Participated · Equity · Oct 2025

iOrganBio is a 2024-founded biotech company leveraging its proprietary CellForge™ platform to industrialize the production of human cells and organoids for drug discovery, regenerative medicine, and cell therapies. CellForge integrates AI-based predictive modeling with high-throughput, closed-loop control of 3D culture environments to optimize human pluripotent stem cell differentiation in real time. Central to the system is the Functional Human CellAtlas™, a growing single-cell multi-omics database that serves as a digital blueprint for engineering targeted cell states. Early applications include generating pancreas models with tailored vasculature and immune competency by selectively producing beta islet cells. The company addresses key industry bottlenecks—definability, generalizability, adaptability, reproducibility, and scalability—to deliver reproducible and cost-effective cell manufacturing. iOrganBio is headquartered at BioLabs in Chapel Hill, NC and currently operates with $2 million in initial capital; no revenue or user metrics were disclosed.

Participated · Seed · Feb 2024

Cake, led by CEO Adam Bowe and based in Indianapolis, IN, operates a transactional marketplace enabling independent insurance agents to obtain instant valuations of their assets via a machine-learning-powered Book Valuation tool. The platform connects agents with valuation and transactional services and plans to broaden its offering to include in-platform lending and legal support. Cake intends to use new funding to further improve its platform and to ramp up customer acquisition. The company raised $1.3M in a Pre-Seed financing to support these product and go-to-market initiatives. No operating metrics (revenue or users) were disclosed in the article. The raise involves industry-specific strategic partners alongside institutional investors.

Participated · Seed · Aug 2023

EcoMap Technologies operates a platform used by universities, tech communities, municipalities and other organizations to map their ecosystems. Co-founder and CEO Pava LaPere says the company will revamp its core product, rebuilding it from the ground up to bring backend tech and data to the front end. The recent raise will fund that product overhaul and support the addition of five team members, including two full‑stack developers, additional engineering and product support, digital ad management, and another account executive. The company previously doubled its principal staff from 15 to 30 after its prior seed raise and established headquarters in the Bromo Arts District of downtown Baltimore. Recent milestones include launching the AI-enabled EcoBot, graduating from the Equitech Accelerator, earning Breakout Company of the Year at UpSurge Baltimore, and placement on the 2022 RealLIST Startups roster. EcoMap Technologies builds data-driven EcoMap platforms that centralize information about organizations, resources, people, and activity into one-stop online hubs to help users navigate ecosystems. The company plans to use the new funding to focus on growth, increase market share, and develop EcoMaps for ecosystems across a wide range of industries and communities. EcoMaps can serve local business communities, entire industries, and corporate networks by making it easier to find and navigate resources and stakeholders. EcoMap was founded by LaPere while she was a student at Johns Hopkins University, with co‑founder Sherrod Davis, and is a graduate of the TechStars Equitech Accelerator. The Baltimore-based, female- and Black-founded startup says it aims for a 50/50 female workforce; currently half its employees are female and 30% are people of color. In June 2022 EcoMap closed a $3.5M seed round led by Las Olas Venture Capital.