Samantha Tabone is a general partner at XEIA Venture Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm investing at the intersection of frontier life sciences, biotech, deep technology and medtech. With a focus on XEIA’s Human 3 thesis, she backs founders developing transformative solutions in neuroscience as well as enabling platforms that redefine human health and longevity using cutting-edge modalities like mRNA, epigenetic medicine and more.
Tabone is also the director of business development at Xylo Bio, which is developing targeted neurotherapeutics for neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders. The company was founded as a g-protein coupled receptor (GPCR)–focused platform enabling target-based drug design for promising, novel targets in CNS (central nervous system) that are tailored to improve patient outcomes and enhance the patient experience. Xylo’s lead asset is set to enter the clinic in 2026 for major depressive disorder and is a result of a target-based drug discovery campaign that started in 2021. Xylo Bio is a XEIA Venture Partners portfolio company.
Tabone’s career is defined as a bridge between science, investment and entrepreneurship. Trained in chemistry and CNS pharmacology, she began her journey working with early-stage companies, where she honed her ability to evaluate translational science, fundraising and business development opportunities. Prior to launching XEIA, she advised and collaborated with biotech founders, gaining deep expertise in identifying high-potential approaches to new drug discovery, such as epigenetic modulation, RNA-based modalities and new target identification for neurodegenerative disease.
At XEIA, Tabone combines her scientific rigor with operational know-how, leading investments, shaping portfolio strategy and engaging closely with portfolio company founders to accelerate their success. Her role extends beyond capital allocation. She is a community builder, having launched initiatives such as the San Francisco Biotech Run Club and being a co-host of the “Human 3 Podcast,” a forum designed to connect scientists, entrepreneurs and investors around the future of human health.
Tabone is also a mentor for inventors and prospective entrepreneurs at Nucleate, the Creative Destruction Lab, several technology transfer offices at major institutions and the Blueprint Program for Neuroscience Research at the National Institutes of Health. Aside from investing and operating, her passion is founded in transdisciplinary rigor and shaping ecosystems for early-stage entrepreneurs.
Tabone’s work reflects her belief that venture capital should be both catalyzing and collaborative—accelerating groundbreaking science while supporting visionary founders.
XEIA Venture Partners has invested in 27 companies and is now allocating out of its second fund.