Third Security's story begins in the early 1980s, when our founder, R.J. Kirk, was a young attorney in Southwest Virginia.

From his initial investments, including the formation of General Injectables & Vaccines, Inc. (GIV) in 1984, Mr. Kirk quickly distilled the principles that became the foundation of Third Security's management model.

GIV was sold to a major competitor in 1998. Shortly after that, Mr. Kirk and a handful of associates launched Third Security in 1999 to help manage their personal investments and affiliated entities.

From its inception Third Security managed life-science focused venture capital funds. In December 2020, Third Security liquidated its remaining life-science focused venture capital funds. More information regarding Our Historical Funds can be found here.

On January 31, 2020, TS Biotechnology Holdings, LLC, an affiliated company owned by R.J. Kirk and related entities and managed by Third Security, acquired the majority of the bioengineering assets owned by Precigen, Inc, which included all of the equity interests of GreenVenus, LLC, Eleszto Genetika, Inc., Okanagan Produce Holdings, Inc., and Oxitec UK Holdings, Inc.