Jim Simons-Backed Codagenix Is Developing a Coronavirus Vaccine

Billionaire hedge-fund founder Jim Simons is backing a small biotech firm that is developing a potential coronavirus vaccine.

Jim Simons

Amanda Gordon

Simons, through his family office, started investing in the company, called Codagenix, at least four years ago and now owns a little more than a 25% stake.

“It still takes a while to get a vaccination program underway,” Simons, 81, said Tuesday on the sidelines of the MoMath Masters Tournament in New York. The founder of hedge fund Renaissance Technologies has a $21.8 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Other companies are also making strides. This week, Moderna ...