A new $500 million investment pool called Intercept has launched with backing from tech firms including Stripe and Anthropic. Its leaders, Stripe’s head of public goods Nan Ransohoff and co-head Charlie Petty, want to push broad-spectrum antivirals and immune-priming therapies through Phase I and II trials. The idea is to lower early-stage risks so big pharma will pick up the tab for Phase III and final approvals. Ransohoff says they aim to move at least two candidate treatments that far before handing them off to commercial partners. Intercept isn’t just about drugs. The fund will also back deployment studies for proven air-cleaning tech like HEPA filters and UV disinfection in high-traffic spaces. Retrofitting schools, buses or offices can be pricey and complex. To tackle that, Intercept has signed up pilot sites with corporate supporters such as Warby Parker, Mastercard and JPMorgan, which will trial these systems in their workplaces and report back on costs and effectiveness. Experts note that $500 million only scratches the surface. Phase I and II trials typically run $20–30 million per candidate, according to Samuel Scarpino of Northeastern University. Phase III could cost several times more. Ransohoff admits additional funding will be needed down the road—but she sees Intercept’s role as jump-starting a sector where antiviral and prophylactic research has long struggled for investment.