UC Davis alumnus and IIFH board member Aryeh Ganz, founder and managing partner of Cornucopian Capital, is helping build new pathways for translating university research into precision health solutions. In a recent AgFunderNews interview, Ganz describes Cornucopian’s approach to investing early in translational science and working closely with academic ecosystems to develop technologies into companies. At UC Davis, that approach comes to life through Ganz’s partnership with the Innovation Institute for Food and Health (IIFH) and Barnstorm Foundry, a UC Davis-affiliated venture studio that works with university labs to evaluate, de-risk and commercialize promising innovations.
The collaboration demonstrates how IIFH connects scientific expertise with entrepreneurial talent, market insight and patient capital to move discoveries toward real-world impact. Projects emerging from this ecosystem include Caffree, which is developing enzyme-based technology that enables precise control of caffeine levels, as well as work in biosensing and metabolic health. Through research collaborations, Innovator Fellowships, Discovery Forums and venture creation, IIFH and partners like Ganz are building a model for turning science into scalable solutions that support more personalized and preventative approaches to health.
