• Addition Therapeutics

  Participated · Equity · Dec 2025

  Addition Therapeutics is a spin-out from Professor Kathleen Collins’ laboratory at the University of California that focuses on an all-RNA, non-viral lipid nanoparticle (LNP) PRINT delivery platform. The technology is designed to produce "PRINTed" therapeutics targeting both chronic and rare diseases. Initial disease-related non-human primate studies are scheduled for 2026 as the company advances its preclinical pipeline. The company is led by CEO Ron Park, M.D., with a leadership team that includes CSO Francine Gregoire, CBO Priya Parameswaran, and other senior executives across operations, IP, and culture. Addition plans to deploy its latest capital to expand operations and scale R&D programs. To date, the company has secured $100 million in external financing, though no revenue or user metrics were disclosed in the article.

• Montara Therapeutics

  Participated · Seed · Mar 2025

  Montara Therapeutics is a San Francisco-based, preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company led by founder and CEO Nicholas T. Hertz, Ph.D. The company is developing its BrainOnly™ platform to improve the therapeutic index of CNS drugs by blocking peripheral side effects and enabling higher, more effective CNS dosing. Montara aims to create safer, more efficacious treatments for neurological diseases and to address major safety and tolerability challenges. The company closed a $20M seed expansion and the raise brought the total to $28M. In connection with the financing Troy E. Wilson, Ph.D., J.D., joined as an Independent Director and Chairman of the Board and is participating as an investor. Montara intends to use the funds to expand operations and its R&D efforts. Montara Therapeutics is a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing brain-specific treatments to improve safety and efficacy for neurological diseases. Its core BrainOnly platform enables brain-specific pharmacology by using existing and novel chemical warheads to restrict deleterious on-target peripheral activity. The company is advancing a universal peripheral blocker and a neurological disease-targeting drug that has demonstrated clinical benefit but suffered severe dose-limiting peripheral side effects. Montara has initiated chemistry on subsequent programs for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and intends to use new capital to progress those programs. The BrainOnly technology is based on research from the Shokat Lab at UCSF, was published in Nature in 2022, and is exclusively licensed from UCSF. Montara was founded in 2023 by Nicholas T. Hertz, Ph.D., with scientific co-founders Kevan Shokat, Thomas Südhof, and Martin Kampmann, who will serve on its scientific advisory board. In July 2024 the company closed an $8M seed financing to advance its pipeline.

• PinkDx

  Participated · Series A · Jan 2025

  PinkDx is an early-stage company based in Daly City, California that applies advanced science and technology to address medical problems unique to women. Its lead program is a diagnostic test intended to clarify diagnoses for women who present with general symptoms that may signal a gynecologic cancer. The company aims to replace invasive diagnostic procedures, reduce delays in obtaining answers, and enable faster, more appropriate care for patients and physicians. PinkDx reports progress in discovery and development and is advancing the test toward clinical validation. The company completed an upsized Series A round totaling $45 million to support development and clinical validation toward commercialization. As part of BEVC's investment, PinkDx joined Bakar Labs, linking the company to UC Berkeley's life-science incubator and strategic resources. PinkDx is an early-stage, Daly City, CA–based company focused on positively impacting the health of women across their life journey. Led by cofounder, chairwoman and CEO Bonnie Anderson, with CSO Giulia C. Kennedy, Ph.D., and CFO/Chief Business Officer Tim McMeekan, the company applies scientific approaches to address medical problems affecting women. Its first indication targets overcoming diagnostic challenges for women who present with general symptoms that could signal a gynecological cancer. PinkDx will use the Series A proceeds to advance test development, initially focusing on gynecological cancers. The company also appointed Alison Cowan, M.D., M.S.C.R., as chief medical officer to guide clinical development; she previously led Medical Affairs at Mirvie and served as medical director for Hologic’s Diagnostics division.

• Radar Therapeutics

  Participated · Seed · May 2024

  Radar Therapeutics is developing programmable genetic and mRNA-based therapeutics that use RNA sensors—mRNAs that gate expression based on other cellular RNAs—to achieve cell-specific, timed payload expression. Their RADAR platform enables controlled translation to avoid systemic toxicity by activating protein expression only in target cells, leveraging single-cell transcriptomic data and endogenous RNA-editing enzymes such as ADAR. The company is advancing proprietary methods that rely on endogenous enzymes to boost expression levels and improve safety and cost-efficiency of RNA editing. Radar is advancing preclinical programs and plans to use new funding for program advancement, team expansion, and partnering. The team includes co-founders Jim Collins and Xiaojing Gao and a scientific advisory board of leaders in synthetic biology and related fields. Radar is based in Berkeley, CA and has received industry awards including an AbbVie Golden Ticket and a J&J West Coast Cell and Gene Therapy Symposium "Judge's Choice" award.

• Insamo

  Participated · Seed · Feb 2024

  Insamo develops membrane-permeable, orally available cyclic peptides with antibody-like binding affinity using an integrated platform. The platform combines ML-driven molecular design, ultra high-throughput molecular biology, and parallel synthetic chemistry to rapidly identify preclinical candidates. The company says its automated design, synthesis, and testing workflow iterates using trillions of proprietary experimental data points to optimize pharmacological properties. Insamo aims to replace injected or infused biologics with easily administered oral cyclic-peptide formulations and to address previously intractable drug targets. The founding team trained in the labs of David Baker and Hiroaki Suga and operates research sites in Berkeley, CA and Sydney, Australia, with its US headquarters at UC Berkeley’s Bakar Labs. Insamo announced $12 million in seed capital to advance its platform and discovery programs.

No current team members are available.