Reed Jobs Would Rather Talk About Curing Cancer Than His Last Name
Reed Jobs and his venture firm Yosemite have grown significantly since launching, with a sharp focus on biotech and cancer research. AI has become a core part of their strategy, and expiring drug patents are opening up new investment opportunities. Jobs says the pace of growth has exceeded even his own expectations.
Reed Jobs, son of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, has made it clear that he would rather be known for his work in cancer research than for his famous last name. When TechCrunch last sat down with him at Disrupt nearly three years ago, his venture firm Yosemite was just getting off the ground, and the biotech sector was still recovering from its post-pandemic slump. A lot has changed since then.
Yosemite has since grown to a team of 17 and remains laser-focused on funding and developing breakthrough cancer treatments and other life-saving medical innovations. Jobs is candid about his motivation: the mission comes first, and the family legacy is simply background noise. The firm is also well-positioned to take advantage of a coming wave of drug patent expirations, which will create significant openings for new competitors and fresh therapies.
Perhaps the most dramatic shift in Yosemite's trajectory has been the rise of artificial intelligence. What Jobs once viewed as an interesting but peripheral technology has become, in his own words, 'a huge part of what Yosemite does.' AI tools are now deeply embedded in how the firm scouts investments, evaluates scientific research, and supports its portfolio companies in accelerating drug discovery.
'I didn't expect Yosemite to be moving this fast,' Jobs admitted. With a growing team, a robust pipeline of biotech investments, and AI turbocharging their capabilities, Reed Jobs appears determined to forge an identity entirely his own — one defined not by Silicon Valley lore, but by the very real possibility of curing cancer.