• Allergy Amulet

  Participated · Series A · Aug 2024

  Amulet builds portable sensors that provide rapid, on-site molecular detection for food allergens, toxins, and other environmental contaminants through a consumer wearable (Allergy Amulet) and a commercial detection platform (Amulet Scientific). The company plans to scale its team, expand its detection portfolio, and execute a full product launch to serve a growing waitlist. Since its 2020 seed round, Amulet has secured grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Recent strategic hires include Michelle Wu (Head of Product) and Barkley Jenny (VP of Product) to support commercialization and product development. Amulet also recently became a benefit corporation, reflecting its mission-driven approach to improving food safety for individuals and businesses. The technology targets both consumer needs (people managing food allergies and intolerances) and commercial customers (restaurants, suppliers, and manufacturers) to reduce allergen exposure, contamination-related recalls, and associated health impacts. Allergy Amulet builds a consumer food-allergen detection platform centered on a thumb-sized reader (the "Amulet") paired with a disposable sampler. The device pairs molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology with an electrochemical system to detect common allergenic ingredients in seconds. Its sleek, portable design supports everyday carry (keychain, necklace, wristband) and an optional mobile app to store and share results. Allergy Amulet closed additional Seed funding that brought the round to $4.1 million and previously raised an initial Seed led by a joint venture between Microsoft and the Green Bay Packers. The new capital will be used to accelerate manufacturing, expand product offerings to cover more allergens, grow the team, and educate consumers. The company positions the Amulet as an additional tool for individuals, parents, and businesses to better manage food allergies and reduce reliance on strict avoidance and emergency treatment. Allergy Amulet has developed a small, fast consumer food allergen sensor consisting of a USB-sized reader and disposable test strips housing proprietary sensor chips. The patented, portable technology is designed to fit on a keychain, necklace, wristband, or in a pocket and the company’s case also accommodates epinephrine and antihistamines. The company holds one issued U.S. patent with multiple applications and reports a waitlist with thousands of individuals signed up for an early beta release. Allergy Amulet plans to use new funding to manufacture beta units, launch pre-orders, expand product offerings to cover more allergens, grow its team, add additional restaurant and company partners, and educate consumers about food allergen management tools. The company is led by Co-founder and CEO Abigail Barnes and Co-founder and Scientific Advisor Dr. Joseph BelBruno. Pre-sales were slated for Fall 2020 with a broader launch planned for Fall 2021. Allergy Amulet develops a rapid, portable, point-of-consumption food allergen detection device that connects to a patent-pending disposable test strip. The device enables mobile measurements to help individuals avoid ingesting target allergens. It can be configured as a wearable (for example, a necklace) or integrated into everyday products (for example, an EpiPen). Led by CEO Abigail Barnes and based in Madison, WI, the company plans to begin beta testing of its prototype. Allergy Amulet raised $1.1M in seed funding to grow the team and accelerate product development. Investors in the round include Colle Capital, Bulldog Innovation Group, Foley Ventures, Gopher Angels, Mendota Venture Capital and the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation.

• Amulet

  Participated · Series A · Aug 2024

  Amulet develops portable, on-site molecular detection sensors for identifying food allergens and environmental contaminants. The company offers a consumer-facing product under the Allergy Amulet™ brand, including a signature wearable for testing food on the go, and a commercial detection platform under Amulet Scientific™ for restaurants, suppliers, and manufacturers. Led by CEO and Founder Abigail Barnes and based in Madison, WI, Amulet positions its technology for both individual users and food-industry customers. The company plans to scale its team, expand its detection portfolio, and execute a full product launch to serve a growing waitlist. Its current financial update is a $6M Series A funding round announced in December 2024. No operating metrics (revenue or users) were disclosed in the article.

• Hippo Dx

  Led · Equity · Oct 2023

  Hippo Dx, founded in 2020 in Belgium, developed the Skin Prick Automated Test (SPAT), an automated device that performs 12 tests on the forearm in 10 seconds. The SPAT is positioned as faster, cheaper and more accurate than traditional skin-prick and blood tests and is approved for hospital use. The device automates both sample collection and analysis, reducing labor intensity and variability in results. Hippo Dx has already been adopted by Belgian hospitals including UZ Leuven, AZ Herentals, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg and CHU Luik. The company is developing an AI-based method to analyse SPAT images and provide diagnostic suggestions to physicians. Hippo Dx aims to reduce misdiagnosis among the growing global allergy population and to scale internationally, including targeting the U.S. market.

• IgGenix

  Participated · Series B · Feb 2023

  IgGenix is a pre-clinical antibody discovery and development company based in South San Francisco focused on treating severe allergies. Using its proprietary SEQ SIFTER single-cell genomics platform, the company isolates rare IgE-producing B cells to identify and re-engineer fully human, high-affinity, allergen-specific IgG antibodies. Its lead program targets peanut allergy and involves re-engineered IgE monoclonal antibodies designed to block and prevent allergic reactions. The company plans to advance the lead program into Phase 1 human clinical trials and to expand its discovery platform to additional IgE-mediated diseases beyond allergy. IgGenix announced a $40M Series B first close to fund these efforts. Co-founders include Stephen Quake, Kari Nadeau and Derek Croote, and Joel S. Marcus recently joined the board following the financing. IgGenix applies cutting-edge single-cell genomics to isolate rare IgE-producing B cells and reengineer those allergen-specific antibodies into IgG therapeutics. Its SeqSifter high-throughput discovery platform has uncovered thousands of monoclonal, allergen-specific, high-affinity antibodies from highly allergic individuals. The company was founded based on research by Stanford professors Stephen Quake, Kari Nadeau and Derek Croote and aims to deliver first-in-class therapies with faster onset and more sustained clinical responses. IgGenix will use proceeds from an oversubscribed $25 million Series A1 to expand its discovery platform across food and nonfood allergies and to accelerate its lead program into preclinical development. The company positions its approach as having the potential to prevent life-threatening allergic reactions and improve quality of life for people with severe allergies. IgGenix is based in South San Francisco, California. IgGenix is a privately held biotechnology company developing antibody-based therapeutics to treat food and non-food allergies and other severe allergic conditions. Its platform captures and analyzes very rare human B cells that express allergen-binding antibodies and engineers them with immune-modulating activities derived from the IgG antibody class to suppress allergic reactions. The company isolates and transforms allergen-specific IgE antibodies into IgG antibodies designed to alleviate and possibly prevent the allergic cascade. Co-founder Derek Croote is the lead author of a Science paper that first characterized single human IgE B cells, and the company leverages single-cell genomic and related technologies in its discovery approach. IgGenix announced the appointment of Richard Boismenu, Ph.D., as chief scientific officer and named co-founder Derek Croote as chief technical officer. The company says it will use new financing to advance its antibody therapeutics platform and develop first-in-class therapies for millions of allergy sufferers.

• Alladapt Immunotherapeutics

  Participated · Equity · Jun 2022

  Alladapt Immunotherapeutics is a private clinical-stage biopharmaceutical developing ADP101, an investigational oral immunotherapy representing the nine food groups responsible for most significant food-allergic reactions. The company is conducting the Harmony Phase 1/2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study and an Encore open-label extension. ADP101 is being advanced toward a potential Phase 3 pivotal trial and Alladapt is completing a manufacturing facility intended for late-stage clinical supply and potential commercial product. Recent financing activity — an oversubscribed $119 million institutional financing plus the new term loan — extends the company’s cash runway into 2024. The company was co-founded in 2018 and is based in Menlo Park, California. Alladapt is a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing prescription therapeutics to treat IgE-mediated food allergy. Its lead candidate, ADP101, is an investigational oral immunotherapy representing the nine food groups responsible for the vast majority of significant food-allergic reactions globally and is being studied in the Harmony Phase 1/2 trial and the Encore open-label extension. The company plans to prepare for a potential pivotal trial while continuing to build out its manufacturing facility and expand its pipeline. Proceeds from the financing will fund ongoing clinical development of ADP101, manufacturing buildout, and further pipeline expansion. Alladapt was co-founded in 2018 by Ashley Dombkowski, Ph.D., and Kari Nadeau, M.D., Ph.D., and is based in Menlo Park, California. Alladapt Immunotherapeutics is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing prescription therapeutics to address food allergy. Its lead program, ADP101, is a proprietary broad‑spectrum oral immunotherapy being advanced to mitigate food allergy triggered by single or multiple proteins from a wide-ranging set of common allergens. The company announced plans to initiate a clinical trial later in 2020 and will use financing proceeds to support the initial clinical development of ADP101. Alladapt emphasizes incorporating patient perspectives in product formulation and clinical development. The company was co-founded by Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD (scientific inventor) and Ashley Dombkowski, PhD (CEO), and lists Dana McClintock, MD as Chief Medical Officer and a distinguished scientific advisory board. Financially, Alladapt completed a $60 million Series C in February 2020 to fund its clinical advancement.

No current team members are available.