was in OffLimits as part of their Seed VC on August 8, 2021.
Science Media Investments Activity
Date | Round | Company | Amount | New? | Co-Investors | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8/5/2021 | Seed VC | OffLimits | $2.3M | Yes | 2 | |
7/23/2020 | Seed VC | Arrive Outdoors | $4.75M | Yes | 5 | |
7/1/2020 | Seed VC | Heavy Sound Labs | Yes | 1 | ||
8/5/2019 | Seed VC | |||||
6/6/2019 | Series A |
Date | 8/5/2021 | 7/23/2020 | 7/1/2020 | 8/5/2019 | 6/6/2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Round | Seed VC | Seed VC | Seed VC | Seed VC | Series A |
Company | OffLimits | Arrive Outdoors | Heavy Sound Labs | ||
Amount | $2.3M | $4.75M | |||
New? | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Co-Investors | |||||
Sources | 2 | 5 | 1 |
Science Media Acquisitions
3 Acquisitions
Science Media acquired 3 companies. Their latest acquisition was PlayHaven on September 24, 2014.
Date | Investment Stage | Companies | Valuation Valuations are submitted by companies, mined from state filings or news, provided by VentureSource, or based on a comparables valuation model. | Total Funding | Note | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9/24/2014 | Debt | $32.8M | Acquired | 1 | ||
5/8/2014 | Series A | |||||
6/26/2012 |
Date | 9/24/2014 | 5/8/2014 | 6/26/2012 |
---|---|---|---|
Investment Stage | Debt | Series A | |
Companies | |||
Valuation | |||
Total Funding | $32.8M | ||
Note | Acquired | ||
Sources | 1 |
Science Media Fund History
5 Fund Histories
Science Media has 5 funds, including Science Ventures Fund II.
Closing Date | Fund | Fund Type | Status | Amount | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1/31/2018 | Science Ventures Fund II | Early-Stage Venture Capital | Closed | $75M | 5 |
11/22/2017 | Science Blockchain Pte. Ltd. | ||||
7/13/2017 | Science Partners 2017 | ||||
7/20/2015 | Science India Fund | ||||
Science Ventures Fund III LP |
Closing Date | 1/31/2018 | 11/22/2017 | 7/13/2017 | 7/20/2015 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fund | Science Ventures Fund II | Science Blockchain Pte. Ltd. | Science Partners 2017 | Science India Fund | Science Ventures Fund III LP |
Fund Type | Early-Stage Venture Capital | ||||
Status | Closed | ||||
Amount | $75M | ||||
Sources | 5 |
Science Media Partners & Customers
1 Partners and customers
Science Media has 1 strategic partners and customers. Science Media recently partnered with Shuttle on January 1, 2018.
Date | Type | Business Partner | Country | News Snippet | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1/16/2018 | Partner | United States | 1 |
Date | 1/16/2018 |
---|---|
Type | Partner |
Business Partner | |
Country | United States |
News Snippet | |
Sources | 1 |
Science Media Service Providers
1 Service Provider
Science Media has 1 service provider relationship
Service Provider | Associated Rounds | Provider Type | Service Type |
---|---|---|---|
Counsel | General Counsel |
Service Provider | |
---|---|
Associated Rounds | |
Provider Type | Counsel |
Service Type | General Counsel |
Partnership data by VentureSource
Science Media Team
10 Team Members
Science Media has 10 team members, including current Founder, Managing Director, Thomas Dare.
Name | Work History | Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Thomas Dare | Fox Interactive Media, Tsavo Media, Los Angeles Times, and MySpace | Founder, Managing Director | Current |
Greg Gilman | Founder, Managing Partner | Current | |
Michael Jones | MySpace, Tsavo Media, AOL, and Userplane | Chief Executive Officer | Current |
Ryan Eberhard | Chief Executive Officer | Former | |
Kartik Mandaville | Chief Technology Officer | Former |
Name | Thomas Dare | Greg Gilman | Michael Jones | Ryan Eberhard | Kartik Mandaville |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Work History | Fox Interactive Media, Tsavo Media, Los Angeles Times, and MySpace | MySpace, Tsavo Media, AOL, and Userplane | |||
Title | Founder, Managing Director | Founder, Managing Partner | Chief Executive Officer | Chief Executive Officer | Chief Technology Officer |
Status | Current | Current | Current | Former | Former |
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