Alta Partners is a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, CA. The company was founded in 1996 by Dr. Jean Deleage, Ph.D., who was also a founder of the venture capital firms Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. (BEDCO) and Sofinnova, together with Garrett Gruener, a former general partner at BEDCO.The company was founded in 1996 and invests in biotechnology and life science companies.