New $500 Million Fund Launched to Combat Common Cold and Respiratory Infections

On June 24, 2026, a new $500 million nonprofit fund named Intercept launched to eliminate the common cold and flu. Led by Stripe's Nan Ransohoff and venture capitalist Charlie Petty, the initiative is backed by Stripe, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Bill Gates. Intercept aims to solve the commercial incentive gap in virology by funding broad-spectrum treatments through early clinical trials and piloting advanced air-filtration systems with corporate partners like JP Morgan and Mastercard.

Intercept nonprofit launch

• ▪Intercept's advisory board includes former FDA official Peter Marks and former Operation Warp Speed leader Moncef Slaoui
• ▪A new $500 million nonprofit organization called Intercept launched on June 24, 2026, to fund treatments and technologies to prevent the common cold and flu
• ▪Intercept is led by Nan Ransohoff, the head of public goods at Stripe, and Charlie Petty, a venture capitalist who joined Stripe in 2026
• ▪Intercept is funded by Stripe, Anthropic, the OpenAI Foundation, Flu Lab, Bill Gates, and several traders at Jane Street Capital

Cold prevention challenges

• ▪Pharmaceutical companies underinvest in cold prevention because the common cold is caused by more than 200 different viruses, primarily rhinoviruses
• ▪On average, individuals spend approximately 5% of their lifetimes fighting a cold or the flu

Broad-spectrum antiviral technologies

• ▪Scientists are exploring broad-spectrum countermeasures including RNA drugs, antibodies, computational protein design, and engineered virus-grabbing nasal sprays
• ▪Intercept aims to shepherd at least two prophylactic treatments through Phase I and Phase II clinical trials to encourage pharmaceutical companies to fund Phase III trials

Air-cleaning systems deployment

• ▪Intercept plans to support large-scale air-cleaning systems, air filtration, and ultraviolet light technologies to disinfect air in schools, offices, and public spaces
• ▪Intercept has enlisted corporate partners including Warby Parker, Mastercard, and JP Morgan to run pilots and test air filtration systems in their offices

Stripe philanthropic initiatives

• ▪Stripe's founders, Patrick and John Collison, previously funded pandemic 'fast grants' and joined donors in committing $650 million to establish the Arc Institute
• ▪Stripe previously organized Frontier, a $1.8 billion program designed to encourage the development of carbon removal technology