Lukatch, Cochran backing West Coast spinouts with Red Tree’s $272M first fund

Co-founded by veteran venture investor Heath Lukatch and Stanford professor Jennifer Cochran, new biotech venture firm Red Tree expects to invest its $272 million first fund in early-stage, West Coast-based academic spinouts, with an emphasis on backing female co-founders and CEOs.

Bay Area-based Red Tree Venture Capital said early Thursday it had closed its Fund I, two years after the firm launched quietly. The firm has already backed 10 start-ups and expanded its team to five investment professionals...