Participated · Series A · Apr 2024

Enlaza Therapeutics develops covalent protein therapeutics using its proprietary War-Lock platform to create site-specific covalent coupling driven by drug binding. The platform is designed to produce highly specific protein warheads that covalently bind intended targets, aiming to improve efficacy while reducing toxicities and enabling lower, more frequent dosing. Enlaza has generated preclinical oncology data showing efficient tumor penetration, rapid systemic clearance, high tumor retention, and low off-target liabilities. The company is building a diversified pipeline of first-in-class covalent biologics for oncology and other therapeutic areas and plans to advance lead assets toward clinical development. The recent financing will be used to further develop the War-Lock technology and support advancement of wholly owned pipeline programs. Enlaza is based in La Jolla, Calif. Enlaza Therapeutics is pioneering a War-LockTM covalent biologic platform that enables site-specific introduction of unnatural amino acids to create covalent protein therapeutics. The platform generates highly specific therapeutic warheads that lock onto targets and can be adapted into antibody-drug conjugates or radioligand therapies without half-life extension engineering. Enlaza is focused initially on developing novel, differentiated cancer therapeutics designed for targeted efficacy and low toxicity. Preclinical oncology data show fast tumor penetration, high systemic clearance, high tumor retention, and low off-target toxicity. The company launched with a $61 million seed financing to further advance the War-Lock platform and build a pipeline of covalent biologics. Its War-Lock technology is exclusively licensed from UCSF and The Scripps Research Institute.

Participated · Series C · Nov 2022

Jnana Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Boston that leverages its RAPID chemoproteomics platform to discover medicines for highly validated, challenging-to-drug targets. Its lead wholly owned program is JNT-517, a small-molecule inhibitor that targets a novel, cryptic allosteric site on the phenylalanine transporter SLC6A19 as a potential first-in-class oral approach for phenylketonuria (PKU). The company has a growing pipeline of programs against difficult targets, including transcription factors, and is developing additional wholly owned potential first-in-class medicines for immune-mediated diseases and cancer. Led by CEO Joanne Kotz and President and CSO Joel C. Barrish, Ph.D., Jnana is advancing its assets toward clinical proof-of-concept studies. The company intends to use new funding to progress its lead PKU program through a clinical POC study and to advance other pipeline programs. No operating metrics (revenue/users) were disclosed in the article. Jnana Therapeutics utilizes its next-generation chemoproteomic RAPID platform to target well-validated but hard-to-drug targets, notably the solute carrier (SLC) family, and to discover oral small-molecule therapeutics. Its lead program is an oral candidate that inhibits the SLC transporter SLC6A19 to reduce kidney reabsorption of phenylalanine and thereby lower elevated blood Phe in phenylketonuria (PKU). Preclinical data from human biology and animal models support SLC6A19 inhibition as a promising approach to address PKU disease pathologies. The company plans to progress the lead PKU program into clinical development while advancing a pipeline of additional wholly owned programs. Jnana will continue to invest in and expand its RAPID discovery platform to drive further pipeline growth. The company is headquartered in Boston and is backed by leading life-science investors. Jnana Therapeutics is developing the first drug discovery platform dedicated to targeting the solute carrier (SLC) family of transporters, leveraging a proprietary small-molecule chemistry and biology approach. The platform is designed to address therapeutic targets rapidly and comprehensively across the SLC family, which includes over 400 largely unstudied members. Jnana is prioritizing disease pathways in immunometabolism, lysosomal function and mucosal defense to pursue indications in immuno-oncology, inflammatory disorders and neurological diseases. The company says its technology enables systematic advancement of medicines based on SLC biology, aiming to harness ancient information-gathering systems that have been largely untapped after decades of drug development. Jnana launched with $50 million in Series A financing to support its discovery and development efforts. Its founding team includes experienced leaders from academia and industry including Stuart Schreiber, Ramnik Xavier, Joanne Kotz and Joel Barrish.

Led · Equity · Oct 2021

Secure Digital Markets offers bespoke digital-asset trading, execution and liquidity services to institutional clients, miners, family offices, hedge funds, BTM operators and exchanges. The firm emphasizes proprietary technology, a specialist trading team and a white-glove client-management approach. SDM is part of the GDA Group and markets itself as Canada’s largest digital asset brokerage. The company reported 1011% year-over-year topline revenue growth and has begun taking external capital to support expansion. Management says it will roll out new trading products and services, pursue acquisitions and expand into new markets, including an increased presence in Europe after a recent acquisition. SDM plans to go to market for a Series A in November to support ongoing demand and growth.

Participated · Equity · Sep 2021

Joy launched out of Y Combinator this summer with the goal of becoming a one-stop shop for every step of a wedding, from engagement through honeymoon. The web-based service combines invitations, CRM, planning tools, guest-list management and a social layer that lets the wedding party share photos and interact before and during the event. In the four months since launch, usage has grown from 150 weddings per month to about 150 weddings per day, and the product has been used in more than 100 countries. Co-founder Vishal Joshi is currently focused on building a smarter guest-management system, a pain point he says legacy sites still struggle with. Long-term, the team believes the technology could extend beyond weddings to other life events. Financially, Joy has secured $4.5 million in seed funding to accelerate product development and growth.

Participated · Series B · Apr 2021

Janux is a preclinical biotech developing next‑generation bispecific T cell engagers that remain inert in circulation and activate at the tumor site via its proprietary TRACTr (Tumor Activated T Cell Engager) technology. In mouse studies the company reported anti‑tumor activity comparable to conventional T cell engagers with reduced cytokine release, and in monkey studies dosing sustained drug levels for longer than two weeks versus hours for standard T cell engagers. Janux has disclosed initial targets for its own programs—PSMA, EGFR, and TROP2—and aims for once‑a‑week dosing. The company has an exclusive research pact with Merck, under which Janux could earn up to $500.5M in upfront and milestone payments for each of two targets Merck selects, plus royalties; Merck will fund the partner’s R&D. Janux is preclinical and says the new capital will enable it to bring immunotherapies into clinical testing and to support development of additional drug candidates. The company declined to answer questions about its technology or plans beyond prepared statements from CEO David Campbell. Janux Therapeutics is developing tumor-activated T cell engager immunotherapies using its proprietary TRACTr technology. TRACTr integrates tumor-specific activation with crossover pharmacokinetics to address dose-limiting toxicities, poor pharmacokinetic profiles, and systemic immune activation seen with prior T cell engagers; in preclinical studies Janux candidates demonstrated comparable anti-tumor efficacy without associated cytokine release or healthy tissue toxicities. The company employs a modular design to rapidly engineer candidates and is advancing a preclinical pipeline that includes TROP2-TRACTr and PSMA-TRACTr. Janux targets multiple solid tumor indications including colorectal, gastroesophageal, prostrate, NSCLC, triple negative breast, and ovarian cancers. The financing will be used to advance the preclinical pipeline and support the company’s plan to bring its first candidate into the clinic in the first half of next year. Janux was founded in the Avalon Ventures accelerator, COI Pharmaceuticals, in San Diego.