Two former Moderna executives have closed Ascenta Capital’s inaugural biotech fund at $325 million, backing early‑stage life science investments. The fund, formed in 2023 and now publicly disclosed at close, will deploy capital into companies developing novel therapeutics and platforms across modalities including protein engineering, gene therapy, and RNA technologies. Ascenta’s founders draw on operational and scientific experience from Moderna to evaluate RNA and platform plays with an eye toward scalable manufacturing and clinical translation. The sizable first‑time close reflects investor appetite for managers with deep industry operating backgrounds and bets on platform technologies that can be industrialized. The fund may become an active acquirer of seed‑to‑Series A biotech opportunities and influence deal activity in the coming 12–24 months. For startups, Ascenta offers not only cash but operating know‑how relevant to next‑generation nucleic‑acid and biologics development.