Participated · Seed · Dec 2023

VirtualZ Computing is a Minneapolis, MN-based software company that connects mainframes to hybrid cloud to enable bi-directional, real-time data access. Its flagship product Lozen is available now and lets hybrid cloud, SaaS, distributed and custom applications gain read-write access to mainframe data without moving it, installing in minutes and running on the zIIP engine. PropelZ, also available today, creates one-time copies of mainframe data for experimentation or analysis in hybrid cloud environments at a fraction of legacy ETL costs. Zaac is planned for Q1 2024 and will provide mainframe applications with real-time, read-write access to external data sources including hybrid cloud, physical storage and SaaS. The company is woman-founded and woman-led by founder and CEO Jeanne Glass. It raised additional funding to support expansion of operations and business reach.

Participated · Series B · Jan 2017

SiteOne Therapeutics develops highly selective small-molecule inhibitors of voltage-gated ion channels, including NaV1.7 and NaV1.8, to treat sensory hyperexcitability disorders such as chronic pain, chronic cough, and ocular surface pain. The company's lead program targets the NaV1.8 channel in the peripheral nervous system, aiming to provide analgesia with a reduced side-effect profile and lower abuse risk than centrally acting therapies. SiteOne's pipeline emphasizes isoform-selective sodium channel inhibitors and other genetically and clinically validated targets for peripheral sensory neurons. The company positions its approach as a non-opioid alternative focused on peripheral rather than central nervous system targets. SiteOne plans to advance its small-molecule candidates into human clinical proof-of-concept studies. The announced $100 million Series C financing will support those clinical development efforts. SiteOne Therapeutics develops novel pain therapeutics and diagnostics intended to treat acute and chronic pain without the limitations of existing therapies such as NSAIDs or opioids. Its therapeutic candidates are highly selective sodium ion channel 1.7 (Naᵥ1.7) inhibitors derived from naturally occurring small molecules. The company was founded with technology licensed from Stanford University and is led by President and CEO Stan Abel. SiteOne is advancing multiple Naᵥ1.7 candidates toward clinical applications across acute and chronic pain indications. The company intends to use recent financing to accelerate development of these candidates. The article does not disclose revenues, users, or other operating metrics. SiteOne Therapeutics is a San Francisco startup developing sodium channel inhibitors and diagnostics aimed at non-opioid treatments for moderate to severe pain. The company’s lead program targets the Nav1.7 sodium ion channel, a target the company notes is validated by human genetic conditions. SiteOne licenses its technology from Stanford University and says the lead compound was originally discovered in the ocean. The compound also has potential use as a long-acting local analgesic and as a diagnostic PET imaging agent. Financially, SiteOne completed an initial $1.5M equity round and secured a $1.4M Phase II SBIR grant from the NIH. The early equity round was led by Sears Capital Management and Biobrit LLC.

Participated · Seed · Oct 2016

HomeMe offers a mobile app that pre-approves users to rent apartments by performing a soft credit check after users input annual income and social security number. The app only shows renters apartments they are pre-approved to rent, eliminates multiple application fees and avoids multiple hard credit inquiries. HomeMe provides a real-time database of available units and allows users to browse listings, book appointments, and reserve pre-approved apartments from their phones. The app is free to download and is available on iTunes. Launched in 2016 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the company rolled out in Texas earlier in the year. The company plans to use new funding to accelerate market expansion and product innovation. Leadership includes co-founders Mark Douglas (President and CEO) and Lindsey Holland (VP of Marketing).

Participated · Seed · Feb 2016

Elemental Machines develops a LabOps intelligence platform that combines universal cloud-based dashboards with physical sensors to collect and unify asset, metric, and location data across laboratories. The platform enables seamless data collection, sharing and reporting for research, clinical, and quality control operations. The company supports over 500 life sciences customers worldwide. Elemental Machines plans to use new funding to accelerate commercial growth across research, clinical, and quality control LabOps segments. Management positions this opportunity within a growing $60 billion market. The company is led by founder and CEO Sridhar Iyengar, PhD and is based in Cambridge, MA. Elemental Machines offers a cloud-based platform that collects and visualizes critical lab data to improve experimental reproducibility and simulate experiments. CEO Sridhar Iyengar likens the technology to X-Ray vision in the lab, enabling researchers to interpret results in the context of how they were collected. The company aims to reduce time and costs in drug research by speeding discovery and identifying better experimental methods through data-driven simulation. Its team includes scientists with wearables and data analytics experience who previously built Misfit (sold to Fossil) and consumer health company AgaMatrix. Elemental Machines quietly launched almost a year prior to the article and reports contracts with about 30 companies, including Lab Central. Iyengar says the software has anecdotally reduced research time by six months or more for some customers.

Participated · Equity · Oct 2015

Picmonic operates a visual learning platform where users create, share and explore audiovisual study cards called Picmonics (pictorial mnemonics). The platform targets medical and nursing education and incorporates humor and memorable graphics to boost memorization and long-term recall. Picmonic plans to expand market penetration beyond its current student base and extend into new student disciplines. The company is developing a user authoring toolset so all users can create Picmonics and will roll out several mobile enhancements. Financially, Picmonic has raised $5 million in total since its founding in 2011 and closed a $2.3 million round to fund product and team growth. Operating metrics disclosed include 100,000+ medical and nursing student users, presence in roughly 1,000 medical and nursing schools, and a Tempe/Phoenix-area team of more than 30 employees. Picmonic operates a visual learning community where users create, share and explore audiovisual study cards called Picmonics, which use pictorial mnemonics. The platform focuses on medical, nursing and pre-health learners and serves more than 500 U.S. and international schools. Led by CEO and co-founder Ron Robertson, the company centers its content on improving study retention through visual mnemonic devices. Picmonic plans to use its recent financing to accelerate expansion into new learning markets and to support release of a native mobile application. Financially, the company has raised $2.6M to date and closed a $1.25M convertible note in the most recent round. The company is based in Temple, Arizona.