Participated · Series A · Oct 2022

Biopharmaceutical Research Company (BRC) is a DEA-registered botanical cannabis firm focused on the federally compliant production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and partnered development and research. Led by CEO George Hodgin and based in Monterey, CA, the company holds an active Drug Enforcement Administration pharmaceutical cannabis license. BRC has engaged in partnered research with academic institutions including Washington State University and the University of California–Davis. The company raised $20M in a Series A to support its growth. BRC plans to use the funds to scale up operations, increase its product offering, conduct sponsored research, and execute its go-to-market strategy.

Participated · Seed · Sep 2021

Dispense is a New York-based B2B e-commerce software platform for cannabis dispensaries. Co-founded by Kyla Moore and Tim Officer, the platform enables dispensaries to sell product online, manage operations, build direct customer relationships, and scale their businesses. The platform is currently used by dispensaries in five states, including Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Since its beta launch in August 2020, Dispense has processed over 1.5 million orders with an order value of over $200 million. The company raised $2M in Seed funding and plans to use the funds to hire talent, continue developing and enhancing its product, and scale its sales and marketing efforts. NextView co-founder Lee Hower joined the Dispense board as part of the round.

Led · Equity · Apr 2021

Ricovr Healthcare is developing XALIVA®, an automated point-of-care platform designed to provide accurate THC quantification in saliva. The company positions XALIVA® as a solution to improve on-site drug screening and public safety. Ricovr’s technology leverages advanced optical detection and aims to deliver precise, immediate results. The NIH SBIR grant will support development toward an effective, scalable, and accurate device. Ricovr’s product pipeline also includes rapid point-of-care tests for drug screening, reproductive health, and infectious diseases. The company highlights a management team of scientists and engineers, a distinguished advisory board, and academic and industry partners supporting its efforts. RICOVR Healthcare builds the XALIVA rapid diagnostics platform, a saliva-based biosensor that uses a small amount of saliva to deliver lab-quality, quantified, low-cost diagnostics in about five minutes. Its product pipeline includes rapid point-of-care tests for COVID-19, THC and other drugs-of-abuse, and infectious diseases. Pre-validation testing results have shown the platform can successfully identify various biomarkers, and the company has received multiple awards for XALIVA. Management includes CEO and Founder Dr. Himanshu Bhatia and COO and Co-Founder Piyush Sadana, and the company reports partnerships with research institutions and medical device manufacturers globally. RICOVR plans to use new funding to complete platform development, scale up production capabilities, and drive commercialization and go-to-market efforts. Target customers cited include large employers in construction, transportation, retail and manufacturing, as well as law enforcement for roadside pre-screening. The company has raised capital to support commercialization and execution.