ALS Investment Fund Is Launched

Three European entrepreneurs, all recently diagnosed with the rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), have launched an investment fund to find a cure for their disease. The group has already initiated the world’s largest genetic research study related to the disease and now has turned its attention to translating disparate academic research into treatments. The entrepreneurs’ goal is to raise $140 million from “impact investors”—investors interested in social benefit alongside a financial return. The founders say the fund is the first to specifically target a rare disease.