ALS INVESTMENT FUND

When private-equity veteran Craig Boyce left nearly two decades at Bain Capital and neuroscientist Dr. Melanie Leitner stepped out of the lab, both carried a deeply personal mission: speed up the end of ALS. Together they helm the ALS Investment Fund, a for-profit venture vehicle that backs early-stage therapeutics aimed at turning the disease from terminal to chronically managed by filling the “capital void” between basic research and big-pharma buy-in​. In this conversation with Tim and Troy, Craig recounts losing his father to ALS and how that tragedy redirected his deal-making skills toward impact investing​, while Melanie shares the “seventh-grade brain report” that launched her career and why today’s biomarker and platform-trial advances finally make true progress possible​. They break down:

  • Why capital markets—not philanthropy alone—must fund $10-$50 M clinical trials ​

  • The business case that’s luring big pharma back to neuro (“the decade of neurodegeneration”) ​

  • How a cystic-fibrosis-style royalty model could recycle billions into ALS research ​

  • The audacious goal to “put ourselves out of business” by making effective therapies commonplace ​

If you’re curious how finance, science, and relentless human stories converge to accelerate cures, this episode delivers a front-row seat.

SPONSORS

ElevenLabs: Thanks to ElevenLabs for supporting this episode and powering Tim’s voice.

ALS Investment Fund: Thanks to ALS Investment Fund (https://www.alsinvestmentfund.com) for supporting this episode.

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